Air travelers who pass extensive background checks will soon be able to avoid security hassles such as removing suit jackets and shoes at checkpoints, the nation's aviation-security chief said Thursday.
Three years in the works, the Registered Traveler program is finally set to begin June 20, Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley told USA TODAY. It could signify the greatest change in aviation security since 9/11 by shifting millions of passengers into expedited lanes at airports.
Hawley's announcement marks the TSA's firmest commitment to a program that airports and airlines have eagerly been seeking as a way to shorten security lines for "trusted travelers." He also provided new details on how the program could operate.
Hawley said travelers will undergo "a significantly speedier process" at airport checkpoints if they clear both a government check for terror ties and another background check to help verify they pose no security threat.
Critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union say lines will grow longer for travelers who aren't in the program, which is expected to cost each flier around $80 to $100 annually. The ACLU also said that terrorists could enroll in the program by using fake identities.
USA Today
An additional story from Logan International (KBOS).
Logan International Airport will implement a ''registered traveler" program this summer that allows passengers who pass a screening check and pay a yearly fee to use special express security lines.
Passengers will also have to submit fingerprints and eye scans to qualify. Other key details of the program, including how much it will cost and when it will start, are still being worked out.
To boost interest in the program, participants will probably get benefits such as discounts on parking and dining at the airport, according to Thomas J. Kinton Jr., director of aviation for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan.
Logan was one of five US airports that conducted small-scale registered-traveler program trials that ended in September. At Logan, the program involved about 1,800 American Airlines frequent fliers.
Registered travelers show their boarding passes and get their identities confirmed by a machine that checks either their iris or index finger tip. They still have to go through metal detectors and put their bags through X-ray scanners but often save several minutes by avoiding security lines used by the general public that can get crowded. And unless registered travelers set off a metal detector or have a banned item in their carry-on luggage, they are also exempted from so-called secondary screening patdowns by airport security officials that involve a randomly selected percentage of all travelers in general security lines.
Boston.com
Three years in the works, the Registered Traveler program is finally set to begin June 20, Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley told USA TODAY. It could signify the greatest change in aviation security since 9/11 by shifting millions of passengers into expedited lanes at airports.
Hawley's announcement marks the TSA's firmest commitment to a program that airports and airlines have eagerly been seeking as a way to shorten security lines for "trusted travelers." He also provided new details on how the program could operate.
Hawley said travelers will undergo "a significantly speedier process" at airport checkpoints if they clear both a government check for terror ties and another background check to help verify they pose no security threat.
Critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union say lines will grow longer for travelers who aren't in the program, which is expected to cost each flier around $80 to $100 annually. The ACLU also said that terrorists could enroll in the program by using fake identities.
USA Today
An additional story from Logan International (KBOS).
Logan International Airport will implement a ''registered traveler" program this summer that allows passengers who pass a screening check and pay a yearly fee to use special express security lines.
Passengers will also have to submit fingerprints and eye scans to qualify. Other key details of the program, including how much it will cost and when it will start, are still being worked out.
To boost interest in the program, participants will probably get benefits such as discounts on parking and dining at the airport, according to Thomas J. Kinton Jr., director of aviation for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan.
Logan was one of five US airports that conducted small-scale registered-traveler program trials that ended in September. At Logan, the program involved about 1,800 American Airlines frequent fliers.
Registered travelers show their boarding passes and get their identities confirmed by a machine that checks either their iris or index finger tip. They still have to go through metal detectors and put their bags through X-ray scanners but often save several minutes by avoiding security lines used by the general public that can get crowded. And unless registered travelers set off a metal detector or have a banned item in their carry-on luggage, they are also exempted from so-called secondary screening patdowns by airport security officials that involve a randomly selected percentage of all travelers in general security lines.
Boston.com
