TSA Plans to Expand Frequent-Flier Fast Track

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program is expected to expand a program to ease airport hassles for frequent travelers because of the success it met in test markets. The program is in operation in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, and Miami, The Washington Post reported.

The program, which was started in July, allows pre-qualified passengers who are members of Delta and American Airlines’ frequent-flier clubs and U.S. Customs and Border Protection frequent-traveler programs to pass through security more swiftly. The travelers, who must provide personal information in advance, generally do not need to remove items from carry-on luggage for screening, the Post reported.

TSA Administrator John Pistole says, in testimony prepared for a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, that the program is proving successful and “holds great potential to strengthen security while significantly enhancing the travel experience, whenever possible, for passengers.”

Airline officials are pushing for expansion of the frequent-flier program nationwide. A program for pilots is also popular and now has more than 59,000 pilots enrolled in just two months of operation.

Pistole also is expected to comment on how children are treated in security screenings at airports. The issue flared up during the summer after stories circulated that security personnel were frisking children. Since then, TSA has changed procedures to reduce such pat-downs of children, the Post reported.