On Eve Of Holiday Season, TSA Expands Pre-Check Program
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thousands of holiday travelers will get a more comfortable trip through airport security this year.
The Transportation Security Administration has expanded its pre-check program to more gates at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. And major carrier Southwest Airline just hopped on board with the program, too.
The program allows people to leave on their shoes, keep their laptops on their bags and keep on their belts and light jackets.
The point behind the growing program is to make security points less impersonal and invasive but still safe.
The pre-check program uses government data to prescreen people and lets some passengers go through a special shorter checkpoint.
With this recent expansion, 25 person of travelers have this benefit. Some are invited by airlines to join and some may not even know it until they see the image on their boarding pass because they've been randomly selected.
If you're traveling with family, not everyone may be subject to the benefits of the pre-check. Children under 12 can accompany parents on the pre-check list, but not older family members.
The federal TSA director of Minnesota says this program will also soon be available for anyone who wants to pay. In January, it will cost $85 dollars for 5 years if the applicant is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and passes background checks.
