What you buy
Every tray at every checkpoint
The program covers all checkpoints in the buy, so the brand is in every tray every departing passenger handles.
Airport security tray advertising Security trays.
Every passenger,hands on the brand.
Every departing passenger handles a security tray, looks into it, and loads it with the things they care about most. A tray program puts the brand in the bottom of every tray at every checkpoint in the airport, for weeks or for a year, and it is the one format no one walks past. This page covers what a tray program costs, how it is bought, how far ahead it books, what works in the tray, and when it is the wrong buy, from EAM Advertising, an airport advertising media agency that plans and buys across 125+ airports and 40+ media vendors.
- 125+Airports worldwide
- 40+Media vendors
- 5Continents served
You’re in good company
The short answer
What is airport security
tray advertising?
A printed graphic in the base of the bins at the security checkpoints, sold per airport for all checkpoints in the buy, by the vendor that runs the tray program at that airport, which is usually a different company from the terminal media owner. Every departing passenger handles the tray, looks into it, and places phone, laptop, and wallet on the brand. Planning range: $30,000 to $100,000 and up per airport for four weeks at medium to large airports, media only, with programs often sold for longer runs and, at some airports, for a year.
Who it reaches
100% of departures
Everyone who clears security, at the one moment they are looking down with their hands on the surface.
Why it works
Attention, forced
No other unit is handled. The passenger looks into the tray by necessity, at eye level, for the length of the checkpoint.
The number that matters
Checkpoint throughput for the airport and the weeks you want. Trays reach a share of every departing passenger that no screen can claim; the airport's departure counts for the flight are the audience.
Start your plan
Want the trays at your airport? Start here.
Pick the path that matches where you are. Every path ends with current availability and a recommended mix.
Still sizing itGet our media kitFormats, planning ranges, and booking windows across 125+ airports. We follow up to learn who you need to reach and when.Get the kit Have airports and datesSend a briefTell us the airports, the dates, and the range. We come back with availability for this format at each airport and a recommended mix.Send it Want to talk it throughBook a 15-minute callA short call on whether this format fits your campaign.Book it
The facts
What should a buyer know
before buying a tray program?
Eight facts, in the table a planner would use.
| What to know | Airport security tray advertising |
|---|---|
| Buying unit | Per airport, all checkpoints in the buy, per flight (four weeks; longer runs and annual programs at many airports) |
| Planning range, four weeks, media only | $30,000–$100,000+ per airport |
| Smallest practical buy | One airport's checkpoints for one flight |
| Book ahead | 12–16 weeks ahead |
| Creative or artwork due | Artwork 6–8 weeks before start, to the tray program's print spec |
| Production and installation | Tray graphics printed and installed by the program's vendor, quoted alongside the media |
| Proof delivered | Photos at the checkpoints and the program's rotation confirmation |
| Best for | Always-on programs, product launches aimed at frequent flyers, cybersecurity and tech brands, and any campaign that wants every departing passenger |
Planning figures for medium to large airports, from Phoenix (PHX) up to JFK, Las Vegas (LAS), and San Francisco (SFO); smaller airports such as San Antonio (SAT) run 25 to 40% less. Media only. Ranges from the airport advertising cost page; timing from the lead-times page.
How it's bought
How are security
trays sold?
Per airport, for all checkpoints in the buy, by the vendor that runs the tray program at that airport, which is usually separate from the terminal media owner; a plan with trays and screens at one airport involves two contracts. Programs run in four-week flights at some airports and in longer runs or annual programs at others, and the graphics are printed and installed in rotation by the program's vendor, which is why artwork is due six to eight weeks before start.
By airport
All checkpoints
The program is the airport's checkpoints as a set; you do not buy one lane.
Separate vendor
Often not the terminal media owner
Trays are a separate contract from the concourse screens. One plan, two media owners, one agreement through EAM Advertising.
Longer runs
Weeks, or a year
Four-week flights at some airports; at others the program sells by the quarter or the year, which suits always-on brands.
Where it works
Where do trays work,
and which airports have them?
