Government, industry seek ways to skip the airport pat-down

Two influential organizations, the International Air Transport Association, a global airline trade group, and the U.S. Travel Association, representing travel companies, suppliers and destinations, have pitched proposals to divide travelers into three groups at checkpoints.

In the proposals, travelers who opt in and pass a stringent check on their risk profile — likely by paying to have their backgrounds checked — would be given access to an expedited lane with minimal screening. People would still walk through a basic scanning machine, but would get to keep their shoes on and leave their laptop in the bag.

Travelers whose names show up as a potential risk to air security would be steered to a lane where more thorough screening would take place, possibly including aggressive pat-downs and full-body scanners.

Travelers who are neither trusted nor deemed risky would get an intermediate level of screening in a lane that looks a lot like what’s available today. But the line would be shorter as risky or trusted travelers are steered to other lanes. “People are being pulled out in the current system, and that slows down (traffic flow),” says Anthony Council, a spokesman for IATA, adding that about 3% of passengers are screened secondarily. Travelers of all types will be occasionally steered to the high-risk lane to keep everyone honest.

On the surface, the proposals appeal to some travelers. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2011-05-17-pat-down-alternatives-eyed_n.htm

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