TSA

Labor Day Weekend Sees Record-Breaking Crowds at Nation’s Airports and Highways

Labor Day Weekend Sees Record-Breaking Crowds at Nation’s Airports and Highways

Travelers heading home after celebrating the Labor Day holiday weekend are encountering record-breaking crowds at airports, although the remnants of Hurricane Idalia continued to impact some flights.
Labor Day weekend is generally the third-busiest travel period in the United States.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration, which operates the nation’s airport security checkpoints, said it expects 14.25 million passengers and crew in the period Friday through the coming Wednesday.  That number is approximately …

TSA PreCheck Reaches 15 Million Member Milestone

TSA PreCheck Reaches 15 Million Member Milestone

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced that TSA PreCheck, the agency’s trusted-traveler program, has reached a record 15 million participants.
In November 2022, the agency lowered the initial enrollment fee for PreCheck from $85 to $78.  Membership is good for five years, if the application is approved.
“Today, TSA PreCheck represents a best-in-class model of a successful trusted traveler system,” said David Pekoske, the head of the TSA, noting that the program …

Deadline for Real ID-Compliant Driver’s Licenses at Nation’s Airports Yet Again Postponed

Deadline for Real ID-Compliant Driver’s Licenses at Nation’s Airports Yet Again Postponed

The deadline for travelers to present Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses at the nation’s security checkpoints, originally scheduled to be in 2008 and postponed multiple times, has been pushed off to the spring of 2025.
Real ID establishes minimum standards and security enhancements for state-issued driver’s licenses.
“This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro …

TSA to Shutter ‘Known Crew Member’ Airport Security Checkpoint Program

TSA to Shutter ‘Known Crew Member’ Airport Security Checkpoint Program

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is reportedly preparing to end its Known Crew Member, or KCM, program.
The program was put into place in 2011 as a joint initiative between Airlines for America, an industry trade association, and the Air Line Pilots Association, a union representing pilots from multiple airlines, along with the TSA, in order to expedite security screenings at checkpoints for crewmembers.
Crewmembers have already undergone extensive security vetting that …

TSA Lowers PreCheck Enrollment Fee

TSA Lowers PreCheck Enrollment Fee

The U.S Transportation Security Administration said it is lowering the initial enrollment fee for TSA PreCheck, the agency’s trusted-traveler program.
The change lowers the cost from $85 to $78, with immediate effect, and membership is good for five years, if the application is approved.
The cost to renew online remains at $70.
Passengers at a PreCheck security checkpoint do not have to remove shoes, belts, and light jackets during the screening, and can …

New York Area Airports Set Record for Passengers at Start of Passover/Easter Holiday Weekend

New York Area Airports Set Record for Passengers at Start of Passover/Easter Holiday Weekend

If you flew at the start of this past weekend, you weren’t alone.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration reported that two airports in the United States, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International, set records for the number of passengers screened at security checkpoints on Thursday, the unofficial start of the Passover/Easter holiday weekend.
LaGuardia Airport saw 59,698 travelers pass through its security checkpoints on Thursday, while Newark Liberty saw 78,811.
The previous record for LaGuardia …

Aviation Groups Warn of ‘Total Disruption’ During Government Shutdown

Unions representing air traffic controllers, airline pilots, and flight attendants said that the partial government shutdown is causing an “unprecedented” and “unconscionable” safety threat to the skies.
The joint statement, issued by three unions representing over 130,000 aviation professionals, also said that the threat to safety is growing as the shutdown continues with no end in sight.
“We have a growing concern for the safety and security of our members, our airlines …