SCHUMER ANNOUNCES TSA TO LAUNCH PRE-CHECK PROGRAM AT WESTCHESTER COUNTY AIRPORT; FREQUENT TRAVELER SCREENING PROGRAM WILL MAKE SECURITY SAFER AND MORE EFFICIENT, ATTRACT BUSINESS TRAVELERS IN THE HUDSON VALLEY
Schumer Has Previously Pushed TSA to Expand Pre-Check to More NY Airports – TSA Has Chosen Westchester County Airport for Expansion of Pre-Check Security Program
Program to Pre-Screen Frequent Fliers in Order to Speed Security Clearance At Airport, Attract Business Travelers to Hudson Valley; Will Now Pre-Screen Both Federally Required and Supplemental Secure Passenger Information in Safe and Efficient Manner
Schumer: TSA Expansion of Pre- Check Will Put Westchester County Airport, Hudson Valley at the Front of the Line for More Flights & Travelers
Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Schumer announced the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will expand their Pre-Check initiative, a successful frequent-traveler screening program, to the Westchester County Airport to make business travel safer and more efficient. Pre-Check, which Schumer has worked to secure for New York airports like Westchester, will help decrease wait times, making the lower Hudson Valley an even more attractive flying destination for visitors. Senator Schumer has long fought to improve service for flyers to and from Westchester, and with the addition of the Pre-Check program, these types of service expansions become even more attractive and viable.
Pre-Check allows pre-qualified and frequent passengers to pass through security checkpoints more swiftly if they provide supplemental personal information, not required for regular security in airports, in advance of arriving. Schumer explained that the Pre-Check program will improve efficiency and encourage business travel in and out of the airport, all while improving safety by screening passenger information like email addresses and cell phone numbers, which are not typically required. The TSA will launch an application program later this year for the Pre-Check program. There is a $85 enrollment fee for a five-year term of eligibility.
“I am thrilled the TSA has heeded my call to expand Pre-Check in New York, and has included the Westchester County Airport in that expansion,” said Schumer. “Westchester is an ideal location for the TSA expansion of this pilot program, because it will greatly aid our efforts to expand service and attract more travelers and flights in the Hudson Valley – and it will allow pre-screened passengers to have a safer, hassle-free travel experience in and out of the region each day. With expedited travel now coming to the Hudson Valley, we will see increases in safety and efficiency for vacationers and business travelers alike, all while providing a shot in the arm for the Westchester economy.”
Schumer has long advocated for bringing the Pre-Check Program to more Upstate airports, after TSA announced plans to expand the program after early success. The Pre-Check Program has been proven successful at current test locations in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Miami. Schumer noted that this prescreening program will increase efficiency for and attract business travelers to the Hudson Valley, all while improving the quality of screening of those individuals. Schumer noted that this program will cut travel time for frequent and pre-screened travelers in a safe manner, and would increase business travel to and from Westchester.
The Transportation Security Administration implemented the Pre-Check program in October 2011, and began testing a limited, voluntary passenger pre-screening initiative with a small, known traveler population at Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Miami airports. The TSA Pre-Check initiative implements a key component of the agency’s intelligence-driven, risk-based approach to security. This pilot program helps assess measures designed to enhance security by placing more focus on pre-screening individuals who volunteer information about themselves prior to flying in order to potentially expedite the travel experience. The Pre-Check program works through the partnership of American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, and Schumer noted that both airlines fly in and out of Greater Rochester International Airport. Today, the TSA announced that new Pre-Check lanes would be installed at Albany International Airport, Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Greater Rochester International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York City), LaGuardia Airport (New York City), Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Westchester County Airport.
Eligible passengers, after completing the prescreening process, may be referred to a lane where they will experience expedited screening. TSA will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport and no individual will be guaranteed expedited screening. TSA’s multi-layered approach to security also includes behavior detection officers, explosives-detection systems, canine teams, and federal air marshals, among other measures both seen and unseen.
As part of the agency’s risk-based security initiative, TSA is in the process of testing several other new screening initiatives, including a program designed to provide positive ID verification for airline pilots and the use of expanded behavior detection techniques, in addition to the recent changes in screening procedures for children.