Sea-Tac says no thanks to 'fast-pass' program

The terrorism scare that left travelers waiting in line hours at security checkpoints earlier this month has sparked new interest in a "fast pass'' program for frequent flyers, but Seattle-Tacoma International Airport director Mark Reis says he's not yet convinced of the advantages.

Sea-Tac, the nation's 16th busiest airport, isn't among the U.S. airports applying to take part in the government's Registered Traveler program, Reis said.

Modeled on a pilot project at five U.S. airports last year, and an ongoing program in Orlando, Fla., the Registered Traveler program would be a voluntary effort aimed at frequent travelers, specifically business travelers willing to undergo a background check and pay $80-$100 a year to avoid long waits by joining separate security lines.

TSA says it is moving ahead with plans to extend the pilot to 20 airports by the end of this year.

Plans have been to tap private companies to collect personal data and issue biometric pass cards, but the idea lost steam after the Transportation Security Administration said that registered travelers would still be subject to the same random secondary screenings as regular travelers, and wouldn't be exempt from removing shoes or lap top computers, at least not right away.

"At this point, TSA has not been able to identify any tangible differences in screening that indicates to us that there is a real benefit,'' Reis said.

Sea-Tac doesn't have room to create special new security lanes, he said, adding first-class passengers and members of some airline elite programs can already move to the head of the line.

Among the airports that will apply for the program is Mineta San Jose International where 50 percent to 60 percent of its passengers are business travelers, says spokesman Rich Dressler.

San Jose signed up with Verified Identify Pass Inc. of New York, which runs the Orlando program. Locally, Saflink, a Bellevue security company, plans to compete for airport contracts.

Dressler said the airport doesn't anticipate any extra cost or hassle, but rather expects the program to bring in new revenue. Its contract with Verified calls for it to keep 11.5 percent of customer fees.

Dressler says San Jose envisions a "dual purpose lane'' dedicated to registered travelers during busy times and used by everyone else other times, with the understanding that registered travelers could jump the line.

Peace of mind

Demand is strong, he said.

"We surveyed a number of big companies in Silicon Valley. Almost across the board, they have a strong interest in enrolling their employees in this program... It's peace of mind.

"A traveler who's registered knows that he can come to the airport on whatever day at whatever time and is not going to have to stand in line.''

Wait times are already short, he acknowledged — 15-20 minutes at the most during peak hours, and often no time at all.

But waits could get longer if screening becomes more intense as it has since Aug. 10 when British authorities uncovered a plot to bomb U.S.-bound airliners.

"They are having to stretch their limited workforce even more thinly and that has driven the wait times up,'' says Seattle's Reis.

Prior to Aug. 10, wait times at security checkpoints in Seattle averaged 15 minutes at the longest. "During the hours in the past few days, there have been some times when we've had 45 minute waits,'' he said.

Carol Pucci: 206-464-3701 or cpucci@seattletimes.com.