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Later this year, some passengers flying out of Honolulu Airport no longer will be required to remove their shoes and belts, or take out their laptops, to walk through security.

A new federal passenger screening program, which began at seven airports in October, is being expanded to Honolulu and 27 other major U.S. airports this year.

The pilot program was put into place by the Obama administration in response to frequent complaints that the government is not using common sense when it screens all passengers at airports in the same way.

Under the new program, eligible travelers have the option to volunteer more personal information about themselves so that the government can investigate them for security purposes before they arrive at airport checkpoints.

Participating travelers then will walk through a dedicated lane at the security checkpoint and provide the TSA officer with a specially marked boarding pass. In most cases, travelers deemed "low-risk" will be allowed to keep on belts, shoes and jackets and leave laptops and liquids in bags when being screened.

"It will be open to passengers that the airlines invite on TSA criteria," said TSA spokesman Nico Melendez, adding that the carriers will contact eligible frequent fliers. "The airlines are working with the TSA, but we choose not to publicize what the criteria is. The last thing we want to do is provide a blueprint of what we’re doing to provide security."

The program is already being tested at airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Eligible travelers are some of those who participate in American and Delta airlines’ frequent flier programs, as well as travelers in three other traveler programs run by the Customs and Border Protection agency, which charge fees to participate. About 336,000 passengers have been screened through the program since the testing began last year, TSA said.

US Airways, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines are including eligible passengers from their frequent-flier programs and will begin operations later this year, TSA said.

Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Keoni Wagner said the carrier also is participating but hasn’t completed all the programming necessary to take opt-in requests from customers. The company expects to be able to take opt-ins later this year.

"In the meantime, anybody can apply through the Customs and Border Patrol Global Entry program," Wagner said. "Of course, TSA ultimately decides who will participate. Our target is to be able to offer the opt-in to our customers when Honolulu is up and running."

However, just because an airline flies to a particular airport doesn’t mean that passengers who fly that airline will be allowed to speed through security.

"Not every airline that flies into an airport will be impacted," Melendez said. "At Los Angeles International, it’s American. In Atlanta, it’s Delta. In Miami, it’s American. How this will look at Honolulu Airport when it rolls out we’re not ready to announce yet — when or with whom or in which terminal."

Melendez said pre-approved, low-risk travelers enrolled in the Global Entry program administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection can expedite clearance upon arrival in the United States. U.S. citizens who are members of the program are eligible to participate in TSA’s program.

Melendez said the TSA believes its security process is efficient enough now that some passengers can eliminate certain steps.

"If you multiply this by thousands of passengers every day, it could save significant time," he said.

TSA Administrator John Pistole said the program moves the agency closer to its goal of delivering "the most effective and efficient screening by recognizing that most passengers do not pose a threat to security" and takes the screening process away from a one-size-fits-all approach.

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Associated Press contributed to this story.