ALBANY >> Security checks at Albany International Airport have become less of a hassle for select passengers.
The U.S. Transportation Security Agency has implemented a new program that will allow some passengers to pass through security without having to remove their shoes, outwewear and belts, nor take their laptops or liquid containers out of their bags.
The TSA has been slowly expanding the program, known as “Pre-Check,” from airport to airport for just over two years after it was determined that airport security across the country needed to be more targeted. It was not until two weeks ago, however, that passengers at Albany International began to benefit.
“We were treating everyone as a tourist, and they’re not,” said Brian Johansson, director of the TSA at Albany.
Previously, only passengers who had been part of an airline’s elite passenger program, or were participating in a U.S. Border Protection Trusted Traveler program, were eligible. On Thursday, the TSA began designating some Albany passengers as pre-checked based on information they provided while making their reservations.
Every prospective passenger still is screened for his or her risk after reserving, but passengers who fit certain criteria are cleared for an expedited security check through “Pre-Check.” The algorithm that makes this decision takes into consideration passengers who fly often, their general background and their country of origin.
If passengers are selected, their boarding passed will contain a “Pre-Check” marking. After their documents are checked, they will have the option to use a security lane that can be up to twice as fast as a standard lane.
“It’s a much faster process, much easier and much less intrusive,” Johansson said.
The handful of passengers who passed through the expedited lane Thursday morning felt the same.
Christopher Hunt of Glenville, was heading to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. When he came up to the security check, he already had begun to remove his shoes, belt and jacket when he was stopped by a security guard, who informed him that none of it was not necessary.
“This just occurred,” Hunt said. “I had no idea I was going to be pushed through that quick.”
For Elsie Jean Rew, a resident of Latham who was heading to Lexington, Ky., the process was just as smooth.
“They said, ‘Get in this line, instead of that one,’ and I just went sailing through,” she said. “I only fly a couple times a year, and this was rather pleasant.”
But while passengers may be designated pre-checked for one flight, they should not expect to always see that designation, even if they had been eligible for several consecutive flights. In order to prevent someone from gaming the system, random persons will be removed from the “Pre-Check” list.
As one of the smaller international airports, Albany does not have the necessary personnel to operate the expedited lane all the time, but it will be open throughout peak boarding hours.
At this point, only passengers flying Delta Air Lines, United Airlines or US Airways are being screened by the TSA for the program. Passengers on Southwest Airlines cannot yet participate because the airline’s systems are unable to print the necessary encoded information on their passengers’ boarding passes. After the first of the year, however, it is likely Southwest will become eligible as well.
There is no application process available for passengers to request the screenings, but that option will likely be in place by next year. There will be an $85 fee to use that service for five years.
As of Thursday, more than 19 million passengers had passed through the new expedited security checks since the program launched in October 2011.
