TSA will now allow teens to accompany parents, guardians through PreCheck
Travelers, from the most frequent flyers to the occasional vacationers, know that the mandatory security screening can be the longest and most laborious part of the airport experience. Programs such as TSA PreCheck, however, are great options for folks who want to reduce their time standing in line, sifting through carry-on luggage, and taking off shoes and belts. The Transportation Security Administration is making this expedited process even better by making access to PreCheck a family affair.
Travel + Leisure reports that TSA will be expanding access to TSA PreCheck to 13 to 17 year olds who have parents that are enrolled in the program. In order for the teens to accompany their parents in the expedited line, they must all be on the same reservation and have the TSA PreCheck mark on their boarding pass. Prior to this update, TSA only allowed kids 12 and younger to accompany their parents or guardians.
TSA’s announcement comes ahead of the busy Memorial Day weekend. Detour reported that this year’s MDW is expected to be one of the busiest in nearly two decades. An estimated 17 million passengers are scheduled to depart U.S. airports, according to an economist from the travel app Hopper, with 1.1 million of those travelers departing from Atlanta’s Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. A report from Hopper notes that Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Denver International Airport are also expecting an influx of departing passengers this weekend.
TSA is expecting to screen 2.6 million passengers on Friday, May 26, the busiest travel day of the holiday weekend.
“TSA is ready to handle this summer’s anticipated increase in travel,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “Our staffing levels are better and this is largely due to better pay for all TSA employees which starts on July 1st.”
In addition to the PreCheck expansion, TSA is continuing to incorporate updated technology in airports across the country to further speed up the security screening process. Credential Authentication Technology, or CAT-2 machines, have been introduced in 16 domestic airports. The machines are a more advanced version of the CAT-1, which are able to scan a passenger’s photo ID and confirm flight details and pre-screening status in real time. The CAT-2 can also scan state issued digital IDs.
TSA’s website states that the machines are intended to “improve the travel document checker’s ability to accurately authenticate passenger identification and pre-screening status, addressing the vulnerabilities associated with ID and boarding pass fraud.”
Roshae Hemmings is an arts and culture magazine journalist from St. Louis, MO. A graduate from the Missouri School of Journalism, Roshae has bylines in the Columbia Missourian, Vox Magazine and 5280 Magazine discussing topics ranging from pop culture, social justice and eat and drink. She is a foodie at heart and enjoys eating food as much as learning about the story behind it. You can reach Roshae via email at roshaehemmings@detourxp.com.