Airport adopts streamlined screening

The Transportation Security Administration on Tuesday announced a new precheck screening process now available at Glacier Park International Airport.

“Passengers who have been through a screening lane like this like it because it’s quicker and more convenient for them,” TSA spokeswoman Lorie Danker said. “It’s very exciting to have a dedicated lane in this airport.”

The new precheck screening process allows travelers to leave on their shoes, outerwear, belt and keep several other items in their carry-on bag. Those enrolled as “Trusted Travelers” will be able to wait in a separate line and be screened through a different process.

“People need to understand is all passengers are still screened, they’re just screened differently,” Danker said.

The process has already been installed in more than 150 U.S. airports, including Billings and Bozeman, while Missoula may be next.

“We are pleased to offer full TSA precheck screening benefits to the passengers departing from Glacier Park International Airport,” Dan Fevold, TSA Federal Security director of Montana, said in a press release. “By providing these individuals a streamlined trip through the security checkpoint, it allows the security officers to focus their resources on passengers who may pose a higher risk.”

To qualify for the precheck screening, passengers must apply for one of four Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler programs. The process includes proving a traveler’s identity, usually with a driver’s license and proving permanent residence or U.S. citizenship with a birth certificate. Both, Danker said, can be proven with a passport.

The enrollment process also requires travelers to provide a set of fingerprints that will be sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a basic background check. There are a few disqualifying crimes that could be found in a background check, such as identity theft, treason or terrorist crimes. There’s a full list of disqualifying crimes on the TSA website.

“The majority of the public does not have that in their background, so they could be deemed a trusted traveler,” Danker said.

Passengers who have enrolled in similar programs such as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s NEXUS program will have already qualified for the TSA precheck program. After a passenger becomes eligible for the precheck process, a code is embedded in the passenger’s boarding pass.

“For a community of this size, it’s really exciting,” Airport Director Cindi Martin said. “We knew it would make the checkpoint more efficient. This is just the first step in the evolution of checkpoint security.”

Once a traveler is enrolled, he or she be given a number and entered into the Trusted Traveler system with the TSA. Danker said almost 2 million people have already enrolled in the precheck program directly with TSA, while the total number of people enrolled through other expedited programs, such as NEXUS, is up to 4 million.

The addition to the airport’s current screening process has added a new lane, new equipment and software but won’t require any additional personnel drawn from Glacier Park International Airport’s staff of 22 people.

TSA is setting up a temporary enrollment center at Glacier Park International Airport later this spring. Until then, travelers from the Flathead Valley can enroll at centers in Butte or Spokane. Travelers can begin the pre-enroll process at universalenroll.dhs.gov.

Martin said the precheck process is a feature the airport has been looking to install for several years now.

“Transportation is key in an area like ours,” Martin said.

The enrollment cost is $85 and lasts up to five years. All four carriers that serve the airport — Alaska Airlines, Allegiant, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines — participate in the TSA precheck program.

For more information on the program and enrollment, visit tsa.gov/tsa-precheck.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.