TSA Ramping Down Pre✓® for Frequent Flier "Opt-Ins"
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has given travelers two pathways for utilizing TSA Pre✓® expedited security screening benefits. The first option is to obtain a Known Traveler Number (KTN) by enrolling in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Trusted Traveler program – the TSA Pre✓® application program, Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI.
The second option is the airline-sponsored program that ties the benefits to the traveler’s frequent flyer number, which is limited to a single airline.
On March 26, TSA announced that beginning this month travelers who use the second option and don’t have a KTN “will notice a reduction in the frequency in which they are chosen for TSA Pre✓®.” (Those who are enrolled in a DHS Trusted Traveler Program and have a KTN will not be impacted.) TSA recommends that travelers who “want to keep receiving TSA Pre✓® on a consistent/reliable basis for the next five years” enroll in one of the four trusted traveler programs offered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
- TSA Pre✓® application program: There are more than 330 application centers nationwide --> Find a location near you
- CBP’s Global Entry
- CBP’s NEXUS (Canada)
- CBP’s SENTRI (Mexico)
To learn more about these programs, and to view a comparison chart of the benefits, visit www.dhs.gov/tt.