Airport ‘Happy Lane’ Not So Happy as PreCheck Lags Forecasts
- Program designed to streamline checkpoints short of applicants
- Poor marketing, cumbersome application blamed for enrollment
TSA Fail: Airports Weigh Privatized Screening
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As the U.S. expanded a program to streamline airport screening for passengers willing to undergo background checks several years ago, the then-chief of the Transportation Security Administration dubbed it the “happy lane.”
For the small portion of travelers now in the program that provides access to short lines, it may fit John Pistole’s description. But for passengers who don’t participate, it has contributed to security screening delays and growing tensions at airports because far fewer people signed up than the agency projected.