Express Airline Security Lines? There's a Catch

Jan. 20, 2006 — -- The Transportation Security Agency has cleared the way for Registered Traveler programs that offer the hope of speeding airline passengers through security checks -- for a fee.

Enrolled passengers would have to pass a federal background check -- which could include a review of personal credit histories and property records -- and submit a full set of fingerprints.

Similar programs have been tested at five airports across the country.

The TSA guidelines for the new program, which would be run by private companies, require a more in-depth background check than was required in those year-long test programs that ended Sept. 30.

The goal was to identify suspicious people who aren't already on law enforcement watch lists, said Amy von Walter, a TSA spokeswoman.

Those additional requirements raised concerns among both privacy advocates and the companies interested in entering the market.

At least one airline executive said it's an open question whether the programs would actually offer passengers a clear-cut benefit.

Privacy advocates said they don't like the idea that the government wants to use this program to expand its list of potential terrorist suspects.

"I'm not sure that Registered Traveler should be a research program," said James Dempsey, executive director of the Center for Democracy and Technology.

"It sounds like they want private companies to be in the business of law enforcement and intelligence gathering," said Marcia Hoffman, an attorney with the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Companies interested in getting into the business of registering frequent air travelers said they worried about additional costs.

Nevertheless, Carter Morris, the head of a group of airports that backs the Registered Traveler program, said more time was needed.

"It's a little early to say whether the whole program hangs in the balance," Morris said.

Many of the details are still to be worked out, but in the pilot programs Registered Travelers were issued cards electronically embedded with biometric identification -- their fingerprints and eye scans.

Another pilot program, this one run by a private company, is now under way at Orlando International Airport and available to travelers on all airlines for a yearly fee of $79.95. The company, Verified Identity Pass, has asked the TSA to expand its program to airports in San Jose, Calif., and Indianapolis.

But some question how much time those programs actually saved enrolled travelers -- who still had to remove their shoes and outer garments, take laptop computers out of their cases, submit to secondary screenings and go through the very same security procedures as any other passenger.

When the new program begins June 20, it's possible that Registered Travelers can skip some of the security checks, according to TSA officials. It may depend on the airport and the private company that a traveler has enrolled with.

"We need to make sure that there are real benefits," said Robert Isom, senior vice president for customer service at Northwest Airlines, which participated in the pilot program at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.

"And by benefits, it is really how quickly customers can clear security."