TSA gives fliers a break

It was like hitting a miniature jackpot at Honolulu Airport on Wednesday.

Some Hawaiian Airlines passengers using the interisland terminal’s check-in kiosk were surprised to find a TSA PreCheck symbol on their boarding pass that allowed them to bypass the normal security line and speed through a separate queue without having to remove their shoes, coats, belts, liquids or laptop computers.

It’s part of a new Transportation Security Administration program that randomly identifies passengers as low-risk and enables them to move quickly through the security checkpoint.

Hawaiian Airlines is one of seven U.S. carriers participating in the TSA program, which is designed to alleviate bottlenecks that slow the check-in process. Hawaiian began offering the PreCheck lane in the interisland terminal last Thursday. The service also is available at the airline’s ticket lobbies at Kahului Airport on Maui and Lihue Airport on Kauai. An additional PreCheck lane at Kona International Airport is expected to open next year.

At Honolulu Airport, there also are PreCheck lanes near the United Airlines ticket counter and in the International Terminal.

For Leandro Velazquez, who was returning to San Diego with his 8-year-old daughter, Tessa, it was a welcome surprise that they didn’t have to wait in the longer security checkpoint line. Velazquez didn’t know ahead of time he had received PreCheck clearance because he didn’t print his boarding pass until he arrived at the airport.

"I didn’t have to take my shoes off," Velazquez said after breezing through security. "Everything was really easy. I had no clue (about the PreCheck line)."

Ian Matson, who was traveling with his wife to San Francisco, called the quick trip through the security line "quite sweet."

And Lincoln Tin Lam, who was returning to Seattle, said he didn’t initially realize the meaning of the PreCheck symbol on his boarding pass.

"I didn’t know I wouldn’t have to take off my shoes or any of the other stuff," he said after getting his boarding pass from the kiosk. "I thought I was just checking in."

TSA is expanding this week from 40 PreCheck airports to 100 airports across the United States, with the goal of moving 50 percent of the nation’s air travelers through expedited screening by the end of 2014. Its goal by the end of this year is for 25 percent of all passengers to receive PreCheck clearance. TSA screens approximately 1.8 million passengers each day at more than 450 airports nationwide.

"If you have qualified on a flight for PreCheck, that is sort of like winning the golden ticket in ‘Charlie’s Chocolate Factory,’" Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley said.

Dunkerley said passengers with TSA clearance will now be able to get through the security checkpoint in a fraction of the time it took before.

"It’s far quicker to get through the archway and to leave your liquids and your computer in your bag as you go through and not have to take off your shoes," Dunkerley said. "That compares to disrobing and getting into the telephone booth and sticking your hands in the air that is the current procedure. Because it’s so much faster to go through that (PreCheck) process, the line tends to be a lot quicker here. So in reality it’s seconds to get through security as opposed to fractions of an hour."

Eric Kaler, director of security for Hawaiian Airlines, said the TSA uses the passenger information submitted when purchasing a ticket — such as name, birth date, gender and destination — to help determine whether the person should receive expedited security screening.

A TSA administrator, who did not want to be quoted, said he couldn’t divulge what other criteria the TSA uses to grant a passenger PreCheck status.

Kaler said his staff has been timing how long it takes Hawaiian Airlines passengers to get through the line from the beginning of the checkpoint and that it’s been as quick as 60 to 90 seconds. He said typically it takes at least 3 minutes to take items out of a carry-on bag and to remove shoes in addition to the wait in line that can last up to 20 minutes.

"The TSA actually deserves a lot of credit," Dunkerley said. "They’ve taken a risk-based approach. They’ve found a way of maintaining a high level of security without at the same time obliging everybody to go through the full-on process."

Kaler said the PreCheck status is good for only one leg of a trip and that there is no guarantee that a passenger would receive the same status for a return trip. In addition, there’s no assurance that everyone in a traveling party will receive PreCheck status. Finally, even passengers with PreCheck status still could be summoned to the regular security line to preserve the element of randomness.

PreCheck was previously restricted to frequent fliers nominated by airlines or enrolled through U.S. Customs’ programs for international travelers.

In November, the TSA will roll out a pilot program at two test airports, Washington Dulles International Airport and Indianapolis International Airport, that will allow U.S. citizens the opportunity to apply for expedited screening without a passport. The program is expected to be opened up nationwide in March. Applicants will be required to fill out an online application, verify identity and provide fingerprints at a TSA PreCheck enrollment center. The fee will be $85 for five years. Approved applicants will be issued a "Known Traveler Number" to be used when booking travel.