U.S. Travel Applauds Expansion of TSA PreCheck to 35 Airports

December 19, 2012

Washington, D.C. - Statement by Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, regarding today’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announcement of John Wayne Airport as the 35th U.S. airport to participate in PreCheck:

“Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and TSA Administrator John Pistole deserve our thanks for their commitment to expanding the PreCheck trusted traveler program and reaching their goal of 35 participating airports by year’s end. Air travel continues to be the gateway to commerce and improving efficiency while maintaining the current high level of security is a win-win for travelers and the American economy.

“The volume of U.S. air travel is expected to double in 20 years. This forecast, combined with rapidly rising costs to screen passengers, underscores the need to expand trusted traveler programs such as PreCheck, especially as our nation moves away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more intelligence-driven, risk-based transportation security system.

“With two million travelers flying daily, PreCheck can only succeed if participation is greatly expanded beyond the five million passengers that have currently been screened. We are encouraged by recent news that TSA is exploring new methods to expand usage of the program.”

Contact:
Cathy Keefe 202-408-2183

The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry that generates $1.9 trillion in economic output and supports 14.4 million jobs. U.S. Travel's mission is to increase travel to and within the United States.