A pass for some older air travelers

Many will be allowed to keep on shoes and jackets in security lines at four airports.

Some air travelers 75 or older will soon be getting a special privilege — one already bestowed upon those 12 and younger — at four airports around the country.

Beginning Monday, those passengers will be able to keep wearing their shoes and light jackets as they pass through airport security. They’ll also be able to largely avoid pat-downs.

The changes, announced this week by the Transportation Security Administration, could eventually be adopted more broadly. They’re part of a pilot program that seeks a “more intelligence-driven security system,” the agency said.

A similar protocol was adopted last fall for passengers 12 and younger.

The new procedures will be tested in some security lanes at Chicago O’hare International, Denver International, Orlando International and Oregon’s Portland International. Those airports were chosen because they have a high percentage of elderly travelers, the Chicago Tribune reported.

TSA officials said Thursday they would evaluate the program before deciding whether to expand it to other airports, though no timetable was available.

“The procedures allow officers to better focus their efforts on passengers who may be more likely to pose a risk to transportation while expediting the screening process,” the agency’s announcement said.

Travelers long have complained about TSA screening practices. Many were incensed in 2010 when the TSA unveiled full-body scanners and began employing patdowns that included checking near a traveler’s private areas.

The TSA has been studying ways to speed up screening and make it less intrusive without reducing security.

Kate Hanni of FlyersRights.org in Napa, Calif., told the Orlando Sentinel that loosening the rules on older fliers was long overdue.

“What has taken the TSA so long?” she asked. “Why have they been treating the elderly like terrorists? It just defies logical thought.”