Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport has joined half a dozen other U.S. airports in opening a dedicated screening lane for families to get through security easier.
The new family lane has handled about 1,500 passengers a day since Aug. 6, when the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) launched the “Families on the Fly” campaign at the Warwick airport, TSA spokesperson Daniel Velez said Thursday.
A dedicated family lane is open to people traveling with children ages 12 and under, and the whole family — including aunts, uncles, and grandparents — is welcome to use it, according to the TSA. When a family approaches the security podium, a TSA officer will ask if they are traveling as a family, and direct them to the appropriate dedicated lane — which is marked at T.F. Green with a sign.
“We’ve gotten nothing but good feedback on it,” Velez said in an interview. “People seem to love it.”
A spokesperson for T.F. Green did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At T.F. Green, the family lane is set up in one of the airport’s widest checkpoints to accommodate strollers and extra carry-ons. Officers are also available to assist families with bags, strollers, and other items, Velez said.
“It can be quite a task when you’ve got a few kids running around,” he said.
Families using the lane will still follow standard TSA screening, unlike PreCheck, which lets travelers keep on belts and light jackets and leave laptops and liquids in their bags. But as part of the “Families on the Fly” initiative, the agency is offering a $15 discount on PreCheck enrollment when two adults sign up together. (TSA now allows all passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on at security screening checkpoints.)
Children 12 and under can accompany parents through TSA PreCheck lanes. Kids ages 13 to 17 may also join if they’re on the same reservation and their boarding pass shows the PreCheck indicator, according to the agency.
The national campaign officially launched in July at Orlando International Airport in Florida. Along with T.F. Green and Orlando, family lanes are now open at the following airports: John Wayne Orange County Airport in California, Orlando International Airport in Florida, Jacksonville International in Florida, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii, Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma, and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Puerto Rico.
Lanes are expected to open at additional airports across the country, including Tampa International Airport, where a family lane is scheduled to open on Monday, Velez said.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
