Mounting fees may kill Registered Traveler Program
TSA announces it will charge additional $70 to pay for additional screening staff; at total estimated cost of $200 per passenger, price may be too high
Mounting security fees may kill the Registered Traveler program, experts said last week. The system, a private industry initiative most closely associated with media mogul Steven Brill, permits frequent airline passengers to submit themselves to a thorough vetting process, with the award being expedited movement through airport security checkpoints. This private element, however, may also be the program’s Achilles heel: the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) is not interested in subsidizing it, and recently announced that travelers should expect to pay up to $200 a year for the service. The new fees include $70 to pay for TSA screeners at Registered Traveler checkpoints, on top of a previously announced $20-$30 for a criminal background check. Those costs are in addition to yearly fees of up to $80 that fliers would pay to companies operating the program.
-read more in this USAToday report
