ST. PAUL, Minn. – A select group of frequent fliers is getting a chance to bypass extra security inspections at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, but to do that they must submit to background checks in advance.
Today, Minnesota’s largest airport becomes the first in the country to start signing up a hand-picked group of people for a 90-day pilot program for the Transportation Security Administration.
Only frequent fliers contacted by Northwest Airlines are eligible. Northwest spokesman Thomas Becher said 1,600 people had expressed interest as of Friday.
The agency announced earlier this month that the trial program would begin at the Twin Cities airport before expanding to Boston, Los Angeles, Houston and Washington, D.C..
TSA could expand the program nationally based on the tests results and funding, spokesman Mark Hatfield said.
Participants in the pilot program will be required to give the government their name, address, phone number, birth date and “biometric identifiers,” including fingerprints and iris scans. That information will be matched against law enforcement and intelligence databases.
Starting sometime in July, participants will be able to pass through a special lane at one of the airport’s security checkpoints. They will not be able to bypass screenings for carry-on bags, but would avoid more intensive secondary screening if they do not set off any security devices.
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