We all know how it works: if you want to fly you have to take off your shoes, belt, jacket and go through a long security line. But what if you didn't have to?
Four airlines that fly into the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport -- Alaska, Delta, United and U.S. Airways, are asking their frequent flyers to opt into the TSA PreCheck program. If passengers are eligible for the program there will be a code embedded in their boarding passes. Passengers with that code will be directed to a special lane for expedited screenings.
"TSA is moving away from a one-size-fits-all security approach to one that is more risk-based and intelligence-driven," said TSA public affairs manager Lor Dankers. "We know most passengers pose very low risk and if we can identify those, learn more about people up front, it allows us to focus our efforts on those we don't know anything about."
Dankers says TSA expects 35 airlines to be part of the program by the end of the year. Anchorage joins in December.
Bob Petrovski, a frequent flyer from Oregon, says he'll join.
"Anything to make it easier, to get through security faster," Petrovski said.
Dankers says security will still be high because even PreCheck passengers will sometimes be randomly excluded.
"Some individuals may come to the airport expecting to go through the TSA PreCheck lane, but they are randomly excluded and they will just go through the regular screening experience like the bulk of the passengers do," Dankers said.
Email Rebecca Palsha
