Speedier security screening for United Airlines passengers who volunteer background information about themselves became available Wednesday at Terminal 1 of O’Hare International Airport.
United joins American Airlines, which since March has offered the prescreening initiative to eligible frequent fliers at O’Hare under the PreCheck program by the Transportation Security Administration. That means the two largest airlines serving the Chicago region are now part of the program.
The program’s benefits include being able to leave on shoes, light outerwear and belts during screening. In addition, laptops can stay in their cases, and liquid and gel containers 3 ounces or less can remain inside carry-on bags, officials said.
For customers who choose to participate, the TSA will determine eligibility for expedited screening before each flight and will embed the information in the bar code of eligible customers’ boarding passes. TSA agents will scan the boarding pass and direct eligible customers to a prescreening lane. TSA said on its website that for security reasons it can’t provide specifics about screening procedures.
I signed up for PreCheck in seconds online by going to united.com/tsaprescreening and clicking on a link for the TSA prescreening sign-up page. It prompted me to sign in to our MileagePlus frequent-flier account. Then, the sign-up page required marking a check box, agreeing to participate in prescreening. It gives United permission to identify you to the TSA. The page warns that “once you apply, you will receive no further communication from the TSA or United about your status in this program.” The next time you fly, you visit the prescreen security checkpoint, the confirmation page said.
At O’Hare, the PreCheck lane in Terminal 1 is at the security checkpoint near Door 1F on the upper-level ticketing area.
Additional airlines at O’Hare are expected to join the PreCheck program “in the near future,” according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
TSA PreCheck started in October, and since then more than 1.5 million passengers have used the system, according to the TSA. The program is a free service in 16 U.S. airports to U.S. citizens who are select frequent fliers of participating airlines or members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Trusted Traveler programs. Expedited screening was introduced as part of the TSA’s effort, mandated by Congress, to implement risk-based transportation security screening instead of treating all passengers as equal potential threats to airlines.
The TSA will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures, so no customers are guaranteed expedited screening, the agency warns. For more information on PreCheck, go to tsa.gov.
American pilots to vote
Union leadership for American Airlines pilots decided in a 9-7 vote Wednesday to send the company’s latest contract offer to its membership for possible ratification. The airline is looking for substantial concessions from work groups, including the Allied Pilots Association, as it works through bankruptcy protection.
“We recognize there are no easy decisions in any of this, but we are confident our pilots will carefully consider the tentative agreement,” American said in a statement.
A bankruptcy judge was set to decide Friday whether to allow American to ditch its union contracts and impose new terms. But the decision by pilots to put the contract offer to a full-membership vote will delay that action until Aug. 8, pending the outcome of the pilots’ vote.
American’s unions have said they support a desire by US Airways to merge. Pilots, even though they’re considering the latest contract offer, continue to support the idea of a merger with US Airways, a union spokesman said.
American hooks up with WestJet
American Airlines and Canadian carrier WestJet Airlines announced a reciprocal frequent-flier deal on Wednesday. Under an agreement, members of the American Airlines AAdvantage program and WestJet’s WestJet Rewards program can earn AAdvantage miles or WestJet dollars when traveling on flights operated by the other airline.
