MINNEAPOLIS – Select airline passengers breezed through security Wednesday at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (search) in the start of an experiment to ease delays and make flying a little more agreeable.
Under the program, frequent business fliers are allowed to skip some security checks if they agree to be screened in advance.
Minneapolis-St. Paul is the first of five U.S. airports to take part in the program, which could be made permanent. Airports in Boston, Los Angeles, Houston and Washington are scheduled to adopt the practice over the next two months.
By midmorning, about 50 Northwest Airlines (search) passengers used the special express lane that the Transportation Security Administration (search) hopes will reduce wait times for frequent fliers while allowing screeners to focus their attention elsewhere.
"If we can ease the congestion at the busy checkpoints just a little bit, that's a good reason to have the registered traveler program," said Carol DiBasttiste, chief of staff for the TSA.
Over the past two weeks, about 2,400 frequent business travelers have signed up, providing scans of irises and fingerprints and extensive personal information. That information was cross-checked against several criminal and terror-related databases.
DiBasttiste said the overwhelming majority of those who applied were admitted into the program. She would not comment on those who failed.
On Wednesday, some of those registered travelers were moving through the lone express lane at the airport's six security checkpoints. It took about a minute for registered travelers to get through security and about five minutes for everyone else.
The registered travelers presented their boarding passes to an agent who asked them to put their left index finger on a scanner. After about three seconds, a computer screen read: "Success. You may proceed."
The registered travelers still had to go through a metal detector and their carry-on bags had to go through an X-ray machine. However, they were not subject to random searches once they passed that point.
Twin Cities businessman Bert Harman said he had written two letters to Congress asking for something like the program, and he was happy when he got it. There was no line when he went through security.
"It was simple so far, hopefully it stays that way," he said.
Gary Fishman, senior vice president for Northwest, said he hopes the program will encourage business travelers to fly rather than drive. Airlines lost many customers after Sept. 11 and the security restrictions that followed.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox