WASHINGTON – The government is ending a program that let frequent air travelers avoid extra security patdowns in exchange for volunteering for background checks, but a private-sector version will be allowed to continue, the Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday.
The registered traveler program began in July 2004 and was originally scheduled to last 90 days. It was so popular that the TSA extended it indefinitely. About 10,000 frequent fliers are enrolled at airports in Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C.
TSA spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said the program was ending this week because it had achieved its primary goal of testing the use of security threat assessments and biometric identification technology in an airport environment.
“We’re going to analyze the data, analyze the results of the pilot and determine the way ahead and how RT fits into the overall security mix,” she said.
The program will continue at the Orlando, Fla., airport, where a privately run version began in June.
One of the biggest complaints has been that the registered traveler program isn’t of much use because travelers are limited to one airline at the airport where they registered.
The Orlando program is run by media entrepreneur Steven Brill, who wants to install a system of private security passes at airports across the nation. About 9,000 travelers paid $80 a year and agreed to submit to fingerprint and eye scans and to background checks. In exchange, they got a card that guarantees access to an exclusive security line and the promise of no random secondary pat-downs.
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