At a time when travelers were still experiencing reservations about the safety of air travel (post 9-11), the screeners, who had been wearing plain white shirts with embroidered cloth badges, were routinely receiving little respect or cooperation, and lots of complaints, from the air-flying public, according to Soreff.
"But once the TSA issued new authoritative-looking royal blue shirt uniforms for all its screeners—ones that were personalized with custom metal badges and wearer name and rank emblems—traveler attitudes became more positive and behaviors changed."
News reports following the TSA's brand buffing and uniform changes showed airport screeners were given greater respect from travelers because they looked more "police like." As a result, the airport screening process became easier and more efficient. "Air travelers became confident that flying was again safe and a viable option," Soreff says. "And that was good news not only for airline ticket sales, but for the thousands of businesses that rely on air travel."
Unifirst