Trays exist at every airport with a checkpoint, and programs are sold at many medium and large airports; the vendor and the terms differ by airport. They work for any campaign aimed at departing passengers, which is to say residents and frequent flyers: recruiting, home-market brands, launches aimed at business travelers, and always-on programs. Flexispot ran year-long tray takeovers across five major U.S. airports; Fabric took all 760 trays at San Jose as part of a full-airport takeover.
Major hubs
The largest tray counts
ORD, DEN, CLT, IAD, and LAX carried Flexispot's year-long tray program; the large hubs have the most checkpoints and the most trays.
Medium and tech-market airports
Strong value
SJC, AUS, PHX, and similar airports carry programs that reach the local tech and business workforce on every trip.
Any airport, any week
Not tied to events
Trays reach departures every day of the year, which is why the format suits always-on programs more than event weeks.
Airport pages with placements for this format: Las Vegas (LAS) Austin (AUS) All airports on the hub
What it costs
What does a tray
program cost?
$30,000 to $100,000 and up per airport for a four-week flight at medium to large airports, media only, with the largest hubs at the top of the range and above it, and longer runs priced per period. Smaller airports such as San Antonio (SAT) run 25 to 40% less. Printing and installation of the tray graphics are quoted alongside the media.
One medium airport
From about $30,000
All checkpoints at an airport such as AUS or SJC for four weeks.
A major hub
$100,000 and up
All checkpoints at a hub such as ORD or LAX for four weeks; annual programs priced per period.
Several airports
The always-on play
Flexispot's five-airport, year-long program is the shape: trays at the hubs your audience uses, all year.
The full ranges by format and campaign shape, on the cost page.
Creative
What works creatively
in a security tray?
A graphic designed for the base of a tray, seen from above at arm's length with a phone and a laptop on top of it: a bold brand mark, high contrast, a short line, and nothing in the corners that the items will cover. Humor and self-awareness work here more than anywhere else in the airport, because the passenger is looking straight at it with nothing else to do.
Designed for the base
Seen from above
The brand mark in the center, large, with the message where a laptop won't sit.
High contrast
Under checkpoint light
Bright backgrounds and dark marks survive wear, lighting, and a tray full of belongings.
Say something
The passenger is looking
A line that acknowledges the moment reads well; a corporate tagline reads as wallpaper.
When it's the wrong format
When are trays
the wrong buy?
When the audience is the arrival, not the departure (visitors never touch a tray on the way in), when the campaign is one conference week (tray programs favor longer runs, and the show's attendees are arriving), and when the creative needs scale or motion that a tray base cannot carry. Trays are a departures-side, always-on format; a spectacular is the event-week format.
Arrivals audiences
Buy baggage claim
Visitors and attendees don't pass a checkpoint on the way in.
One conference week
Buy the arrivals path
The show's audience is arriving, not departing; trays reach them on the way home, after the show.
Scale or motion
Buy a spectacular
A tray base holds a graphic; a wall holds a campaign.
Why EAM
What does EAM Advertising do
with this format?
We know which vendor runs the tray program at each airport, how its periods and rotation work, and how to run trays alongside the terminal screens under one agreement. We check availability for your dates, recommend the airports, secure the program, check the artwork against the tray spec, confirm the rotation, and deliver photos from the checkpoints. Flexispot's year-long, five-airport tray program and Fabric's 760 trays at San Jose are the two shapes it takes.
- Always-on, five airportsFlexispotChicago, Denver, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles. Year-long security-tray takeovers across five major U.S. airports.100 million-plus impressionsSee the campaign
- One airport, dominatedFabricSan Jose (SJC). A full airport takeover for one flight: 82 digital faces covering 5,252 square feet, plus all 760 security trays.Every network and checkpoint at one airportSee the campaign
National, several media ownersFortinetU.S. and Canada: Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and more. Bought from multiple media owners as one coordinated buy, under one plan and one contract.40 million impressionsSee the campaign
See every campaign on the case studies page.
Tell us the airports, the dates, and the range. We come back with availability for this format at each airport and a recommended mix.
Ready to plan?
Want the trays?
Send a brief.
Tell us the airports, the dates, who you need to reach, and the budget range. We come back with availability for this format at every airport in the plan and a recommended mix.
