Study: Free PreCheck could save TSA a lot

By offering frequent travelers free membership in the Transportation Security Administration’s expedited screening program, the agency could save money and speed the screening process at airports across the country, a study concludes.

Professors at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign offered the idea as a solution to the TSA’s growing costs and long airport lines.

The study examines a vexing problem for the TSA: getting more fliers to pay $85 for a background check to use an expedited screening line that lets fliers keep their shoes, coats and belts on and keep laptops in their luggage. About 12 million people have signed up for the program, called TSA PreCheck, and similar programs for international travelers.

But the TSA had hoped to get 25 million travelers signed up for TSA PreCheck, a goal the agency said would enable it to reduce staff and make screening lines at airports faster.

The study, led by Sheldon Jacobson, a computer science professor, calculated that if the TSA waived the $85 for 25 million travelers, it would lose $425 million a year in fees. (The $85 fee is for a five-year membership.)

But the study also found that if 25 million travelers taking at least six trips a year were to use the TSA PreCheck lines, the savings would be $459 million a year, thanks to lower staff expenses and equipment costs.

The result would be annual savings of $34 million, according to the study, which was published in November’s Journal of Transportation Security.

“The analysis ... suggests that the TSA can justify enrolling such high-value travelers in the program at no cost,” it concludes.