Airports May Offload TSA In Wake of Pat-Down Protests

From ConsumerAffairs.com:

To say that the flying public isn't happy about the new full-body scanners and up-close-and-personal pat-down procedures is putting it very mildly. Well, nobody else is happy about it either and now there's pressure from Congress and airport managers to do something about it.

One unlikely-sounding solution is to turn over airport screening duties to private security firms, relegating the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to more of a regulatory and oversight function.

It may come as a surprise to most travelers to learn that airports are not required to use TSA screeners. In fact, there are at least 16 airports, including San Francisco International, which outsource screening and security to private firms.