Security

Some airports ease travel. Others make it harder

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Now you can reserve a checkpoint slot at Miami Int’l Airport

One of the newest, and most welcome airport amenities are free programs that allow passengers to schedule the time they go through TSA checkpoint screening.

Examples include the Spot Saver program at Seattle-Tacoma Internation Airport (SEA), the LAX Fast Lane at Los Angeles International Aiport, the EWR Virtual Line at Newark Liberty International Airport, MCO Reserve at Orlando International Airport, PHX Reserve at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), and JFK T4 Reserve at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

There are also a few other checkpoint reservation programs operating at airports around the country.

Some are limited to certain airlines, specific checkpoints, or concourses, and may be offered during limited hours. Be sure to read the rules and directions on your airport’s website.

Miami International Airport (MIA) just joined the list

MIA Reserve is a six-month pilot program for passengers flying from MIA airport on American Airlines.

During the trial, passengers may reserve a checkpoint screening time, for free at MIA TSA Checkpoint 4 from 5 am to 7 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Reservations are limited and can be scheduled up to 72 hours before a flight.

Amsterdam Schiphol reduces passenger capacity. Again.

Citing a shortage of security workers in the coming months, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) will once again reduce the number of passengers allowed in the airport.

This time the airport is reducing the number of daily passengers by 18%, through at least October 31. In a statement released last week, Schiphol officials said they expect to continue applying limits on the number of daily passengers until at least the end of the year.

That’s bad news for passengers and for airlines.

AMS had set a limit of 67,500 departing passengers per day during September and 69,500 during October.

The new maximum will be 54,500 per day for the rest of September and 57,000 per day in October.

London’s Heathrow Airport and several others also have passenger capacity limits in place at least through the end of October.

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.