Dateline: 84th Annual AAAE Conference and Exposition
Transportation Security Policy Committee Meeting
PreCheck update: more airlines continue to sign up for the program. The problem continues to grow, but is only available to a small percentage of the traveling public and the participants cannot use the program when they use a different are carrier other than the carrier they are registered with. How can this be expanded?
TSA’s Doug Hoffsass responded by saying that US Airways and United Airlines are coming on board this summer. The primary target audience has been the frequent flyer population and the Customs and Border Protection Global Entry participants. By next week, the one-millionth passenger will have come through. By this time next year the number of PreCheck participants will effectively double. Hoffsass also clarified that individuals who are part of Global Entry, can fly using PreCheck on any participating airline.
One of the challenges as the PreCheck program builds, perhaps to TSA’s stated goal of 70% of the traveling population, there must be a transition plan to take the existing screening checkpoint to switch over to predominant PreCheck lanes. Hoffsass responded that that will be addressed similarly to an Easy Pass process on a toll road – meaning, as the program builds, continue to shift resources to meet the level of demand.
Hoffsass reiterated that the goal of PreCheck is to be able to focus security resources on passengers that present a greater potential threat adn require higher levels of screening. The next hurdle to PreCheck will come as the frequent flyers have all registered and the Global Entry participants are all on board. Presently, frequent flyers are checked by TSA by inspecting travel patterns, and other indicators that are consistent with low threat level frequent flyer travel. Global Entry includes an interview with a law enforcement officer. What patterns will TSA look for for the casual traveler, who wants to become a member of PreCheck?
Other issues were discussed, but most were pushed to the TSA Roundtable on Tuesday.
