Well, that didn’t take long 😉
It’s barely been a week since the first airport in the U.S. has implemented virtual queuing, and now another one is doing a pilot program to see how well a so-called “Fast Pass” system would work for them.
Officials at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) are doing a trial run of allowing passengers to schedule appointments so they can skip the queues of the TSA checkpoint. It’s currently available from 8:00am to 4:15pm at the Terminal D checkpoint D18 for TSA general screening.
The service began on September 16th and allows you to reserve your time online, up to a week before your flight. If you sign up you will also receive $5 toward food and retail at DFW (while supplies last).
Other things to note, from DFW’s sign up page:
- No costs or membership fees
- Reservations are limited so please book ahead of time. Reservations can be made up to 7 days in advance of your flight
- Please limit each reservation to a maximum of 10 people. Parties of more than 10 will need additional reservations
- Please check with your airline to ensure they offer a ticket counter in Terminal D for local check in/baggage check at the time of your reservation
- If you check in from home or remotely and already have your boarding pass with no checked bags and do not require an airline ticket counter, DFW’s Skylink train connects ALL 5 terminals
- The DFW Security Fast Pass program is not currently available for TSA PreCheck
Because this Fast Pass system is for the regular queues and not TSA PreCheck, removal of passengers’ shoes and belts will still be required.
There are a couple of things I noticed:
- It appears that the trial is being done 100% in-house, without the cooperation of a software company. They’re using SignUpGenius for the sign-ups, which, in and of itself, allows for user error (i.e. at 5 pm on Sept.23rd, you could still sign up for 8:30 am appointments for that same day).
- They’re calling the system “Fast Pass,” which is a trademarked term.
DFW doesn’t mention how long the trial will last, or whether or not it will become a permanent feature. But for now, it’s there, 8:00am to 4:15pm, for those who are able to use Terminal D checkpoint D18 to get to their flight. Go to this page of DFW’s website for more information and a link to sign up.
Feature Photo (cropped): Oatsy40 / Wikimedia
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
