On the heels of the TSA announcing a program for more groups having access to faster TSA PreCheck lanes at a discounted cost (or for free), they just added yet another group to get similar benefits.
Depending on the airport, time of day and time of year, TSA checkpoints can be slow. Very slow. Sure, YOU might know how to get yourself prepared for the queue, but in front of you may be others who:
- are elderly or disabled and may do things slower
- don’t travel often and don’t know/remember the rules of everything they need to do
- may be families with young children who have a lot of unpack before going through the scanners
I remember when we were going through PreCheck at MCO’s Terminal C a year or two ago. The line was minimal, but directly in front of us was a family with 4 young boys, probably ages 6, 3, 2 and an infant. They had two strollers with ALLLLL the things (diaper bag, snacks, toys, etc.) that, of course, needed to be unpacked so it all could go through the scanner. The two middle kids were wandering away, so while the dad kept rounding them up, the mom, with the baby on one arm and the not-always-helpful 6-year-old on the other, was unloading the strollers. It was a long, frustrating wait for those of us behind them (Terminal C is the “new” terminal at MCO, whereas Terminals A and B each have a handful of scanners that can be used, to this day, Terminal C only has 1 scanner at PreCheck).
Families on the Fly: A New TSA Initiative
Our experience is undoubtedly felt by travelers every single day and apparently the TSA has heard our cries for help. They’ve just announced a new program for families traveling with children, called “Families on the Fly.” The program’s main feature is that they will add a “family lane” at select security checkpoints.
Pilot programs were tested in Orlando (which makes sense – families like the one I described above are one of the [multiple] reasons why MCO has been such a mess for years) and Charlotte-Douglas International (CLT). Following the success of those programs, the TSA will start a rollout of similar locations in airports where families with small children often travel.
Planned expansion of “Families on the Fly” will be rolled out at John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA), Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (HNL), as well as Charleston International Airport (CHS), Jacksonville International (JAX), Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD), Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), and Tampa International Airport (TPA), with additional airports slated for addition in the coming months.
“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,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a press conference late last week at Nashville International Airport.
Discounts on TSA PreCheck for Families
Noem also stated during her press conference that “Families on the Fly” will offer families a $15 discount for TSA Pre-Check enrollment. She did not state when or how that aspect of the program will begin.
Our Take on This
I’ve heard that MCO apparently used to have a “family-friendly” area to give them extra time to prepare for the checkpoint, but the initiative was abandoned years ago.
I think this could potentially be a win-win for everyone involved. Families with young children will be able to have more time to prepare going through the scanners, and other families, also with young children, who (hopefully) will be more understanding of their plight, will be the only other groups behind them in the queue. Meanwhile, those who are able to get ourselves and our “stuff” ready more quickly will be able to get through the scanners more quickly, since we won’t have to wait for young families to unload their strollers, etc.
As long as each airport has the space to dedicate to this “Families on the Fly” program, and it doesn’t increase wait times by requiring one scanner to be allocated for families, this could potentially be a positive development.
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