Seriously... WTF? Pay to get through airport security faster? Give up a bunch of pesonal info to yet another corporation? ___________________ TSA Approves Scanner That Will Let Fliers Who Pay Keep Their Shoes On By LAURA MECKLER December 13, 2006; Page B1 WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government approved new technology that will automatically scan shoes and boots for bombs, and promises that travelers will soon be spared the trouble of scurrying through security in their socks. But the new machines will be available only to travelers who pay to join a special program, at least at first. The shoe-scanner approval will give a crucial boost to the Registered Traveler program, which is designed to provide faster airport security screening, via a special security line, to travelers who sign up in advance and undergo a background check. But the program, to be run by private companies under the supervision of the Transportation Security Administration, has languished for years, and currently is operating only in Orlando, Fla. The shoe scanner is expected to draw customers to the program because not only will it speed up lines. It will also offer another perk -- remaining shod -- to attract customers willing to pay annual fees of about $100. "We've always said that Registered Traveler has to be more than a front-of-the-line program," says Steven Brill, chief executive of Verified Identity Pass Inc., which operates the Registered Traveler program in Orlando. A handful of other companies also want to offer Registered Traveler programs at airports. Travelers who join the programs will undergo background checks, and then get biometric cards designed to work at any airport's Registered Traveler kiosks, where iris scans or fingerprints would match the person with his or her ID card. Those kiosks are designed to be used in conjunction with existing carry-on baggage X-ray machines and metal detectors. The speedy handling of known travelers is designed to free up the TSA to focus on other passengers, who may pose a greater risk. Private companies that take part in the program must be approved by the TSA and compete to win contracts from airports to provide the service. Interoperable technology will allow customers of any given company to use another company's security lines when traveling through various airports. The shoe scanner is part of a kiosk developed by General Electric Co.'s GE Security, which is a minority investor in Verified. Passengers step onto a platform with hip-level walls and enter identifying information on the touch screen. Meanwhile, their shoes are scanned for bombs from below, and residue from their fingers is analyzed to detect trace amounts of explosive material. "We're comfortable with the level of the security that the shoe scanner provides," said Christopher White, a spokesman for the TSA. The TSA says it will examine each airport's setup before giving each site the go-ahead to dispense with shoe removal. Verified and GE Security hope that, in the future, the use of this trace detector will eliminate the need for passengers to take off their jackets when they walk through security. The TSA has yet to approve the trace detector. The kiosk, including both the shoe scanner and the trace detector, has been undergoing testing at Orlando. Verified has bought 20 of the kiosks for use at the airports where it has contracts to operate Registered Traveler programs. It plans to launch operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport's Terminal 7, which is run by British Airways, as early as next week. The company plans to follow at three more airports -- in Cincinnati, San Jose, Calif., and Indianapolis -- in the coming weeks. It is charging passengers $99.95 per year. Not everyone is enthused about Registered Traveler. The major airline trade group, the Air Transport Association, has tried to dissuade airports from signing on, arguing that it will deliver little benefit while distracting the TSA from other priorities such as developing a new system for monitoring passenger lists for the names of suspected terrorists. In addition, airlines already offer special security lines to first-class and most-frequent fliers at some airports, and Registered Traveler could wind up competing with this and other airline-provided perks. The other companies competing for Registered Traveler contracts also promise to buy advanced screening equipment once it is approved for use by the TSA. That technology, which is in various stages of development, is designed to ease the three major headaches of airport screening: removing shoes, jackets and laptops from their cases. Unisys Corp., which has signed up the airport in Reno, Nev., is considering buying the shoe scanners but is also looking at backscatter technology, which the TSA is now testing in Phoenix. Backscatter is an X-ray that can see through clothing to detect threatening objects that might be hidden. This technology should allow passengers to keep shoes and jackets on as they pass through security, said Larry Zmuda, who heads the Registered Traveler program for Unisys. "We're going to try and push for multiple benefits and not just shoes." A third major player is Saflink Corp., which hasn't yet won an airport contract. It is focusing on building relationships with charitable groups, universities, professional sports teams and trade associations that would offer the company's card, called Fast Lane Option, at a discount or as a fund-raising device for the organization. All three companies are developing packages of various travel and nontravel related perks, ranging from discounts on airport parking and merchandise to credit card and offers and deals on mortgage rates. Any new technology used for Registered Traveler is being paid for by the private companies. The new GE kiosks, for instance, cost more than $150,000 each. That might be too expensive for the federal government to buy and install for the use of all air travelers. But the government will monitor the performance of the machines and could wind up buying them down the road. "The people who travel the most ... will finance development of technology for everybody else," says Mr. Brill. "That's a pretty good model." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116598078991348617.html
IIRC when I was living in Europe they had special lines that frequent travelers could pay to use and it had an optical scanner (maybe? can't remember exactly). There was never a line but saw plenty of business people use it. Nothing wrong with having that choice, IMO. Maybe SJC can confirm that?
its like a tollway for the airport. so this way instead of raising taxes which would be a progressive method to ensure equality we let rich people buy their way to bliss. i mean we already let them do that with health care, education, safety, etc. so why not this too? oh wait. why do i care. i can live in my upper middle class suburbia life with a nice cushion for retirement. its the poor people's fault for being poor.
I see it as a benefit for those who fly frequently. Why would anyone who flies a couple of times a year pay $100 for this service. Therefore, if people are poor then they wouldn't necessarily be flying a bunch of times a year, so your argument that this is a slap in the face to poor folks doesn't hold water.
I would think that the program would be more used by frequent fliers more then anyone else. Business travelers...etc. Most people who don't fly that often, rich or poor, will probably still go through the lines. However; I like the idea of everyone going through background checks and getting a card to ok them to fly. I think overall the registered flier program is a great idea. It's just saying you've volunteer info about yourself and thus less likely to be a terrorist. What's wrong with that? And it helps us to focus on the rest.
That will never happen again. Even if somehow some idiot was able to attempt to hijack a plane, the actions of the passengers of Flight 93 have set a precedent. No one believes that if you just sit there and do what the hijackers say, you'll be allright.
I like it. My family and I travel a lot so I think it would be worth it for us. But if you're only taking a couple flights a year, its probably not worth it.
It seems to me that the program isn't making general travel any safer, just more expedient to some. In the event of a terror attack, there will be parties who will ask why the advanced screening system checks aren't in place for everybody. It'd get more interesting if the terrorists used the program to get on board (after they spend time familiarizing themselves with the system or leapfrog it with well placed bribes). In the meanwhile, people will have to deal with privacy issues that come with several companies handling all your private info with caveats that they'll send it to other third parties. >>>"All three companies are developing packages of various travel and nontravel related perks, ranging from discounts on airport parking and merchandise to credit card and offers and deals on mortgage rates." Then again, it only concerns those who care about keeping their identities private. Only the guilty would think of such a thing...
The main users of this will be big corporate contracts so businesses can get it for their frequent travelers. I bet every salesperson that flies once or twice a week would be happy to sign up for this.
As Long as they don't start making MORE . . *ahem* Security for those that don't pay [like they do on the tollways] Rocket River
"...to travelers who sign up in advance and undergo a background check" Paying the $100 doesn't forgoe security altogether. I know our legislators do dumb things but I don't think they are this dumb or this hard up for cash to give terrorists an unchecked method to board planes.
