The United States Transportation Security Administration will expand a pilot program that allows travelers to select security lanes geared to their comfort with and knowledge of the screening process
TSA has not yet chosen the airports, which it will select based on several factors, such as checkpoint configurations and passenger traffic levels, the agency said.Last month TSA introduced the lanes at Salt Lake City International Airport and Denver International Airport, with three separate checkpoint options for families and people requiring special assistance, casual travelers and expert travelers. Screening levels and procedures are identical across all lane types. Passengers are not required to go into a specific lane, TSA spokesperson Carrie Harmon said. "One of the goals of this is to make the screening experience less stressful to passengers. Business travelers tell us that it's stressful for them to wait in line behind people who are not as familiar with the screening process," she said, adding that the program also has decreased wait time.
The Salt Lake City pilot will be in place indefinitely, and while Denver's program was scheduled to end today, it has been extended at least two weeks in order to gather more information, Harmon said. "The purpose of the program is to try something new and see how it works," she said, adding that it is not known if the lanes will become permanent.
David Castelveter, spokesperson for the Air Transport Association, a trade group for commercial airlines, said the program had potential. "We think it complements very nicely the other priority lines that the carriers provide, like the first-class line or the frequent-flyer lines," he said, adding that if successful, the program ultimately could replace Registered Traveler lanes, which charge travelers a fee.
