More airports and airlines are participating in the Transportation Security Administration's "PreCheck" program.
Getty Images
tsa patdown
The TSA on Wednesday announced select United Airlines passengers at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and US Airways passengers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will now be eligible for the expedited security program. The other participating airlines are Alaska Air , American and Delta .
PreCheck allows eligible passengers to volunteer information about themselves to undergo faster screening, which generally includes being able to leave shoes, belts and light outerwear on, as well as keep their laptops and approved liquids in their cases.
"By learning more about travelers through information they voluntarily provide, and combining that information with our other layers of security, we can focus more resources on higher-risk and unknown passengers," says John Pistole, TSA administrator in the release.
The program is a free service and currently available to select frequent flyers at 16 U.S. airports. Participating airlines will either email an invitation to its members, or set up an "opt-in" page on their websites requiring members' frequent flyer credentials for acceptance. The service is also available to members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection trusted traveler program Global Entry.
I've opted in with both American Airlines and United and didn't have to provide any other details beyond my frequent flyer membership information.
More than 1.5 million passengers have received expedited screening through PreCheck since the initiative began in October 2011.
