AIRPORT SECURITY Passenger screening reaches new heights

Fliers can bypass long security lines by registering with the new program.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
HOUSTON -- For the first time in U.S. history, Americans flying in America are being subjected to background checks before takeoff, under a voluntary federal test program that got its Texas rollout Wednesday.
They are also subject to biometric testing -- using fingerprints and iris scans to verify that they are who they say they are, another first for Americans.
And, from the long lines of Continental Elite frequent fliers lining up at George Bush Airport in Houston early Wednesday, Texans seem to have taken a quick liking to allowing the government to have their fingerprints, photos of their eyes, and personal information in exchange for a card that will get them through airport security lines a little faster.
"It's all about fast -- and safe, too," said Ed LeGate of Spring, who travels on business four to six times each month.
"I'm not afraid of technology," LeGate said before standing in front of a kiosklike machine that recorded the unique features of his eyes onto a small chip embedded in a swipe card. "I like science fiction. And this is fiction becoming fact."
Federal officials believe the system will improve security, with personal information being vetted against criminal databases and terrorist watchlists.
Faster boarding
Most travelers Wednesday said having "registered" stamped on their boarding passes and bypassing crowded security lines is the reason they are enrolling. The prospect of having a special lane at airport security checkpoints -- particularly when regular lines back up -- is worth a little invasion of privacy.
David Stempler, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Air Travelers Association, which is conducting a national survey on the issue, said preliminary results show that getting through security lines is the issue that concerns travelers most.
Bush Intercontinental is the third U.S. airport to begin testing the Registered Traveler cards, said program manager Pamela Friedmann of the Transportation Security Administration. Tests are being adjusted at each airport to see what systems work best under different conditions.
Earlier this month, the program began at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, as 7,000 Northwest Airlines frequent fliers were given first-come-first-serve chances at 2,000 Registered Traveler slots. (No cards were issued. Fingerprints will be used to verify identities, with iris scans as backup.) The program was unveiled on a Wednesday and the slots were largely gone by the next Monday, said Andrea Stegeman, TSA liaison in Minneapolis.
In tests, it has taken registered travelers five minutes to get through security. That's 60 percent quicker than normal.
Last week in Los Angeles, 4,000 United Airlines frequent fliers were given the opportunity to pick up one of 2,000 cards. The response there has been tepid. No such case in Houston. After one day, 500 of the 2,000 available cards were gone.