6.12.23 – Personal International Travel and Known Crewmember (KCM)

Personal International Travel and
Known Crewmember (KCM)

Monday, June 12, 2023

The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) continues to observe and investigate cases of crewmembers using Known Crewmember (KCM) while on personal travel to international locations. KCM regulations explicitly prohibit use for personal international travel.

Corporate Security sends the APFA Safety and Security Department a monthly list of all flight attendants who have been found to have violated KCM rules regarding personal international travel. Between April 17th and April 30th, there were 135 KCM violations for personal international travel by Flight Attendants and 61 by Pilots. The numbers for May are not yet known, but we continue to be sent violations daily.

If planning to travel internationally for personal reasons, you may NOT utilize KCM at any time the same day you plan to travel, this includes international commuters. PNRs and KCM data are run daily to find matches, and if the PNR contains international travel Inflight Corporate Security will flag you.

Q: I’m going on vacation and traveling ORD-DFW-LIM. Can I use KCM in ORD?
A: No. You must go through a regular security screening checkpoint in ORD.

Q: I commute internationally. Can I use KCM for the last day of my sequence and then exit and go through regular Security before commuting home? 
A: Since the company cannot see on your PNR that you exited the secured area and re-entered via a regular screening checkpoint, you should NOT use KCM on the last day of your sequence.

Q: Tomorrow is the last day of my 3-day trip. After I am done with my sequence, I plan to hop on a flight to CDG and start my vacation. I want to go through KCM with the rest of my crew in the morning. After my trip, I will wait in the terminal until it is time to board my flight to CDG. Is that allowed?
A: No.If you plan to travel internationally for personal reasons on the same day you are working a trip, you must utilize regular TSA screening at the start of your day and any time you exit and re-enter the secured area on the same day as travel.

Q: What if I am randomly selected for secondary screening? Wouldn’t that cancel out the violation since I still used standard screening? 
A: No. The system will see that you scanned at a KCM checkpoint on the same day you planned to travel internationally. This will still flag a KCM violation.

Bottom line: Do NOT use KCM on the same day you plan to travel internationally. Even if you’re working a trip, the system cannot differentiate between a work trip and travel for leisure. It is not worth potentially losing your KCM privileges.

We have reached out to the company for comment on what is the process for those found to be in violation, and it is as follows:

1. First Violation – All crewmembers found to have violated KCM rules regarding international travel will have a mandatory meeting with their Inflight Manager, to discuss the violations and or investigate if a violation has occurred, as well as to council on how to avoid violations in the future. This meeting may result in a performance advisory, depending on the severity of the violation.
2. Second Violation – All crewmembers found to have violated KCM rules for personal international travel a second time will lose KCM privileges for 90 days.
3. Third Violation – Violating these rules a third time may result in a 12-month suspension or longer, depending on the situation.

As a reminder, the KCM program was achieved through many years of lobbying on Capitol Hill. It is not a contractual right, and much like any privilege, it can be taken away when abused and misused. Failure to adhere to the KCM rules can result in an individual’s suspension from the program. The TSA can also terminate an airline’s access to the program if the number of violations is exceedingly high, and that means for everyone.

Although KCM will one day evolve into a new program called ECA (Expedited Crew Access), the details of that program are still in the developing stages and more than likely won’t begin until 2024. However, today’s violations will affect that program’s structure in the future, as TSA is monitoring our activity daily and closely.

Please maintain professionalism at the KCM checkpoints, remain vigilant, and comply with the KCM regulations. Given the increasing number of violations we are experiencing, you must read, familiarize yourself, and abide by the KCM Program Rules, on the APFA Safety and Security webpage. This information is also available in the SSI folder of Comply365 on your iPhone EFB.

If you are unsure of what items you can or cannot bring through the secured area, check the Prohibited Items List available on the APFA Safety & Security webpage as well as TSA.gov.

The only exemption we are allowed while in uniform is from the 3-1-1 Liquids, Aerosols, Gels rule. If items are prohibited for passengers, those items are also prohibited for us.

Also, as of May 2023, the temporary relief of oversized disinfectant products to be carried through TSA has been canceled due to the ending of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. 

Should you happen to have any questions about KCM rules and or need to report inappropriate behavior by a TSA or international security agent, please contact  the APFA Safety & Security Department at [email protected] or call 817-540-0108, ext.1.4.1.1.

In Solidarity,

Andrew Rhinehart
APFA National Safety & Security  Chair
[email protected]