Honolulu Airport will be the 29th in the nation to implement a PreCheck program allowing certain passengers to avoid having to take off shoes and belts and pull laptop computers and liquids from carry-on bags when going through security.
The Transportation Security Administration will open special PreCheck lanes Tuesday to expedite screening of passengers on domestic flights who volunteer added information about themselves before flying.
"It’s about basing our security on risk," said TSA spokesman Nico Melendez. "This is essentially making the haystack smaller and concentrating on the passengers we don’t have that much information on. It gets away from the one-size-fits-all security."
TSA expects about 2 percent of U.S. passengers to use PreCheck next year but hopes the program will eventually be used by up to 75 percent of travelers, according to BloombergBusinessweek.
PreCheck is available to passengers on five airlines: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways. Those airlines can invite their top-tier frequent fliers to join the program at no cost.
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TSA PRECHECK AT A GLANCE
A security pre-screening program for domestic travel passengers who volunteer information about themselves before their arrival at the airport.
>> Starts at Honolulu Airport on Tuesday.
>> Eligibility: Must be invited by certain airlines or pay a fee through a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program.
>> Benefits: Get to go through a fast-lane separate from the main security check point. No longer have to remove shoes, liquids, laptops, jackets, belts.
>> Passengers 12 and younger are allowed through TSA PreCheck lanes with eligible passengers.
>> TSA will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport and no individual will be guaranteed expedited screening.
>> Goal: 50 percent to 75 percent participation from U.S. passengers.
Source: TSA, Bloomberg Businessweek
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If you are not invited, you can join via the U.S. Customs and Border Protection trusted-traveler program after paying an average $100 fee, providing added information and being interviewed. The PreCheck pass is good for five years. The information required includes address, employment status, driver’s license, passport and travel history, The New York Times reported. You also must have your picture and fingerprints taken.
PreCheck passengers will still be subject to random security checks. "It’s not going to be a guarantee benefit every time," Melendez said.
Since starting a year ago at four airports, the PreCheck program has screened more than 3.5 million passengers. TSA is aiming to implement the program in 35 airports by year’s end.
Christine Camp, president and chief executive officer of Honolulu real estate firm Avalon Development Co., waited with some 200 people in the main security check lines when traveling home on a business trip Friday from Denver.
Meanwhile, the PreCheck line was empty.
"You can just see the difference it can make. For people who travel for business, efficiency is always No. 1," Camp said while between flights in San Francisco. "We know the value of that. I would sign up in a heartbeat."
She added that Hawaii is one of the only states to also have a mandatory agriculture bag inspection in addition to the security check.
"Airport lines aren’t getting any shorter," Camp said. "No matter how much you pay to upgrade to premium, what we can’t control is the TSA screening process where everybody has to stand in line and do whatever they have to do to get through to the gate."
Not all passengers would opt for the PreCheck pass.
Jim Sharp, owner of Honolulu building materials distributor Aloha State Sales, said waiting in the longer line is "not that big of a deal."
"It’s not enough to go through the extra hassle or pay to get through TSA clearance (faster)," said Sharp, who travels one to two times a month.
TSA hopes to eventually add other airlines to the list of five currently offering PreCheck.
Hawaiian Airlines intends to participate in the program and requested a lane in its Honolulu terminal, but passenger projections didn’t meet TSA requirements for converting an existing lane for PreCheck members, said airline spokesman Keoni Wagner.
"We are working with TSA to reach a solution that allows us to actively participate in the program," he said Friday.
Other airlines have been slow to participate in the program, which requires new technology to be able to print special bar codes on boarding passes provided by TSA to indicate a passenger is enrolled in the PreCheck program.
"We can’t mandate that they participate in it," Melendez said. "As more airports and more airlines become more operationally ready, they can come on board with the TSA program. But we have to consider a lot of factors, the airport layout and airlines technical capabilities. Progress is being made as we continue to work with the industry and airports to move forward as expeditiously as we can."
