American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have sought Congressional support in their efforts to impose stricter security regulations on JSX, a Dallas-based competitor. Congressman Marc Veasey (D-TX) has co-authored a bill aimed at applying the same security rules for public charter flights as those for large commercial airlines. Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX) is co-sponsoring the bill, with endorsements from major pilot union President and Sara Nelson.
The former CEOs of American Airlines and Southwest personally lobbied the TSA Administrator to enforce these changes. Despite the TSA's study concluding such measures were unnecessary, lobbying efforts have continued in Congress.
JSX operates with only 30 seats from private terminals, ensuring that every bag is screened, passengers are scanned for weapons, and IDs are checked against government databases. This contrasts with approximately 4.5 million private flights annually that depart without such screenings in the U.S., making JSX less of a target compared to larger carriers.