You might have heard that some airline passengers haven’t exactly been overjoyed with the TSA’s recent rollouts of revealing full-body scanners and like-groping-teenagers-in-heat pat-down procedures. But now the agency is reportedly considering the idea of giving “trusted travelers” an express pass through airport security screenings.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Drawing data from airline frequent-flier programs, the TSA plans to identify trusted travelers and indicate their status with a bar code on their boarding passes, said the agency’s administrator, John Pistole. When the boarding pass and valid identification are presented at the security checkpoint, a trusted flier will be directed to the expedited screening line…

Also, the program likely will be tailored to specific flights or routes. Expedited screening would be easily available on flights considered low risk, such as regional jet trips to a small city or flights with air marshals on board, Mr. Pistole said.

The TSA will be launching a test program this summer that would give pilots and flight attendants the ability to bypass the body scanner/pat-down combo. This could be followed by tests of the trusted traveler theory at other airports.

“Let’s get away from one size fits all,” said Johny Pistole. “We think we can improve the process and focus more on people we know nothing about.”

Looking to Speed Security for Frequent Fliers [WSJ.com]

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