The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced the fee for its new Crewmember Access Point program, which will replace the current Known Crewmember program. This change will bring the crew screening process under the agency’s control.

The fee, which becomes effective on January 1, 2027, will be $19 per employee, per year for participating aircraft operators. This is a delay from the previous timeline, where TSA planned to transition away from Known Crewmember by the end of 2025. The new program, also known as CMAP, will now begin to roll out this summer as the existing Known Crewmember access points are phased out. The transition will occur gradually across the country to allow for operational testing and equipment deployment within budgetary needs.

Since its implementation in 2011, the Known Crewmember program, managed by the trade group Airlines for America (A4A), has provided expedited access to sterile areas at most U. S. airports for eligible pilots, flight attendants, and certain other crewmembers. This program was created to comply with a statutory requirement for a system to properly identify authorized flight deck and cabin crewmembers at screening checkpoints.

Under the current setup, eligible aircraft operators subscribe to the program through A4A. Crewmembers present airline-issued identification and an acceptable form of identification at designated access points staffed by TSA. A TSA personnel then scans the crewmember’s assigned KCM barcode and verifies the individual against the A4A database.

With the new CMAP program, TSA will use crewmember information submitted by aircraft operators through its existing Master Crew List and Master Personnel List programs. Operators will need to identify which crewmembers have consented to participate in the program. These crewmembers are already subject to security threat assessments, including criminal history, immigration, and terrorism checks.

At designated CMAP access points, TSA will take a digital photograph of each crewmember and compare it to federal databases. If there is a biometric match, the crewmember will be eligible for expedited access to the sterile area. If there is no match or the crewmember is randomly selected for “unpredictable screening,” they will be directed to a TSA passenger checkpoint for screening.

According to TSA, moving the program from A4A to the federal government will improve cybersecurity, strengthen identity verification, and allow the agency to better use crewmember information for aviation security oversight responsibilities. Crewmembers traveling for official business or domestically for personal reasons will still qualify for expedited access under the new program.

Participating aircraft operators will be billed the $19 annual fee based on the number of crewmembers enrolled in CMAP. If an operator fails to pay within 30 days of the invoice date, their crewmembers may be removed from the program and become ineligible for expedited screening. The fee is designed to cover program costs over a five-year period and will be reviewed every two years.

The CMAP program will only be available to domestic aircraft operators regulated under Part 154