ASPEN, Colo. – Air travel will soon be easier for Americans who can afford $85 for a new, expedited security screening plan, the head of the Transportation Security Administration said Friday.
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, TSA Administrator John Pistole announced that the program, an expansion of the PreCheck program, for “known, trusted” travelers will launch in September.
Participants will pay $85 to get a known traveler number identifying them as a low-risk passenger, which will allow them to go through a special security lane. The program will start at 40 airports, with expansion to other airports in the future, Pistole said.
To get the number, people need to register online, providing personal information and two weeks later will either get the number or be denied. The registration will last five years.
Those who qualify will go through security lanes faster and will no longer have to take off shoes or remove computers from carryon luggage, Pistole said.
PreCheck had been limited to frequent fliers who were nominated by airlines.
Pistole noted 1.8 million are screened daily at U.S. airports.
He said he hopes 25 percent of U.S. air travelers will have some type of expedited security screeening by the end of this year and 50 percent by the end of 2014.
