Apr

Future of Airport Security? Pay a Fee, Don’t Wait in Line at SFO

Could it be that airport security could become a pay-to-play system? For people who travel more than a couple times a year, a $99 annual fee doesn’t really sound like very much at all. I know I would definitely give anything to breeze through security. San Francisco International joins San Jose Airport and four other airports in the United States offering similar programs. I’m sure it will happen soon but it would be great if a company could create a multi-airport ID card so you could pay a combined annual fee instead of possibly paying fees at every airport, which might get costly. Say, maybe a SFO-NYC-LAX ID card for business travelers. So many possibilities with this one.

The two companies that appear to be competing for this business are Verified Identity Pass and FLO Alliance.

Below is an abstract but see the full article at the San Francisco Examiner:

SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - As soon as October, passengers flying out of the San Francisco International Airport could pass through security lines within seconds if they pay an annual fee and offer up very personal information.

Five airports in the nation have implemented the so-called Registered Traveler program designed to provide frequent fliers with relief from the long waits in post-Sept. 11 security lines.

SFO will become the sixth airport in the nation to implement the program, which Mayor Gavin Newsom said would �get us further along the lines of being the most effective, efficient and reliable airport in the United States.�

The airport�s current average wait time to pass through security is 2.4 minutes compared with the national average of 4.2 minutes, and during peak times the wait averages six minutes compared with the national average of 16 minutes, Newsom said.

That wait time could decrease to 30 seconds for members of the Registered Traveler program, according to San Francisco airport Director John Martin.

The program costs a traveler $99 a year. The fee gets the traveler a biometric ID card that lets security screeners know that the traveler is not a security threat and can move to the front of the security line or use special security lines only for ID holders.