The slow-developing program to give expedited passage at airport security to trusted travelers who pay a fee is finally gaining traction.
More than five years after it was proposed following the 9/11 terrorism, trusted traveler programs are operating at six airports. Five more airports in recent weeks have signed with a private partner to operate the government's Registered Traveler program.
And at least four others — Washington Dulles, Reagan Washington National, Denver and San Francisco — say they're shopping for partners to run their Registered Traveler programs.
"We're pleased there are some competitors anticipated in the marketplace," says Bill Connors, executive director of the National Business Travel Association, which supports the program. "More choice, the better."
The Registered Traveler program allows certain airline passengers, for an annual membership fee, to quickly go through a separate airport security lane. Customers must pass a government background check and submit biometric information such as fingerprints or an iris scan to be read by an electronic device at the gate.
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