TSA / Gov Uses Biometrics To Ease International Travel

After over ten years of heightened security at American airports, it seems there may be a few ways for qualified travelers to relax.

As announced earlier this month, the TSA has created a new program called Global Check, which allows authorized travelers who travel internationally to apply for an expedited checkpoint clearance for “pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival into the United States”. With the scan of your passport and a four-finger biometric fingerprint scan, you may receive expedited treatment at security checkpoints around the airport. However, this does not come as a guarantee, as the TSA has still vowed to proceed with random checks around the airport to maintain a high level of security.

As reported by Joe Sharkey of the New York Times earlier this month, certain travelers are also passing through airport security without having to disrobe, dismantle and with their dignity intact.

The Transportation Security Administration has also launched a second program known as PreCheck, allowing another small number of qualified travelers the ability to speed through security checkpoints without the usual routine of removing jackets and shoes as well as displaying laptops from bags, and carrying liquids and gels in see-through containers. This program was designed more for the domestic flyer, as Global Entry is an international option.

As the majority of passengers, do not have access to this PreCheck program (it is a program cultivated from the ideal that frequent travelers who spend the most money are also the easiest to track because their travel patterns are understandable and familiar), it is still not a complete solution to airport delays, extended wait times and inconvenient hassles for every day travelers.

The TSA has also specified that members who are accepted into Global Entry could potentially receive expedited treatment at PreCheck equipped airports as well and vice versa.