An Honor Lane at Nashville International Airport. Honor Lanes are dedicated lanes at airports for active service members. (Adrian White)
(Tribune News Service) — The Department of Homeland Security announced families traveling with children and military members will have their own security lanes at airport checkouts.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared the news during a press conference at Nashville International Airport on Thursday.
A dedicated lane for uniformed military members, known as the Honor Lane, will be expanded nationwide. It is currently only used in 11 airports.
Noem also highlighted initiatives announced earlier this month including providing Gold Star families, the immediate family members of a service member who died while serving in the military during a time of conflict, access to PreCheck free of charge.
Military spouses will also be offered $25 PreCheck enrollment discounts and mobile units will be sent to military bases to sign people up.
“We want everybody to know that we’re extremely grateful for their service to our country and recognize the sacrifice that their families have made,” she said.
Current members of the military and civilian Defense Department staff already have access to PreCheck benefits by including their DOD ID number as their “known traveler number” when making a reservation.
Additionally, the “Families on the Fly” program will create a special security lane for families at airport checkpoints.
The program was first tested in Orlando due to its proximity to Disney World. It will now begin to roll out first in places where many families travel with children.
“There will be expanded areas that will give them the benefit of recognizing that they have children with them and will help make sure that we have the ability to take care of them and their families as they go through this expedited process with their kiddos,” Noem said.
Families will also receive a $15 discount if they sign up for TSA’s Trusted Traveler program, PreCheck. The paid membership program speeds up airport security by screening passengers before they arrive.
The announcements come after Noem announced last week that TSA would no longer require passengers to take off shoes at airport security checkpoints and she hinted on Wednesday that changes in what liquids passengers are able to carry on planes could come next.
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