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Frequent fliers may screen ahead
Associated Press
Published February 18, 2005
ORLANDO - Orlando International Airport will soon allow frequent fliers to bypass time-consuming lines at security checkpoints, after they clear a series of voluntary background checks aimed at weeding out potentially dangerous passengers.
The registered traveler program is expected to start by mid May at Florida's busiest airport, its Aviation Authority announced Thursday.
To register, travelers would submit to fingerprinting, an iris scan and a security assessment through federal law enforcement and intelligence data sources.
The Transportation Security Administration already runs the program at five airports: Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Washington. Orlando's would be the first airport where a private firm handles the screening. The process of selecting a company will begin next month.
Enrolled passengers would still be screened but would no longer have to wait in long lines, authority spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said. They would go through a special lane.
At the airports now using the program, travelers must fly at least once a week to be eligible. The protocol for Orlando passengers is still being worked out.
[Last modified February 18, 2005, 00:13:08]
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