Frequent fliers without PreCheck will be moving to slow lane, TSA says

CHICAGO – The Transportation Security Administration this month plans to significantly reduce the number of frequent fliers who go through faster airport security lines for free, even though they haven’t signed up for vetting programs like PreCheck, a TSA official said.

The change is not because of any new security threat but is part of a “natural progression” to limit expedited screening only to fliers who have either gone through background checks or have been checked by bomb-sniffing dogs, said TSA spokesman Michael McCarthy. Frequent fliers who aren’t signed up for PreCheck are occasionally selected for these faster lines, after a risk calculation based on their itinerary and other information, McCarthy said.

“It’s been part of the plan all along,” said McCarthy, who did not have a number on how many fliers could be affected. He said TSA does not expect the change will affect lines, since the agency has been training and using more canine teams, which allow more people to go into faster lines.

PreCheck and other programs like Global Entry allow fliers to skip the hassle of taking off shoes, belts and light jackets and removing laptops from suitcases while going through sped-up security lines. Applying for PreCheck, which involves fingerprinting and an FBI background check, requires an $85 fee.

The TSA has a goal of signing up 25 million fliers for expedited screening by 2019. There are more than 12 million participants in expedited screening programs, including more than 4 million in PreCheck, a number that has doubled since January 2016 as the agency has encouraged more people to sign up, McCarthy said.

The TSA last year had underestimated the number of fliers who would sign up, which along with higher passenger numbers, a staff shortage and tougher security measures contributed to two-hour airport lines last spring. The agency addressed the line problem by beefing up staff and canine teams at major airports.

A University of Illinois study in December proposed that if the TSA paid for PreCheck applications for high-volume fliers, it would save the agency $34 million a year, create shorter lines and enhance security at the nation’s airports. The lead author of the study, University of Illinois computer science professor Sheldon Jacobson, said the TSA had not yet responded to the suggestion.

However, Jacobson agreed with the TSA’s move to reduce the number of frequent fliers who are not signed up for PreCheck but are allowed through the PreCheck line. He cited the extensive vetting required by PreCheck.

“It’s actually quite prudent,” said Jacobson, who has been studying aviation security since the mid-1990s. “The fact that they’re stopping this is actually a good thing.”

He recalled that TSA had once used a “managed inclusion” program that allowed workers to randomly select people out of lines, screen them for explosives and allow them to use the shorter PreCheck line. Jacobson said that program, discontinued in 2015, created “vulnerabilities.”

Some groups who have undergone federal background checks, including members of the armed services, get PreCheck at no cost. Airlines provide incentives to get PreCheck, such as application vouchers for frequent fliers and airline credit cards that waive the enrollment fee.

The TSA announced late last month that 11 new airlines had joined the PreCheck program, including Spirit Airlines, which has a large presence at O’Hare International Airport. The largest airlines, such as United, American and Southwest, were already participating in the program.

Passengers with participating airlines can have their PreCheck numbers on their reservation pages, which allows access to the PreCheck line at the airport, McCarthy said. A total of 30 airlines participate in TSA PreCheck.