TSA director who enhanced security at SC airports retires

From pilot programs to Charleston International’s post-security Chick-fil-A, South Carolina’s Transportation Security Administration director David McMahon helped redefine airport security at CHS.
Now, he’s retiring, effective this weekend.
Of the last three decades with the federal government, 23 of those have been in various positions with TSA — six of which were in his home state of South Carolina.
Airport CEO Elliott Summey said McMahon has been a “fantastic partner through the years” and that the cooperative relationship between the airport and the federal agency is the reason behind some innovative solutions, such as ensuring the Chick-fil-A that is accessible from both the public side of the passenger terminal and the area behind the security checkpoint.
The fast-food restaurant opened in 2024.
“At the time when the question was asked of whether this was possible, and the short answer was yes. The long answer was we need to evaluate the risk assessment and see how to make it work,” McMahon said.
And that’s what they did. Security measures were put in place to ensure nobody from outside the terminal could get to the secure side, and they created a one-way carousel system to get food from one side of the Chick-fil-A to the other.
“We had to think about possible threats and plan around that,” he said.
That’s why the carousel goes one way, so nothing dangerous could be sent back to the airline side, and if anything is placed on it from the unsecured area it goes down a trash chute, McMahon said.
He said ending his TSA career in a place he calls home has been a high note for him. He credits his federal and airport co-workers and frontline staff for their teamwork in be able to “capitalize on a lot of good things.”
It’s been a busy few years for the TSA at CHS — from meeting Real ID deadlines and adding military and family checkpoint lanes to unique agreements, like the airport-funded canine training program by security officers and testing out new technology to keep up with passenger growth. McMahon said TSA and the airport have signed an agreement to try out more advanced tools down the road.
While Charleston is South Carolina’s busiest airport, he added that growth across the state has led to major investments to improve the security process.
“All six of South Carolina’s major airports have been able to advance the security screening and technology and are seeing the natural growth of passenger travel across the state,” McMahon said. “I give a lot of credit to those airport directors for their willingness to expand and invest in better security screening processes.”
The Sept. 11 terror attacks of 2001 happened early in his career. It’s a day that he’s thought about often ever since.
“It’s a historical point in all of our lives and it is something that our latest generation is reading in history books. The mission of TSA was created from that tragic day, and it’s important that the ‘why we do what we do’ is never lost,” McMahon said.
Richard Rzucidlo, who has worked alongside McMahon, has been named acting federal security director.
Holiday traffic
Charleston International ended the year on a high note, with a busier-than-average holiday travel season.
More than 148,570 travelers passed through the TSA security checkpoint during the 2025 Christmas and New Year’s holiday period. That was a 7.5 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Airport CEO Elliott Summey said the increase in holiday travelers through the terminal checkpoint is a “strong indicator of Charleston’s continued growth,” not just in terms of visitors but in residents flying to visit family in other states, too.
The average wait time at the TSA checkpoint during this period ranged from 3½ minutes for PreCheck passengers to 6 minutes for all other travelers, according to airport officials.
The year-end and December totals have not yet been released.
Home sweet home
Bee City Zoo in Cottageville has welcome two new residents.