The policy follows the TSA’s eliminating passenger mandates to take off shoes at security checkpoints.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem unveiled a campaign on Thursday that will make air travel more hassle-free for families, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said in a July 18 statement.
According to the statement, DHS’s “Families on the Fly” campaign seeks to “enhance hospitality for families during the airport security screening experience.”
This includes dedicated family lanes at some airports across the United States, discounted TSA PreCheck fees for families arriving earlier to the airports, and dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes for military service members and their families.
At present, Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida and Charlotte-Douglas International (CLT) airport in North Carolina are participating in the “Families on the Fly” program. The TSA said planned expansions will be made in John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA) in California and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Hawaii.
Other airports where the initiative is scheduled to roll out include the Charleston International Airport (CHS) in South Carolina, Jacksonville International (JAX) airport in Florida; Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD) in Rhode Island, Luis Munoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in Puerto Rico, and Tampa International Airport (TPA) in Florida.
TSA PreCheck is a government program allowing passengers deemed low risk to pass through expedited security screening.
According to the TSA, about 99 percent of passengers under PreCheck wait less than 10 minutes to pass through security. The program is available in more than 200 airports nationwide.
“DHS and TSA are committed to making the airport security experience as smooth and stress-free as possible for traveling families,” said a senior official performing the duties of deputy TSA administrator, Adam Stahl.
“The ‘Families on the Fly’ campaign, being rolled out at select airports, aims to mitigate the unique challenges families face when traveling and minimize stress while maintaining the highest level of security.”
The “Families on the Fly” campaign is the latest policy introduced by officials under the Trump administration to ease air travel for Americans. It is “one of several TSA has launched to improve hospitality at its 435 airports located throughout the country,” the agency said.
