- Salt Lake City International Airport receives $6.6M from FAA program.
- Funds will expand TSA checkpoints with family security lanes improving travel efficiency.
- The initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance family-friendly airport features nationwide.
SALT LAKE CITY — It'll soon be easier for families to breeze through security lines at Utah's largest airport.
Salt Lake City International Airport is set to receive $6.6 million from $970 million worth of grants that the Federal Aviation Administration unveiled on Saturday to make travel more "family-friendly" for Americans.
The airport will use the funds to expand passenger Transportation Security Administration screening checkpoints, including dedicated family security lanes.
Federal officials also doled out grants to 132 other airports across 44 additional states for similar projects or other elements, like new play structures, family-friendly features in restrooms, new mother's rooms, or rooms dedicated for travelers with sensory needs.
"This administration is focused on making travel happier and more convenient for American families," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a statement, as he announced the funding. "The golden age of travel includes a family first agenda. We're making airports inviting spaces for parents and children to relax and recharge prior to boarding."
Salt Lake City International Airport already has 20 mother's rooms, along with diaper changing tables at most of its men's and women's bathrooms. The full buildout of the initial design of the new airport, set to be completed later this year, includes three sensory rooms.
But Saturday's announcement follows recent efforts to improve security line efficiency for families. TSA opened new lanes for families last year, as part of its "Families on the Fly" program, which debuted in September.
Salt Lake City was one of the first 11 airports nationwide to test the feature. TSA created two dedicated lanes where families could be screened together. The agency also implemented "modified screening procedures" that reduce the likelihood of any pat-downs, seeking to make the whole process easier on families.
"I like it. ... (There's) less stress. It's a lot more convenient," said Casey Weaver, of Weber County, as her family was among some of the first to go through one of the lines last year.
It wasn't immediately clear when the airport's expanded checkpoints will be in service.
Funding for the expansion — and all the other projects — comes from the airport terminal program from a bill Congress passed in 2021, which allocated $5 billion over five years to provide grants that address the "aging infrastructure of the nation's airports."
Duffy encouraged airports to include more family-friendly resources last year, as well.
"The FAA is moving quickly to get these investments out the door and into airports nationwide," added FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. "These projects will help create a more welcoming and accessible travel experience for families while demonstrating our commitment to improving America's airports at record speed."
