Security

Checkpoint reservations go global

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Long – sometimes very long – checkpoint security lines are back at airports in the United States and around the world.

That’s why the StuckatTheAirport.com convenience reporter is a big fan of any program that gets travelers through the lines faster. With the least amount of hassle. And for free.

Paid programs such as TSA Precheck or CLEAR get you on shorter, expedited lines. And we’re big fans of those programs.

But at an increasing number of airports, there are free programs in place that allow travelers to make a reservation for the security checkpoint line.

Airports where you can make a checkpoint reservation

The list includes the Spot Saver program at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA); the PHX Reserve program at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX); the DFW Security Fast Pass program at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) ; the LAX Fast Lane at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX); and the EWR Virtual Line at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

Other programs include t; the MCO Reserve line at Orlando International Airport (MCO); and the JFK Reserve line for Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

In Canada, the YYC Express program expedites the security checkpoint experience at Calgary International Airport (YYC).

CLEAR operates many of these free programs with its virtual queuing technology. And now the option to reserve a time to go through the airport checkpoint has spread to Europe.

BER Runway, at Germany’s Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), now allows travelers to plan ahead and reserve a dedicated security time slot.

Here’s how the program works:

On an airport’s app or website, enter your flight information, the number of travelers in your group, and the time slot during which you’d like to go through security. At BER and most participating airports, slots can be reserved as far ahead as 72 hours before a flight. In some airports, it is also possible to reserve a slot when you arrive at the airport.

Then, show up at the dedicated checkpoint lane at the time you’ve reserved. Show the QR you received with your completed reservation. Then go through security without waiting in a very long line.

In BER and other airport, the programs may operate during limited times, in specific terminals. If you’ve got TSA PreCheck or the paid CLEAR service, you don’t need this service.

Airport security lines are long. Reserve your spot.

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Summer travel is back in full force and that means long lines to go through airport security checkpoints.

Having a paid TSA Precheck or CLEAR membership will get you on shorter, expedited lines. But at an increasing number of airports, there are free programs in place that will also help you shorten the wait times, the unknowns, and the hassles of going through airport security.

CLEAR free Reserve Program

CLEAR offers a paid, identity program that allows many travelers to skip to the front of a checkpoint line. But the company also partners with some airports to offer a free program that allows any travel to reserve a time slot for going through airport security on a dedicated security lane. This can give passengers a more predictable and stress-free travel experience.

Here’s how the program works:

On an airport’s app or website, enter your flight information, the number of travelers in your group, and the time slot during which you’d like to go through security. At most participating airports, slots can be reserved as far ahead as 72 hours before a flight. In some airports, it is also possible to reserve a slot when you arrive at the airport.

Then, show up at the dedicated checkpoint lane at the time you’ve reserved; show the QR you received with your completed reservation; and go through security without waiting in a very long line.

The programs may operate during limited times, in specific terminals, be branded a bit differently at each airport, and is generally not available (or needed) for travelers who already have TSA PreCheck or the paid CLEAR service. So be sure to read the instructions carefully.

Here are the airports where the CLEAR program is currently operating:

*John F. Kennedy International Airport – JFK T4

*Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) – SEA Spot Saver

*Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – LAX Fast Lane (Terminals 7 and 8)

*Orlando International Airport (MCO) – MCO Reserve (East and West checkpoints)

*Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) – Newark Virtual Line (Terminal A)

*Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – PHX Reserve ( Terminals 3 and 4)

*Calgary International Airport (YYC) – YYC Express – Checkpoint E

Keep an eye out for other airports that may adding this great amenity this summer and be sure to take advantage of reserved airport checkpoint times when you can.

DFW has a Fast Pass & pre-made gates. Plus: Pendleton Round-Up returns.

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Cut the TSA line AND get free food at DFW

A new amenity that may soon become an airport staple is a program that allows travelers to reserve a time to pass through the TSA checkpoint.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) offers this service – called SEA Spot Saver – from 4 am to noon – at several checkpoints.

Now Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is piloting a similar program.

Launched this week, the DFW Fast Pass program allows travelers who don’t have TSA Precheck or Clear to make a reservation to go to the front of the checkpoint line at the Terminal D checkpoint D18. There is no cost to use the service and reservations can be made up to 7 days in advance.

And, as a nice bonus, DFW is giving passengers who use the service a complementary food or retail offering (while supplies last).

DFW plug-in gates

As part of DFW’s Terminal C renovation, the airport shared a timelapse video of its “High C” gates being moved onto piers at the terminal. Take a look – this may be the way all airport terminals get built in the future.

Where We’d Go: The Pendleton Round-Up

Incorporating many community traditions and the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, the 111-year-old Pendleton Round-Up – one of the country’s oldest rodeos – is back this year and ready to roll in a tiny town in eastern Oregon that is so very Old West.

