WHY IT RATES: For travel agents with clients looking to save time at the airport this summer, the expanded TSA PreCheck options should make security screenings a breeze.-Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.
IDEMIA, the exclusive provider for enrollment in the federally operated TSA PreCheck program, announced Monday that it is expanding enrollment options to include additional mobile enrollment centers, and creating satellite and pop-up locations across the country to help meet the demands of the busy summer travel season.
IDEMIA's recently appointed D.C. based CEO, Ed Casey, is making enrollment a top priority for the company. Charlie Carroll, who is SVP of Identity Services and oversees enrollment for IDEMIA, said, "for those who can't make time while rushing through an airport or at one of the other existing 200 enrollment center, new options and activations are being created at places we all frequent so more people can take advantage of TSA PreCheck." Carroll also noted that the service allows low-risk passengers to gain access to fast-track lanes at more than 200 U.S. airports.
Specifically, IDEMIA is establishing enrollment centers inside 50 Staples stores around the country and two new RV mobile centers are under construction, with one scheduled to visit the DC area later this summer. Currently, two RV mobile centers are signing up applicants, one on each coast. Pop-up enrollment centers will also appear this summer at Penn Station in New York City and at the BarclaysEntertainment Center in Brooklyn.
Fans will also be able to sign up for PreCheck at New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers games this fall. Similar arrangements are pending with other teams, and credit cards and financial institutions are making PreCheck enrollment part of their rewards programs.
Carroll said that despite IDEMIA enrolling 6.5 million people in the program (2 out of 10 air travelers), there is capacity to enroll many more passengers for this time-saving and stress-reducing service without compromising the benefits of the program. Spring 2018 data shows that 92 percent of TSA PreCheck passengers wait less than five minutes in security lanes at airports.
"TSA PreCheck speeds up air travel and for those of us who travel through any of the three busy airports in the DC area we know lines can be painful if you aren't a trusted traveler," Carroll said. "We have the answer to improving the passenger experience by shortening the time spent in security lines, particularly with the volume of the summer travel season."
Jonathan Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels & Co., discussed the benefits of programs like TSA PreCheck in a June 4 speech at the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference.
"It creates a secure, efficient, effective process by enabling security officials to stop dedicating resources to travelers who pose no threat," said Tisch. "Identifying security risks to the U.S. has been compared to finding a needle in a haystack. One way to improve our odds is to make the haystack smaller."
When approved for TSA PreCheck, low-risk passengers gain access to fast-track lanes at more than 200 U.S. airports. These passengers are allowed through the security lanes without removing their shoes, liquids, laptops, belts and jackets. Applicants must go through a background check and the cost of enrollment is $85 for five years, which breaks down to a cost of $17 per year. A fingerprint is required, along with a passport or a driver's license/state ID and birth certificate.
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