WASHINGTON — Americans have been warned: Summer air travel may not be a pleasant experience.
But TSA has an idea that might improve it.
“One of the best ways to improve the passenger experience is to enroll in one of the trusted traveler programs. Any one of the trusted traveler programs — Global Entry, Nexus, Sentri and of course TSA’s PreCheck — will get you an expedited travel experience,” said TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger in an interview with WTOP.
On May 13, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, accompanied by Neffenger during a news conference, warned air travelers that this summer could be a difficult travel season because of an expected increase in travelers. Problems have also arisen because Congress has cut the number of TSA screeners in anticipation of more people signing up for the PreCheck program — an influx that has not happened yet.
As it stands now, “we encourage people to have the appropriate expectations when they arrive at airports,” Johnson said at a news conference at Reagan National Airport, outside Washington. “Contemplate increased wait times as you travel.”
TSA PreCheck is an expedited security screening program connecting travelers departing from airports within the United States with smarter security and a better air travel experience. Passengers considered low-risk who qualify for the program can receive expedited screening either as a member of the program or another specific trusted traveler group.
Neffenger said PreCheck involves an “application that’s been streamlined over the past year, and then you have to provide fingerprints so you get a quick FBI background check. It can be done in as little as a day, and can take sometimes up to two weeks depending on what might be found in the background check.”
In the last seven days, Neffenger said, “92 percent of all people moving through a PreCheck line moved through in less than five minutes — across the system.”
Neffenger said it is a better option for both the traveler and TSA staff. “The more people who I can enroll in a trusted traveler program, the more efficiently we can operate the system. PreCheck lines move at about double of the rate of a standard line because you’re taking off less and you’re able to move through much faster, and I can open more and more PreCheck lanes.”
TSA hopes to get a majority of people into the rapidly moving PreCheck lanes, so that fewer of what it calls “standard screening lanes” are needed.
Neffenger said, “Ultimately, if you can get a significant number of people into PreCheck, then you would have essentially more PreCheck lanes and you need less standard lanes because you have the majority people moving through.”
Those approved for PreCheck do not need to remove shoes, laptops, 3-1-1 liquids, belts and light jackets.
The push to steer travelers to expedited screening took on added importance as after some passengers in Chicago had to spend the night at O’Hare International Airport after TSA staff failed to adjust screening parameters to accommodate a huge influx of passengers on May 15.
Subsequently, Neffenger reassigned TSA Director of Security Operations Kelly Hoggan to other duties and made changes in Chicago as well on May 23.
A memo from Neffenger obtained by WTOP read:
At Chicago O’Hare International Airport, a new leadership team is now overseeing screening operations and is supported by several screening experts from across the country. This strong leadership team and the talented workforce at O’Hare have made immediate adjustments that have dramatically improved passenger throughput, even as volume increased beyond 90,000 passengers a day.
PreCheck is available at more than 160 airports with 12 participating airlines. TSA said its goal is to enroll 25 million Americans in the program.
