JFK Airport loosens frequent flier security

Kennedy Airport officially kicked off an expedited security screening program Wednesday for frequent fliers, meaning quicker passage through checkpoints and fewer hassles like removing shoes.

John Pistole, the Transportation Security Administration's top official, announced the new program, called TSA Pre-Check, during a news conference at American Airlines' Terminal 8.

Kennedy is the first metropolitan area airport to get the program, but there are plans to expand it to LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey later this year, Pistole said.

TSA plans to operate Pre-Check at 35 airports by the end of 2012. It has been in use at eight airports for several months.

"If we're able to have more people do prescreening based on volunteered information . . . the better job we can do at the checkpoint," Pistole said. "If we're looking for the terrorist in the haystack, if we can reduce the size of the haystack, then our security officers can focus on the people we know the least about."

Passengers eligible for Pre-Check include members of participating airlines' frequent-flier programs and members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Trusted Traveler Program who are U.S. citizens flying on a participating airline.

Anyone interested in joining the program can apply at the website globalentry.gov.

Passengers volunteer to provide information to the airlines before flying, and the TSA vets the passenger's biographical data, including checking the passenger's name against terrorist watch lists, Pistole said.

The TSA vetting embeds passenger information in the bar code of a cleared passenger's boarding pass. Eligible passengers at security checkpoints are then shifted to a separate lane for expedited screening, which means keeping shoes and light jackets on, and laptop computers can be checked while still in a carrying case. Passengers also would not have to remove permitted liquids or gels from their bag or remove a belt.

Wednesday, passengers who went through TSA Pre-Check said it made security screening a breeze.

"It's so nice not to do the striptease," said Esther Gardner of Brooklyn.

Another passenger, Parkin Lee, also of Brooklyn, said the expedited screening was "really fast" and took about half the usual time.

"I could get used to this real easy," Lee said.

Kennedy is the ninth airport nationwide to have Pre-Check. About 460,000 passengers have been screened through Pre-Check lanes.

Passengers going through the Pre-Check lanes could still be searched at random, Pistole said.

"We will do the random, unpredictable," Pistole said. "You may have gone through nine times, and the 10th time, you'll go through regular screening."

TSA's Pre-Check Program

The passenger pre-screening initiative has been expanded to include Kennedy Airport, the ninth nationwide to get the program. The program is beginning at Terminal 8 with American Airlines. About 460,000 people have participated through American's and Delta Air Lines' frequent-flier programs.

How it works

Passengers volunteer to give a participating airline biographical information in advance of a flight. The airlines forward the information to the TSA, which vets the passenger, including checking passenger information against terrorism watch lists.

Once cleared, the passenger's boarding pass is embedded with a barcode that makes them eligible for separate security lane at the checkpoint for expedited screening. That could mean passing security without having to remove shoes or a belt, or removing gels or liquids from carry-on bags, or not having to take a laptop computer from its case.

Who's eligible

Eligible participants include frequent fliers from participating airlines as well as members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Trusted Traveler program who are U.S. citizens. Individuals interested in participating in the initiative can apply via Global Entry at globalentry.gov.

Next in line

LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports are scheduled to get the program later this year.

Source: TSA