TSA Might Fix PreCheck

TSA Might Finally Fix the One Thing PreCheck Members Have Always Complained About 

CAILEY RIZZO 

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) might soon make the PreCheck line a bit more exclusive.

After years of complaints from PreCheck members, the agency could ban non-members from accessing the line.


A bill, called the “PreCheck Is PreCheck Act of 2018,” passed through the House of Representatives last week and is on its way to the Senate.

If approved, the act will “ensure that only travelers who are members of a trusted traveler program are permitted to use TSA PreCheck security screening lanes at TSA checkpoints,” according to the bill overview. The act will also allow the TSA to create separate “risk modified screening protocol” for non-PreCheck passengers deemed low-risk.

In order to alleviate traffic, travelers who are deemed “low-risk” can be siphoned into the PreCheck line, despite not having paid for membership — much to the chagrin of those who have paid for the service.

“TSA PreCheck has always offered business travelers a risk-based, intelligence-driven aviation security that is safe, fast and efficient,” Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) executive director and COO Michael W. McCormick said in a statement. “Previously though, GBTA has expressed concerns from the business travel community on the inclusion of non-PreCheck members into PreCheck lanes.”

The act will also encourage the TSA to partner with airlines to market the program, increase enrollment flexibility with new technology, and make PreCheck enrollment centers more accessible to the public.

A date of consideration for the Senate has not yet been scheduled. If passed, the act will be in effect within one year.