A Jan. 2 Business article about the future of air travel incorrectly said that the Registered Traveler Program includes retina scans. The part of the eye that is scanned for identification purposes is the iris.
The Flight Pattern For 2007
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 2, 2007; Page D01
Airline passengers can't escape the headaches of the new age of air travel: long lines at checkpoints, confusion over security restrictions, lost luggage. But some airports are trying to ease the aggravation. A new travel program is under consideration at local airports to quicken the way to the gate. And security officials, aware of checkpoint inconveniences, are constantly mulling refinements in procedures. But what does the new year hold for your trip to the airport? In interviews with officials at the Transportation Security Administration and industry leaders, The Post assesses what possible changes lie ahead for the traveler.
Registered Traveler
  (Laurence Kesterson - AP) |
Washington area airports are among more than a dozen expressing interest in the Registered Traveler program, an initiative that allows pre-screened passengers who pay an annual fee to breeze through security.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which runs Reagan National and Dulles International airports, said it is considering seeking proposals from private vendors to run Registered Traveler at the two airports.
Officials at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport said they were also considering the program.
The moves come as the TSA recently announced that it would allow the program to expand beyond the one airport, in Orlando, where it now operates.
The program works by allowing participants, who have passed a background check, to move quickly through a special kiosk area and then through TSA checkpoints. It costs about $100 a year to join the program ($28 goes to the TSA). Participants' identities are verified through a biometrics card that contains digital scans of their fingerprints or retinas.
The main benefit: reliable and consistent wait times of about 1 minute to 5 minutes, said Steven Brill, chief executive of Verified Identity Pass, which runs the operation at Orlando's airport. More than 30,000 people have signed up to participate there, Brill said.
In coming weeks, Brill said his company plans to open Registered Traveler kiosks at four other airports, including John F. Kennedy International in New York. About 5,000 people have paid the annual fee to join the program at those airports, Brill said.
Wait Times and Lost Luggage
Toe-tapping and finger-drumming at the checkpoint will not cease any time soon. But TSA officials say the average wait to get through security during peak times has dropped in recent weeks because of a public-education campaign and better staffing.
In mid-August, the TSA banned most gels and liquids from carry-on bags after British police said they had uncovered a plot to blow up airliners with liquid bombs. In September, TSA officials eased those restrictions, allowing small amounts of gel and liquid toiletries onto planes if they could fit inside small plastic bags.
