The TSA PreCheck Program is being expanded. The Transportation Security Administration announced on Wednesday that it will expand the quick screening process to 60 more airports this year. This will give tens of millions of Americans the chance to go through airport security without even having to take their shoes off.
According to Reuters, the TSA PreCheck program will soon be available at 100 airports within 42 states. It will also be available in Guam and Puerto Rico. In addition to bringing the program to 60 new airports, the 40 airports that currently have the program will be getting more TSA PreCheck lanes, which will make the process even quicker.
Through the program, travelers don't have to take off their shoes, belts or outerwear as they go through security. They also don't have to take laptops out of their cases or take out approved-sized liquids out of their carry-on bags before they go through the screening.
"As TSA continues to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to transportation security, we are looking for more opportunities to provide the most effective security in the most efficient way possible," TSA Administrator John Pistole said according to Reuters.
Passengers must be eligible for the program. Those who qualify include U.S. citizens of frequent traveler programs who can apply through certain airlines. The airlines include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and Virgin America.
U.S. Citizens who are members of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trusted Traveler program and Canadian citizens who are members of the NEXUS expedited travel program are also eligible to apply.
Passengers who are approved for the PreCheck program will have a special barcode embedded in their boarding pass. When the barcode is scanned at security, the passenger will be able to go to the speedy PreCheck line.
A PreCheck passenger can have their privileges taken away if they cause security issues at the gate or if their have committed a crime since they qualified for the program. A TSA agent could also choose to make a qualified passenger go through regular security at random.
According to the TSA, more than 15 million passengers have taken advantage of the TSA PreCheck program since it started in October 2011. The program removes low-risk travelers from the regular screening process, which makes the process quicker.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
