Taking the Fast Track to the Boarding Gate

Participating airlines are “inviting” eligible fliers in advance, says TSA’s Soule. “Passengers go through a screening prior to arriving at the airport, so while they will go through a dedicated line, they would also routinely receive expedited screening.”

This program uses pre-screening capabilities to make intelligence-based risk assessments on passengers who voluntarily enter the PreCheck program. Those who haven’t been invited by their airline can still take part through Trusted Traveler, but does this mean it could become a repeat of what we’ve seen before?

“The biggest issue is that there is really no consistency to these programs,” says Wayne Plucker, industry manager for aerospace and defense at Frost & Sullivan. “So much varies on the airports, many of which were designed even before security checkpoints were required.”