The festivities include Main Street Cowboy shows, an outdoor cowboy breakfast, and the Westward Ho! Parade, which may be the largest non-motorized parade in the U.S. The real action though is in the historic Pendleton Round-Up Arena, where the classic greeting isn’t ‘hello’ or even ‘howdy,’ but ‘Let’er Buck!” Events include Bareback Bronc Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull Riding, and Steer Roping, among others.

This rodeo even has its own whiskey. The multi-million-dollar annual licensing fee helps boost the rodeo’s operating budget and contributes to the economic well-being of Pendleton. The town has a year-round population of about 16,000 but welcomes more than 50,000 visitors during the Round-Up.

Another airport lets you reserve your checkpoint time

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The uptick in air travel brings with it an uptick in airport security wait times. So airports around the country are getting creative in testing new ways to keep those lines from getting out of hand.

You may remember our story about the “Spot Saver” program Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is piloting this summer that allows passengers to reserve a time to go through the security checkpoint.

The “virtual queuing” test at SEA runs through August 31, 20201 from 4 a.m. to noon (the airport’s peak travel period). The program gives passengers who have neither TSA Pre-Check nor CLEAR memberships a way to streamline their security checkpoint experience by getting an appointment time (with a 15-minute window) to access the security line.

There is no fee to use the program, which is set up at two SEA checkpoints and open to all passengers.

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Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) is testing a similar program

At Boston Logan, the test is running through July 7 in Terminal B, from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The program at BOS is in partnership with the accesso, a company that provides virtual queuing for theme parks and attractions around the world. At BOS, the Virtual Security Line lets passengers use their mobile devices to reserve a spot in the line. They are then notified (with a countdown clock) when it is their time to approach the checkpoint, get their QR code scanned, and enter the checkpoint line.

We hope these test programs work out and convince these and other airports to make virtual cueing for checkpoint times a permanent amenity.

In the meantime, keep in mind that security checkpoint lines are usually longer in the summer. But now we have physical distancing, out-of-practice travelers, and lots more nervous travelers, so be sure to pack your patience when you head to the airport now.

This airport lets you reserve your security checkpoint time

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Now you can reserve your time on the TSA line at SEA Airport

(This is a slightly different version of a story we wrote for USA TODAY)

The good news: air travel is picking up.

On Sunday May 2, TSA screened more than 1.6 million passengers, the most since March 12, 2020.

The bad news: long wait times at security checkpoints may be back coming back too.

Courtesy Port of Seattle

At times during spring break, the lines to go through the security checkpoint stretched into the food court at Orlando International Airport (MCO). At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, lines snaked across the sky bridge and into the parking garage.

TSA is in the process of hiring 6,000 new screening officers ahead of the predicted summer travel surge. And that should help move things along.

So too could a new pilot program that debuts Tuesday at SEA airport.

The program, called SEA Spot Saver, will attempt to streamline wait times by offering digital reservations, or “virtual queuing” for passengers to go through the screening process.

Here’s how it works

The program will operate daily through August 31, 2021, from 4 a.m. to noon (the airport’s peak travel period) at two checkpoints (2 and 5) and offer expedited screening to general screening passengers for free. No membership or account sign-up is required.

Expedited, non-reserved screening remains available to passengers enrolled in Trusted Traveler programs such as TSA PreCheck and CLEAR.

SEA Spot Saver will be testing two options.

Alaska Airlines passengers can sign up for a security checkpoint appointment online up to 24 hours before their scheduled departure time or once they are in the terminal.

Passengers will receive a QR code to use at checkpoint 5 at their reservation time. This option is offered by Pangiam, and powered by WhyLine and Copenhagen Optimization.

The second option, operated by VHT, is for passengers flying on Delta Air Lines and all other carriers. This option allows passengers to begin booking a checkpoint appointment time by scanning a QR code once they are in the terminal. Passengers will show their emailed reservation appointment at checkpoint 2.

Both options give passengers a 15 minute window for their appointment times. The Alaska Airlines option lets you book up to 12 passengers in a group. The Delta/other airlines option lets you book a group of up to 10.

SEA will be the only airport in the United States currently testing a “virtual queuing” system as a solution for crowded general screening lines. 

Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) has offered screening reservations since 2014 through SecureXpress, but that program is currently on hold due to the pandemic.

“The pandemic has left very few passengers coming and going through YUL,” said YUL spokeswoman Anne-Sophie Hamel via email, “As such, there is no line-up to get through security, and the service is simply not useful right now.”

From October 2020 through April 30, 2021, Denver International Airport (DEN) piloted the VeriFLY app and program. Passengers could book a timed checkpoint appointment, but they also had to file health data information before arrival and get temperature checks on site.

Port of Seattle officials say that after the pilot program is completed late this summer, they will evaluate usage, customer feedback, and line efficiency and, if successful, launch a broader program. 

“These are the innovations and ideas that we love to make our guest experiences more convenient and stress-free, especially as more people get back flying again,” said Charu Jain, Alaska’s senior vice president of merchandising and innovation. “With very little effort, guests can lean on technology to get them through the security process quicker.”