I was boarding a Delta flight ATL-TLV last week and there was an employee not in a TSA uniform, not a crew member, standing on the jetway at the entry door to the plane. She was smiling at each passenger saying "Welcome to Delta."

I asked her if she worked for Delta, and she said no, then mumbled something about who she did work for, which I didn't catch/understand (a BDO?). I thanked her for not bellowing, remarking that there were a number of bellowing TSA employees bellowing at the gate so it was a pleasant surprise to see a polite smiling employee for a change.

The TSA people doing the random gate inspection said that it was a requirement of the Israeli government, not a TSA operation. Gate inspection did not occur on the return TLV-ATL flight. What gives?