125+ airports · 40+ media vendors · Since 2015
“We ran a security tray advertising program across several key airports, and EAM was a tremendous partner throughout the process. Their team helped secure the space, manage renewals, and coordinate the campaign seamlessly from start to finish.”
Chief Executive OfficerFlexispot · security tray program across five U.S. airportsFor agencies and consultants
Your client. Your plan.
We handle the airports.
Agencies and consultants bring EAM Advertising in as the airport specialist behind a client’s plan. The client relationship stays with you. We plan, buy, and report under NDA, and can work white-label.
Get our media kit- Your client stays yours.We work behind your team, not around it.
- White-label and NDA.Plans and reporting can go out under your name.
- One contract, one invoice.Every airport and media owner in the plan, under one set of terms.
- Numbers before the client commits.Current availability and planning ranges at the proposal stage.
Airports
Thinking of a specific airport?
Start with its page.
EAM Advertising plans and buys at 125+ airports across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, India, and Africa, and any combination runs under one contract. The most-requested airports are below; every airport, with search by city or code, is on the airport advertising hub.
Questions
Questions buyers ask
about security tray advertising
How much does security tray advertising cost?
$30,000 to $100,000 and up per airport for a four-week flight at medium to large airports, media only, covering all checkpoints in the buy; the largest hubs sit at the top and above. Smaller airports run 25 to 40% less, and longer runs are priced per period.
Who sells TSA tray advertising?
The vendor that runs the tray program at each airport, usually a separate company from the terminal media owner. An airport advertising media agency buys both under one agreement.
How many people see security tray ads?
Every departing passenger who clears security at that airport during the flight; the airport's departure counts for the period are the audience. No other format is handled by 100% of departures.
How far ahead do you book security trays?
Twelve to sixteen weeks, with artwork due six to eight weeks before start, because the graphics are printed and installed in rotation by the program's vendor.
Can you buy trays at one checkpoint?
Programs are sold per airport for all checkpoints in the buy, not by lane. The brand is in every tray every departing passenger handles.
Do security tray ads work for B2B?
Yes, for departures-side audiences: frequent business flyers, the local tech and professional workforce, and launches aimed at travelers. Cybersecurity and tech brands use them for the obvious reason: the passenger's laptop is sitting on the message.
Can tray advertising run for a year?
At many airports, yes; programs sell by the quarter or the year as well as by the flight. Flexispot ran year-long tray takeovers across five major U.S. airports.
What should a security tray ad look like?
A bold brand mark in the center, high contrast, a short line placed where a laptop or phone won't cover it, designed to be seen from above at arm's length under checkpoint lighting.
Are security trays good for a conference week?
Not as the main unit: the show's attendees arrive through baggage claim and depart after the show. Trays suit always-on programs and launches aimed at departing frequent flyers.
What does EAM Advertising handle on an airport campaign?
Everything after the objective. We check what's open for the week, which loops are crowded and which units will sell out, and where on the arrival path your audience actually walks. We recommend the mix, secure the units, traffic the creative through airport approval, confirm posting on day one, and deliver proof of posting and play logs after. If the airport is one market in a larger plan, the same relationship covers the others.
Airport advertising media agency. 125+ airports. Est. 2015.
Thinking about a tray program?
Start with the media kit.
Send your work email for the media kit: formats, planning ranges, and booking windows across 125+ airports. We’ll follow up to learn who you need to reach and when, then come back with current availability and a recommended mix.
125+ airports · 40+ media vendors · Since 2015
Sources
Sources
and methodology
- Buying units, deadlines, and proof: current media kits at Las Vegas, Austin, San Francisco, and Barcelona, 2025–2026, and EAM Advertising buying records across 125+ airports, 2015–2026. Media owners are described, not named.
- Planning ranges: the airport advertising cost page. Lead times: the lead-times page.
- Campaigns named: past work described on the case studies page, without spend.
Updated October 5, 2026 · By EAM Advertising
EAM Advertising plans, secures, and buys airport and in-flight media across 125+ airports and 45+ airlines worldwide. Founded in 2015; collective operator experience in airport media buying spans two decades. Recommendations are based on what performs for the advertiser, not on inventory we have to sell. Clients include Dynatrace, Fortinet, Rubrik, McGraw-Hill, and Wharton.