'Tiered' Security: The Solution TSA Has Been Waiting For?

 

Finally, America might be on the verge of an airport security screening procedure that works--and makes sense.

The New York Times reported today that two transportation associations are hard at work developing a new strategy for U.S. airport security: one that does not involve the possibility of advanced imaging technology or enhanced TSA pat-downs for all passengers. 

Both the International Air Transport Association and the U.S. Travel Association support a "tiered" approach, in which travelers are divided into three groups--trusted, regular and risky--and screened accordingly.

Step one? Create a "trusted traveler program" that would pre-screen passengers and allow them to bypass lengthy security queues. Such a set-up might be similar to the now-defunct CLEAR Program, which enabled paying members to avoid continual re-screening by providing extensive personal data to TSA. 

In a similar program, called Global Entry, members pay a $100 annual fee and submit to an interview, background check and fingerprint scan before earning the privilege of clearing Customs through a kiosk, rather than by speaking to an agent.

Step two would involve identifying the risky passengers. Luckily, in the wake of 9/11, many of the riskiest U.S. passengers have already been identified. And this information can be continually updated based on data gathered by the government and airlines. 

As the Times article points out: 

“Today we have TSA agents looking at TV screens, but they don’t know anything about the person going through the system,” said Steve Lott, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association. “The idea is to take data that the government and the airlines are already collecting about passengers and bring it to the checkpoint.”

Passengers in the risky group would be subject to advanced screening techniques, which may include millimeter-wave and backscatter imaging technology and physical pat-downs. 

The regular passengers--those who are not deemed risky but haven't opted into the trusted traveler program--would, presumably, still have to go through metal detectors and get their carry-ons screened. However, wait times should be lessened, since many of the passengers who, in the past, have held up the line would be in the risky group. 

While this might not be an ideal solution to the question of airport security--What happens if your name accidentally ends up on the "risky" list? How easily could terrorists take advantage of the trusted traveler program?--it certainly seems to be a step in the right direction. Here's hoping TSA pays attention.