The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced today that it is expanding its TSA PreCheck® program and slowing down airport security screening.
Since the outbreak of air travelers over the 2022 Labor Day holiday weekend, the TSA activity report released on September 17, 2022 shows that TSA screening has returned to approximately 95% of 2019 activity.
TSA screened 8.76 million travelers during the Labor Day holiday between September 2nd and 5th.
In 2019, the TSA screened 8.62 million passengers over a similar period.
TSA PreCheck is an accelerated screening program for low-risk travelers at more than 200 US airports who can avoid removing shoes, belts, 3-1-1 liquids, laptops and light jackets.
In August 2022, 95% of TSA PreCheck passengers waited less than 5 minutes.
The best news from TSA on September 14, 2022 is the addition of Air Europa, Flair, Volaris El Salvador and ITA Airways, the PreCheck line will process people even faster.
Air Europa is a Spain-based airline and a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, Flair Airlines is a Canada-based airline with operations throughout North America, and Volaris El Salvador operates out of El Salvador with flights to the United States, Mexico and Central America.
And ITA Airways is an Italy-based airline. All are commercial airlines with international flights to and from the United States.
Travelers who are US citizens, US nationals, and lawful permanent residents of the US can apply for TSA PreCheck for $85 for a five-year membership.
Renewals can be purchased online for an additional five years for $70.
TSA PreCheck is also available at no cost to members of the US Armed Forces, including Reserves and National Guard members.
Children 12 and under may join a parent/guardian with TSA PreCheck in designated lanes.
Passenger members of other DHS Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI, may be eligible for TSA PreCheck screening.
Registered passengers should look for the TSA PreCheck indicator (such as TSAPRECHK, TSA PRE, or TSA Pre✓®) on their boarding pass to determine if they are eligible for TSA PreCheck screening prior to their flight.
“TSA’s highly trained and dedicated staff enabled millions of passengers to travel safely with minimal disruption at the checkpoint during the busy summer travel season,” commented David Pekoske, Acting Administrator of TSA, in a September 6, 2022 media statement.
“We’ve also been able to continue deploying new technologies that allow for tighter identity verification procedures and improved security screening for carry-on bags.”
The new computed tomography allows TSA officers to rotate the X-ray image 360 degrees via a touchscreen monitor.
When the CTs are in use, travelers do not need to remove electronics or travel-size liquids from their carry-on baggage
