Politics & Power Quote by David Neeleman

Neeleman’s line sounds like a modest administrative tweak, but it’s really a credibility pitch aimed at a very specific post-9/11 anxiety: the fear that private contractors, paid to move lines quickly, can’t be trusted to weigh inconvenience against catastrophe. By framing the issue as “the public’s confidence,” he sidesteps the messier debate about whether federal screeners are actually better and plants the argument where it’s hardest to rebut: perception. In aviation, perception is the product. If passengers don’t feel safe, they don’t fly, and the whole ecosystem - airlines, airports, tourism - takes the hit.

The tell is in the phrasing “took over the functions.” Neeleman isn’t asking the government to run airports, or even to redesign security; he’s carving off the most politically radioactive piece and offering it to the state like a liability transfer. For an airline founder, that’s also a strategic insulation move: when screening fails, the blame lands on Washington, not the carrier. When screening is slow, the airline can commiserate with customers rather than own the problem.

Context matters: this sentiment fits the era when TSA’s creation recast security as a public good rather than a service purchased by airports. Neeleman’s intent is less about faith in bureaucracy than about stabilizing demand. Nationalizing the checkpoint doesn’t just promise safety; it promises a single, standardized authority passengers can grudgingly accept - and an industry can point to when trust wobbles.