TSA to test domestic trusted traveler program

TSA to test domestic trusted traveler program Washington Notebook

By Eric Kulisch
   Thursday marked another step in the growing collaboration between the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection to better align programs for securing aviation within the country and planes, people and cargo crossing the border.
   TSA Administrator John Pistole announced plans to conduct a limited demonstration of a 'known-traveler' program designed to expedite screening for pre-approved passengers that provide advance information about themselves and verify their identity at airport checkpoints.
   Within days, select members of CBP 'trusted traveler' programs and frequent flyers from American Airlines and Delta Air Lines who are U.S. citizens will be notified of their eligibility to participate in the optional pilot program. Starting this fall, the expedited screening process will be made available for Delta passengers at Atlanta and Detroit airports and for American passengers at Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami airports.

Pistole

   CBP's 'trusted traveler' programs include Global Entry at airports, SENTRI on the southern border and NEXUS on the northern border.
   Global Entry allows expedited passage through Customs for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers. Passengers supply personal information and submit to a CBP interview during which a fingerprint scan is taken. After passing a background check and paying $100, applicants simply go to a special kiosk at the arrival gate, present their machine-readable U.S. passport or permanent resident card, place their fingertips on a scanner and make a customs declaration. The kiosk spits out a receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit.
   About 5,000 to 8,000 people are expected to volunteer for the TSA trial, according to the Associated Press. TSA has not indicated if it would use some sort of biometric identification to make sure a traveler is not using fake identification or an alias.
   The agency said it plans to expand the program to United Airlines, Southwest, JetBlue, US Airways, Alaska Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines, as well as additional airports, once all the bugs have been worked out.
   Known-travelers would still be subject to regular or random security inspections as deemed necessary by authorities. The prescreening test would be in addition to normal automated screening TSA does to run names of air travelers through government terrorist-watch lists.
   The move conforms to the Department of Homeland Security's broader strategy of using risk analysis to selectively target inspections for people and cargo, rather than spreading resources thin in an effort to check everything and everyone before boarding a plane or vessel. Currently, all airline passengers must remove their shoes and jackets before passing through magnetometers or X-ray-based body scanners, and their belongings must be scanned or tested for explosives, weapons and other items banned on flights. CBP, however, uses computerized decision tools to analyze data about the shipment and shipper to focus inspections on cargo that is suspicious or of unknown origin.

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   The TSA program is essentially a domestic version of Global Entry, and should make for a more pleasant flying experience because security lines will hopefully be shorter and people won't have to partially undress to board a plane.
   The program has been under development for several months. Officials have said that new techniques would minimize the need to remove laptops from carrying bags when going through airport security. Types of personal information that could be requested from travelers include credit history and tax returns.
   'We commend Administrator Pistole for his work in implementing risk-based, intelligence-driven programs that further enhance our security while improving the travel experience for all passengers,' Air Transport Association President Nicholas E. Calio, said in a statement. 'Allowing TSA to focus its finite resources on that which creates the greatest threat is both good policy and good security.'
   CBP is already working to consolidate Global Entry, SENTRI and NEXUS into a single trusted traveler program.
   SENTRI and NEXUS are programs that allow trusted travelers to be processed through dedicated lanes. Applicants for all three programs pay fees ranging from $50 to $122 and undergo background checks and interviews.
   Earlier this year, CBP announced that NEXUS and SENTRI members could take advantage of Global Entry kiosks at airports at no additional cost. But some individuals may need to submit their 10-digit fingerprints if they are not on file with CBP.
   The TSA and CBP partnership to integrate domestic and international security measures is a good sign that DHS will try to streamline other redundant security practices to reduce the compliance burden on the private sector and make life easier for travelers.

ATA fights new fees
   The trade association representing major U.S. airlines on Thursday called on Congress to drop proposals to increase aviation passenger taxes to address the national debt, saying such a hike would hurt the economic recovery by discouraging travel.
   Airlines argue the aviation industry already pays its fair share of taxes, noting there are $63 in taxes and fees for a typical $300 ticket.

Calio

   The Air Transport Association said the industry collectively pays $17 billion in non-income taxes. In 2010, U.S. airlines and their passengers contributed $3.4 billion in taxes and fees to the Department of Homeland Security, including $2 billion in taxes and fees to the Transportation Security Administration — a 50 percent increase from the amount collected in 2002, the ATA said.
   'No other industry or mode of transportation pays for its security as airlines do, even though it is clear that the terrorists targeting commercial aircraft are not attacking the airlines themselves but rather the U.S. economy and our way of life,' ATA President Nicholas Calio said.
   'This is absolutely unacceptable; we should advance a tax policy that encourages air service to grow, not contract,' he added. ' Eric Kulisch