Frequent fliers without PreCheck will be moving to slow lane, TSA says
CHICAGO _ The Transportation Security Administration this month plans to significantly reduce the number of frequent fliers who go through faster airport security lines for free, even though they haven't signed up for vetting programs like PreCheck, a TSA official said.
The change is not because of any new security threat but is part of a "natural progression" to limit expedited screening only to fliers who have either gone through background checks or have been checked by bomb-sniffing dogs, said TSA spokesman Michael McCarthy. Frequent fliers who aren't signed up for PreCheck are occasionally selected for these faster lines, after a risk calculation based on their itinerary and other information, McCarthy said.
"It's been part of the plan all along," said McCarthy, who did not have a number on how many fliers could be affected. He said TSA does not expect the change will affect lines, since the agency has been training and using more canine teams, which allow more people to go into faster lines.
PreCheck and other programs like Global Entry allow fliers to skip the hassle of taking off shoes, belts and light jackets and removing laptops from suitcases while going through sped-up security lines. Applying for PreCheck, which involves fingerprinting and an FBI background check, requires an $85 fee.
The TSA has a goal of signing up 25 million fliers for expedited screening by 2019. There are more than 12 million participants in expedited screening programs, including more than 4 million in PreCheck, a number that has doubled since January 2016 as the agency has encouraged more people to sign up, McCarthy said.
A University of Illinois study in December proposed that if the TSA paid for PreCheck applications for high-volume fliers, it would save the agency $34 million a year, create shorter lines and enhance security at the nation's airports. The lead author of the study, University of Illinois computer science professor Sheldon Jacobson, said the TSA had not yet responded to the suggestion.
_Chicago Tribune
