With summer coming soon, you might be planning your next summer vacation. If you’re traveling by air, there are some recent Transportation Security Administration rules you can familiarize yourself with, such as keeping your shoes on and paying a fee if you left your identification at home.
As you navigate TSA lines at the airport this summer, here are a few “secrets” about their job and what their day-to-day schedule looks like.
1. TSA agents have the highest rate of job-related injuries among federal workers
TSA employs around 61,000 workers and has screened over 906 million passengers, according to DailyPassport.
The site shared a few secrets about TSA you may not know. The job may seem easy and sedentary, but TSA workers have the highest rates of job-related injuries among federal employees due to the physical demands of the job. Officers are on their feet most of the day and have to routinely carry heavy objects such as luggage.
2. Random searches aren’t always random
Those extra, “random” screenings you might find yourself tangled in? They might be for a reason.
Some of them are genuinely random, but sometimes it’s because you booked a one-way ticket, paid in cash, have some irregularities in your identification, have a boarding pass marked “SSSS” or because you were plain rude in line.
3. TSA doesn’t always find restricted items
Sometimes, restricted items do go through checkpoints without being identified.
In an experiment done in 2015, undercover agents armed with prohibited items went through screening at some of the country’s busiest airports, and fake weapons and explosives were not identified. However, in response to this, TSA has improved its officer training and equipment.
4. Your ticket partially helps pay for TSA employees
Every time you book a flight, you’re actually helping to fund airport security. Known as the September 11 security fee, it helps to cover the cost of regular passenger screening.
As of 2026, the September 11 security fee is set at $5.60 per one-way trip for a flight from a U.S. airport, and $11.20 for a round trip.
5. TSA looks for weird things in addition to banned items
Though there are many items prohibited by TSA, there are also strange things they look for, too, according to DailyPassport, including:
These, amongst many other weird items, have been part of items to watch for in TSA training materials.
6. TSA agents don’t keep items they confiscate
Up to 100,000 items are confiscated by the TSA each month and turned over to the state, and officers are actually prohibited from keeping confiscated items.
When the item is given to the state, they end up on auction sites such as GovDeals. But of course, passengers have the option to give the item to someone they know at the airport who is not traveling, put it in their vehicle, or have it checked.
7. TSA workers watch you, not just X-rays
TSA observes all passengers and their behavior at checkpoints. This is known as behavior detection, meant to add an extra layer of security.
Those who exhibit nervous fidgeting, avoid eye contact with officers, sweat, or are overly talkative may be observed more closely.
8. TSA officers undergo regular testing
To become an officer, you have to undergo lengthy training and supervised on-the-job experience to obtain Transportation Safety Officer certification.
But after becoming an officer, agents also have to complete annual proficiency reviews to maintain certification. That can include image recognition tests, such as spotting dangerous items in X-ray scans.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 7 secrets of TSA agents to know before summer travel season starts
Reporting by Mariyam Muhammad, USA TODAY NETWORK / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
