TSA wants money, but the question is, for what exactly
TSA's 'trusted traveler' program may mean fewer headaches for some airline passengers
Source - NY Daily News
BY DANIEL PRENDERGAST AND JOSEPH STRAW
Sunday, August 14th 2011, 4:00 AM
If you've had it with interminable airport checkpoint lines, kicking off your shoes and taking out your laptop, the government has a proposition.
Tell the Transportation Security Administration a little bit about yourself, pony up a fee and you could get less scrutiny.
It's the TSA's second crack at a "trusted traveler" program. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, the agency wants to focus security on fliers it knows the least about.
The TSA will test the program for free this fall in Atlanta and Dallas with Delta and American Airlines frequent fliers. People enrolled in a similar Customs and Border Protection program, called Global Entry, are also eligible.
The program uses the same information that ticket buyers already give airlines: name, gender and birth date, plus any available frequent flier program data. Instead of a quick check against watch lists, the TSA will vet applicants more thoroughly against intelligence data, said spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.
Eventually, a bar code on boarding passes will tell screeners which passengers are enrolled. It would be the first time checkpoints are linked to intelligence on passengers, which is a major security enhancement, said former TSA Administrator Kip Hawley.
It's not a free pass: Participants may only be spared shoe and computer removal, not full-body scans or their alternative - patdowns. They will also be subject to random full screening so terrorists don't exploit the program to get on planes.
Fees haven't been set, but applying for Global Entry costs $100. The TSA's defunct Registered Traveler program cost less than $100 per year.
New Yorker Garry Matthews, 43, who flew recently from LaGuardia to Atlanta on business, said he was intrigued.
"Avoiding small annoyances like that could make flying a little more tolerable," Matthews said.
Source - NY Daily News
BY DANIEL PRENDERGAST AND JOSEPH STRAW
Sunday, August 14th 2011, 4:00 AM
If you've had it with interminable airport checkpoint lines, kicking off your shoes and taking out your laptop, the government has a proposition.
Tell the Transportation Security Administration a little bit about yourself, pony up a fee and you could get less scrutiny.
It's the TSA's second crack at a "trusted traveler" program. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, the agency wants to focus security on fliers it knows the least about.
The TSA will test the program for free this fall in Atlanta and Dallas with Delta and American Airlines frequent fliers. People enrolled in a similar Customs and Border Protection program, called Global Entry, are also eligible.
The program uses the same information that ticket buyers already give airlines: name, gender and birth date, plus any available frequent flier program data. Instead of a quick check against watch lists, the TSA will vet applicants more thoroughly against intelligence data, said spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.
Eventually, a bar code on boarding passes will tell screeners which passengers are enrolled. It would be the first time checkpoints are linked to intelligence on passengers, which is a major security enhancement, said former TSA Administrator Kip Hawley.
It's not a free pass: Participants may only be spared shoe and computer removal, not full-body scans or their alternative - patdowns. They will also be subject to random full screening so terrorists don't exploit the program to get on planes.
Fees haven't been set, but applying for Global Entry costs $100. The TSA's defunct Registered Traveler program cost less than $100 per year.
New Yorker Garry Matthews, 43, who flew recently from LaGuardia to Atlanta on business, said he was intrigued.
"Avoiding small annoyances like that could make flying a little more tolerable," Matthews said.