TSA Looks to Private Sector for PreCheck Enrollment Assistance

The TSA is looking to the private sector to increase PreCheck application processing capability.

Flyers planning on enrolling in the TSA’s PreCheck program may be serviced by the private sector as early as next year. In a statement, the TSA announced it will start accepting bids in October for companies who want to accept and process PreCheck applications.

The plan, as detailed in the statement by TSA Director John Pistole, is to increase the options for flyers that want to apply, but may not have immediate access to the over 300 enrollment centers currently in operation. The increased application centers would help to fulfill TSA’s “risk-based security” mission, with a goal to expedite the security process for “low-risk” travelers at airports within the U.S.

“By leveraging private-sector best practices in business operations, marketing and algorithm optimization, [the] TSA hopes to provide a better travel experience for an increased number of ‘trusted travelers,’” Pistone stated. “[PreCheck] enables us to focus screening efforts on the passengers who we know present a greater risk to aviation security or individuals who we know less and pose an unknown level of risk to the traveling public.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that the TSA would work with private-sector companies to do initial background checks on applicants. Responsibility for crosschecking against the No-Fly List would rest with the TSA. Currently, TSA PreCheck lanes are operational at 119 airports across the U.S.

This is not the first time that the TSA has worked with the private sector in commercial aviation. According to the agency’s website, the TSA has a number of agreements with companies to provide security services at airports across the country, the largest of which can be found at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

[Photo: iStock]