Quicker screening for some passengers begins at Salt Lake airport


Save Story

Show 1 more video

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Some frequent fliers now can zip through the security line at the Salt Lake International Airport thanks to a new pre-screening process that takes effect today.

The Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program identifies those who travel a certain number of miles each year and gives them the option of participating in the program. Participants give the TSA certain information about themselves in exchange for the possibility of moving more quickly through security.

Federal officials are not saying what specific criteria travelers will have to meet to be involved in the program.

More about PreCheck
  • Participants will not know in advance that they have been cleared for expedited screening. If TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening, information will be embedded in the barcode of the passenger's boarding pass. TSA will read the barcode at designated checkpoints and the passenger may be referred to an expedited screening lane.
  • TSA will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport.
  • No individual will be guaranteed expedited screening.
  • More info and FAQs here.

"We don't publish those criteria. We don't want to provide a road map for terrorists to say 'OK, if I fly x number of miles in the next year I may qualify,'" TSA administrator John Pistole explained.

Eligible participants from Delta and American airlines as well as members of the Customs and Border Protection Trusted Traveler programs — including Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS — flying domestically out of Salt Lake City may be eligible for but not guaranteed expedited screening.

If the TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening, information will be embedded in the barcode of the passenger's boarding pass.

The barcode will be read by security personnel at the checkpoint and the passenger may be referred to a lane for expedited screening. That could include no longer removing shoes, the 3-1-1 compliant bag in carry-on luggage, a laptop from a carrying case, light outerwear or a belt.

"What TSA pre-check does is allows us to spend more time on those who we know least about - only a name, date of birth and gender - or those we know the most about because they are on terrorist watch lists," Pistole said.

TSA claims the information collected from frequent fliers will be securely guarded, but not everyone is in favor of it.

ACLU spokesman Jay Stanley said, "It's just a bad idea to put the government down the road of probing deeply into the personal lives of Americans to try to sort them into those who can be trusted and those who can't."

Salt Lake International is the eighth airport to join the program. By the end of the year, 28 others will join. So far only two airlines are participating - Delta and American Airlines. By the end of 2012 three more will participate - US Airways, United, and Alaska Airlines.

Salt Lake International participated in a pilot for the program earlier this year.

Contributing: Jasen Lee

Related links

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Shara Park

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
    Newsletter Signup

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button