BTN applauds the clear vision of U.S. Transportation Security Administration assistant secretary Kip Hawley and calls on the travel industry and the Congress to provide the know-how and the funding to equitably expedite the airport screening process.
As Hawley recently told BTN
(BTN, Sept. 10), he is issuing a request for information to seek "some way of leveling off passenger traffic spikes that would have security and economic value to us by helping us with our staffing. If you gave me a reservation that said show up at Checkpoint 6 between 8:05 and 8:10, even if it means I have to get to the airport earlier, I would absolutely do it because of the certainty that I'm not going to waste my time in security."
The U.S. travel industry should take this opportunity to advance airport safety and convenience by helping to deploy systems it already uses for this purpose. Walt Disney and Universal theme parks already employ efficient crowd-control technologies that offer an express lane to those who register in advance. TSA, airports and airlines should work together to implement such a system to provide passengers at the point of checkin with a five- or 10-minute window to access an express lane. Those who don't keep their appointments would still be able to use the current standard lane.
Many in the industry have welcomed the Registered Traveler concept, now at work at several airports, which lets companies or individuals pay for those who submit to background checks to go through an ostensibly faster line. We see creating a concession out of a public safety function, rather than using resources to expedite all passengers as a questionable use of limited airport security space. Express lanes need not be expensive clubs that employ advanced security technology or advanced security checks that collect passenger information.
Providing express lanes for travelers is not a bad idea, but those who go through that line still need to be checked for weapons and explosives like everybody else. In its so-far-limited reality, the private Registered Traveler program represents only a slightly faster line that eventually might spare travelers from having to take off their shoes. The fact is, it can't do much more. Prescreening only shows whether individuals have records of previous bad acts, it doesn't prevent people without criminal records from bringing weapons onto planes. As long as there is a credible threat of terrorism, even the highest-paying customers must be thoroughly prevented from bringing weapons onboard.
This is an opportunity for the industry to do well by doing something good. Reworking the airport checkin process to make checkpoint reservations while getting a boarding pass would alleviate security screening bottlenecks, eliminating hassles for travelers while enhancing security and privacy.