Airport Screener
Airport Screener
Career Overview
Airport screeners help keep passengers, airport employees, and aviation facilities safe by screening people, baggage, and other items for potential security threats. They use advanced technology such as X-ray and CT scanners, full-body scanners, metal detectors, and explosive-detection equipment while following strict security procedures.
Education
A high school diploma or equivalent is generally a good starting point, and specialized airport screening training is provided after hiring. Screening officers receive classroom, hands-on, computer-based, and technology-focused training before becoming certified to perform their duties.
Work Environment
Airport screeners work at security checkpoints in busy airports and interact with large numbers of passengers every day. The job requires focus, good communication, teamwork, and the ability to stay alert while working rotating shifts, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Future Outlook
Airport security is becoming increasingly technology-driven, with CT X-ray scanners, remote screening, biometrics, AI, and advanced analytics being introduced to improve threat detection and passenger flow. Screeners who can work confidently with new technology while using strong observation and communication skills should continue to be important to airport security.
Recommended High School Courses
- Psychology
- Math
- Communication
- Social studies
- Foreign Languages
- Computer Studies
- Law
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
- Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Inspect cargo to identify potential hazards.
- Communicate situation details to appropriate personnel.
- Examine personal documentation to ensure that it is valid.
- Search individuals for illegal or dangerous items.
- Determine operational procedures.
- Locate suspicious objects or vehicles.
- Block physical access to restricted areas.
- Patrol properties to maintain safety.
- Prevent unauthorized individuals from entering restricted areas.
- Request emergency personnel.
- Record information about suspicious objects.
- Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments.
- Confiscate prohibited or dangerous items.
- Monitor access or flow of people to prevent problems.
- Inform the public about policies, services or procedures.
Schools
American University
Cuny John Jay College Of...
Florida Agricultural And...
Florida State University
Howard University
Keiser University- Fort L...
Liberty University
Northeastern University
Pennsylvania State Univer...
Rutgers University- New B...
Sam Houston State Univers...
Temple University- Main C...
University Of California-...
University Of Denver
University Of Georgia
University Of Maryland- C...
University Of Miami
Algonquin College
Athabasca University
Ontario Tech Universit...
St. Mary's University
University Of Guelph
University Of Ottawa
University Of Regina
University Of The Fras...
University Of Winnipeg
Toronto Metropolitan Univ...
Potential Scholarships
Tac Foundation 407 Etr Tr...
Wts Toronto Area Chapter...
Usa - American Public Tra...
Usa - Wts Molitoris Leade...
Usa - Asce Robert P. Wade...
Usa - Ndta Foundation Nat...
Usa- Fhwa Dwight David Ei...
Usa - Transportation -jam...
Usa - Transportation -joh...
Usa - Transportation -law...
Usa - Transportation- Ua...
Usa - Transportation - Na...
Approx Salary Expectation
Low End:
$45,000.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$67,000.00 /yr
High End:
$78,000.00 /yr
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
PayScale, Inc., https://www.payscale.com/.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
PayScale, Inc., https://www.payscale.com/.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.