TSA to extend pre-check option to Logan, 27 other airports

February 08, 2012|Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor, Globe Staff

The TSA said yesterday that it would extend to Logan International Airport and 27 other major airports this year a new screening program that will allow some travelers to avoid removing their shoes and belts, speeding passage through security checkpoints.

The agency already has put the PreCheck program in place at seven airports. The move reflects an attempt by TSA, first announced in May, to respond to consumer complaints about passenger screenings.

This is the way it works: To participate in the program, travelers must be part of American or Delta airlines' frequent flier programs, or Global Entry, SENTRI, or NEXUS' Trusted Traveler programs. (Other airlines, including United, Continental and US Airways, are expected to join the system within months.)

Trusted Traveler program members get an identification number to be used when booking an airline ticket online with a participating carrier. Frequent fliers will likely receive an email from the airline offering directions for participating in PreCheck.

Travelers won't discover whether they have been approved until they get to the airport. Participating passengers will go to dedicated lanes at airport security checkpoints and hand TSA officers specially marked boarding pass that will be scanned. If an embedded code indicates that the passenger has been approved, the traveler will be directed to a faster security line and likely allowed to keep on belts, shoes, and jackets and leave laptops and liquids in bags during screening.

Currently, participating airports include Dallas/Fort Worth International, Las Vegas’ McCarran International, Los Angeles International, Miami International, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, and Minneapolis-St. Paul International airports.