Faster airport-screening program expands to DFW

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Travelers can now apply at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport for clearance to keep their shoes, belts and light jackets on while passing through security screening.

Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole said Friday that it was his agency’s first airport office in Texas and the 14th nationally for people to apply for the “Pre-Check” program.

The program is part of TSA’s strategy to focus security on passengers who might be a threat instead of simply screening baggage and passengers at checkpoints. Pistole called it a “risk-based, intelligence-driven approach.”

U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents may apply to the program at a cost of $85 for five years. Pistole said applicants are fingerprinted, checked for any criminal record and compared against a terrorism watch list. If granted clearance, the traveler may pass with shoes and belts on through special screening lanes that flow much more quickly. However, he said the travelers still will be subject to more-thorough random checks.

People intending to travel outside the country may apply for a similar Customs and Border Protection program called Global Entry, which costs $100 for five years.