Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Thursday that the TSA will open security lanes dedicated to families and military service members.
“Families on the Fly” will create dedicated security lines for families with small children and give families a $15 discount for TSA pre-check enrollment, Noem said at a press conference at Nashville International Airport.
The new policy has already begun a pilot program at an airport in Orlando, Florida, home to Disney World, Noem added.
“This means that when families come into our airports and enter our TSA security checkpoints, they will have dedicated lanes specific for families,” Noem said. “They’ll be expanded areas that will give them the benefit of recognizing that they have children with them, and will help make sure that we have the ability to take care of them and their families as they go through this expedited process with their kiddos.”
The “Honor Lane,” which will expedite security checkpoints for military service members and their families, opened in Nashville last month, Noem said. The new military lanes are available at 11 different airports and will expand elsewhere soon, particularly near military bases.
TSA will also begin offering Gold Star families TSA pre-check enrollment free of charge, she said.
“These tokens of gratitude are just a small amount of what we can do in this country to honor those who serve in our military, but also them and their families, and recognize their sacrifice,” Noem said at a press conference at the Nashville airport.
The new security lanes come amid broader changes to TSA policy
Earlier this month, Noem announced that travelers were no longer required to take their shoes off while going through security checkpoints.
She addressed the new shoe policy on Thursday.
“Ending the shoes off, policy will decrease our passenger wait times through our security checkpoints and it’ll make sure that it is a more pleasant and efficient process for everybody,” Noem said.’
And earlier this week, Noem suggested that TSA might change its policy on how much liquid passengers can carry in their carry on luggage.
Currently, travelers can carry liquids in travel-sized containers 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item in their carry-on bag. Containers with larger amount of liquid must be stowed away in checked suitcases.
TSA’s liquid limitations were implemented following a thwarted terrorism plot to blow up transatlantic airliners with liquid explosives in 2006.
