Airport securityMilitary personnel next in line to zip through airport security

Military personnel may no longer have to pass through screening // Source: yapta.com

Members of the U.S. military could be the next batch of individuals the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allows to bypass intrusive airport security checkpoint screening procedures.

The agency is currently exploring such an option through a pilot program, launched last week, at a medium-size airport in California.

The program is designed to determine if TSA’s systems are compatible with Common Access Cards, the military IDS that all service members carry.

“As part of our risk-based security initiative, we’re trying to identify those groups of people that in all likelihood pose no risk. We’ve been working with the military Department of Defense to try to assess how we can read the military ID cards,” said John Pistole, the head of the TSA.

The results of the test will not immediately result in military personnel zipping through security lines, but aviation officials hope that it will eventually lead to more streamline screening procedures for the military.

“If that proof-of-concept works, then we hope to expand that to airports that will have a large number of military personnel traveling through them,” Pistole said.

The latest trial comes as part of TSA’s broader efforts to transition to a more risk-based screening system where individuals undergo different security measures. Certain individuals like pilots and frequent flyers who have undergone a federal background check and are approved would be allowed to bypass full-body scanners, keep their laptops in their bags, or avoid having to remove their shoes.

The military program falls under the broader pilot dubbed “Pre-Check,” the TSA’s risk-based program for frequent flyers. So far only travelers on Delta Airlines in Atlanta and Detroit and on American Airlines and Dallas/Fort Worth airports are eligible.