Covenant Aviation Security

Covenant is one of the largest providers of security screening under contract with the TSA under the Screening Partnership Program.

Former locations

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) – San Francisco/San Mateo County, California (replaced by VDM of Xcelerate Solutions in December 2026)

The TSA also awarded contracts to nine airports formerly contracted with Covenant to other companies in 2015.

Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP) – Tupelo, Mississippi (replaced by Trinity Technology Group, Inc. in May 2006 and VMD-MT Security LLC in August 2012)

Incidents and concerns

Undercover tests of screeners

A November 2006 report by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General found that TSA officials had collaborated with CAS at San Francisco International Airport to tip off CAS screeners to undercover tests. The tests were used to determine whether the screeners were properly inspecting passengers and their carry-on luggage at security checkpoints. From August 2003 until May 2004, precise physical descriptions of the undercover personnel who were on their way to test checkpoints were communicated to the screeners. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the report stated that TSA officials and Covenant managers at the airport "notified screening personnel in advance when a tester was approaching a checkpoint and provided their descriptions." An article in the newspaper about a wrongful firing lawsuit related to the events further reported that according to allegations in the lawsuit "Posing as passengers, the decoys try to take dummy bombs, unloaded guns and other contraband through the airport's security checkpoints. But the lawsuit said Covenant tracked the decoys via closed-circuit television cameras and tipped off workers at security gates to expect a test." The handing out of descriptions was then stopped, but until January 2005 screeners were still alerted whenever undercover operations were being undertaken. CAS was rehired with a $314 million, four-year contract at the airport, and while employees of the firm and TSA were disciplined, none lost their jobs. The similar occurrence of Security being warned of test was reported at the Orlando International Airport, as being a regular warning with different descriptions of these undercover agents each time. Mississippi Representative Bennie Thompson said the report was troubling, observing: "How is the public expected to have any confidence in the screening systems when managers game the system?"

Campaign contributions

In November 2010, Fox News reported that Representative John Mica (R-Fla), who was pushing for airports to use private contractors in lieu of the TSA, had since 2006 received $1,700 from Gerald Berry in campaign contributions. Mica's spokesman said the contributions had not improperly influenced Mica.