(NewsNation) — The Transportation Safety Administration has been updating procedures in airports, making it easier for some travelers to get through security. Is TSA PreCheck still worth it after these changes?
The TSA PreCheck program costs $78 for five years — with children under 12 being allowed to travel on a parent’s pass — and allows travelers to skip certain security screenings and go through shorter lines.
Changes to TSA security procedures, however, may make the program less valuable.
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Recently, the TSA announced travelers would no longer be required to remove their shoes for routine screening at U.S. airports. In some cases, people selected for additional screening might still need to remove their shoes.
The shoes-off requirement was instituted in 2006, several years after Richard Reid attempted to take down a flight using homemade bombs concealed in his shoes. Since then, travelers between the ages of 17 and 75 have been required to remove their shoes while going through airport security.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem teased another change at the inaugural Hill Nation Summit on Wednesday, suggesting that limits on the amount of liquids allowed in carry-ons could be the next big rule change.
Currently, travelers are limited to carrying 3.4 oz containers of liquid, all of which must fit into a single quart-sized bag. There are exceptions for medically necessary liquids, baby formula and breastmilk. The policy was implemented after authorities thwarted a plan to bring liquid explosives on a plane.
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Noem didn’t specify when the change might go into effect.
The ability to keep shoes on is a perk of TSA PreCheck, but it isn’t the only one. PreCheck doesn’t exempt travelers from the limit on liquids, but it does allow people to keep the liquids in their bag instead of removing them to be scanned separately.
PreCheck passengers are also allowed to keep belts and light jackets on and leave laptops in their bags instead of putting them in a separate bin. Passengers are also directed to separate security lines.
Noem did not announce changes to those security procedures but suggested she is working on ways to allow passengers through screening with all items in their bags, shortening security procedures. She did not propose a timeline for those plans, however.
Whether or not PreCheck will save you time also depends on how crowded a particular airport is, something that is difficult to predict.
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One major perk is getting to skip regular airport security lines, which can become unexpectedly long, as they did in St. Louis last weekend, when nearly 26,000 travelers clogged the screening process, causing delays and missed flights at Lambert International Airport.
The influx of travelers was due to a Seventh-day Adventist convention in the city, which attracted people from all over the world. Few of the passengers had PreCheck status, according to reports, leading to massive lines that stretched well outside the airport and onto sidewalks.
At the end of the day, weighing the costs and benefits of TSA PreCheck depends on a number of factors, including how often travelers plan to fly over the five-year period.
