Government wants to expand speedy screening programs
WASHINGTON -- The Homeland Security Department wants to expand speedy screening of pre-approved, low-risk air travelers arriving in the United States.
The goal is to bring the Global Entry program to most international airports in the country.
For more than a year, the department has been testing the program at seven airports across the U.S. The effort cuts the average waiting time for participants to be screened from 10 minutes to three.
The Global Entry program would be open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents at least 14 years old. They would have to pay a $100 fee and undergo a background check.
Eventually, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency plans to expand the program to include foreign travelers whose countries have an acceptable prescreening process. For instance, people from the Netherlands who take part in that country's Privium program have been accepted into the pilot program.
The program will begin at the seven airports testing the pilot program. Those are New York's Kennedy International, Houston's George Bush, Washington's Dulles, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, Chicago's O'Hare, Los Angeles International and Miami International
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
