The Transportation Security Administration is ending TSA Gold+, its short-lived airport-screening initiative, and replacing it with an “evolved” version of the existing Screening Partnership Program. The Aug. 24 change matters to families flying to Central Florida for Walt Disney World Resort vacations, but there is an important distinction: Orlando International Airport (MCO) was not planning to adopt Gold+.
That means Disney travelers should not expect MCO’s checkpoints to suddenly change because Gold+ is disappearing. TSA’s new Horizon 25 Strategy could eventually reshape checkpoint technology, private-sector involvement, TSA PreCheck, and the passenger experience at U.S. airports.
TSA Gold+ Is Officially Being Replaced
TSA Administrator David P. Cummins announced Horizon 25 on Aug. 24, outlining three priorities: modernizing checkpoints, improving the traveler experience, and strengthening multimodal transportation security. The official Horizon 25 announcement says an evolved Screening Partnership Program, or SPP, “will replace TSA Gold+” as the agency seeks greater private-sector participation.
Gold+ had been introduced only months earlier as an expansion of the public-private model. Federal procurement documents for TSA Gold+ described it as combining screening personnel, technology, and maintenance through performance-driven contracts while keeping TSA oversight.
The agency is not abandoning public-private screening. Instead, TSA is moving the concept toward an established program that already allows qualified private companies to screen passengers and baggage under federal supervision and TSA procedures.
For travelers following changing airport rules, that distinction matters. Disney-bound passengers have already navigated other security changes, including federal identification requirements affecting domestic air travel.
Orlando International Airport Was Not Adopting Gold+
The biggest correction to the “airport chaos” narrative is also the most important one for Walt Disney World guests: MCO had no announced plan to implement TSA Gold+.
In June, an Orlando International Airport spokesperson told Spectrum News 13 that airport leaders were familiar with Gold+ but did not plan to implement it. The program’s cancellation therefore does not remove an operating screening system at MCO.
There is also no official announcement that the Aug. 24 policy shift has caused new delays, changed security-line protocols, or disrupted flight itineraries at Orlando International Airport. Travelers should not treat the end of Gold+ itself as evidence that MCO security has entered an operational crisis.
That caveat matters after recent Central Florida disruptions. Inside the Magic recently reported on weather-related MCO delays and how airport problems can cascade into missed transportation connections, hotel arrivals, dining reservations, and park plans.
Why the TSA Gold+ Replacement Still Matters for Disney World Travelers
Even without an immediate checkpoint change at MCO, TSA’s reversal matters to Disney vacation planning because airport security is one of the least flexible parts of a tightly scheduled trip.
TSA says Horizon 25 will include efforts to enhance TSA PreCheck, improve passenger experience, streamline acquisition of new technology, and expand capabilities against unmanned aircraft threats. Cummins also plans to bring TSA personnel together in September to advance the strategy.
What TSA has not publicly detailed is exactly how the evolved SPP will differ operationally from the current program, which airports may participate next, or when travelers will see changes tied specifically to Horizon 25.
That uncertainty is more useful to Disney guests than an assumption of immediate disruption. MCO itself is already undergoing other changes affecting travelers, including airport projects and transportation developments Inside the Magic has tracked throughout 2026.
Gold+ Struggled to Gain Airport Traction
The replacement follows a major reversal elsewhere in Florida. Tampa International Airport announced Aug. 24 that, after evaluating Gold+, it would keep its existing federal TSA officers rather than adopt the private-screening model.
Tampa said it reviewed security, workforce, technology, financial, and legal considerations. The airport had explored Gold+ partly to improve operational resiliency during federal funding disruptions and gain access to newer screening technology.
That decision does not dictate what happens at MCO, but it shows why the national policy shift matters in Central Florida. TSA materials explaining the Screening Partnership Program show private screening already exists at airports including Orlando Sanford International and Sarasota-Bradenton International, while TSA retains federal oversight and requires the same security standards.
For Disney travelers, the airport experience can already be a pressure point. Inside the Magic has covered MCO security changes, airport-to-Disney transportation options, and the evolution of travel between Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World after Disney’s Magical Express ended.
What Disney Guests Should Watch Next
For now, travelers flying through MCO should plan around the security procedures actually in effect rather than expecting Gold+ to vanish from a checkpoint they were using. It never became MCO’s announced screening model.
The next meaningful developments will come from TSA’s implementation of Horizon 25 and the evolved Screening Partnership Program. The agency has confirmed the direction—modernization, continued public-private partnerships, PreCheck enhancements, and new technology—but not a specific new MCO screening system or rollout date.
Disney World guests heading into fall travel should continue checking TSA guidance, their airline, and Orlando International Airport before departure, especially when weather or other operational disruptions arise. Inside the Magic has also tracked recent MCO travel alerts and broader airport changes that can affect the first or final day of a Disney trip.
TSA Gold+ may be over almost as quickly as it arrived, but for Orlando-bound travelers, the immediate takeaway is less dramatic: MCO is not losing a Gold+ system it had adopted. The question now is whether TSA’s replacement strategy eventually changes the checkpoint experience for Central Florida visitors—and, if so, when.
