A faster way to travel?

A new TSA "registered traveler program" this summer (June 20) will allow passengers who pass a screening check and pay a yearly fee to use special express security lines. Passengers must also submit 10 copies of their fingerprints as well as an iris eye scan. You would still go through security, but you get your own reserved queue, and you are likely won't have to take off your shoes or sneakers, or take your laptop out of your bag. But, an additional requirement of the program is that the passenger's personal and financial records will be checked. The new checks will supposedly verify the passenger's identity to prove they have no ties to terrorism.

TSA Chief Kip Hawley stated that "commerical databases hold personal information from credit reports, property records, shopping histories, and other records, and could be useful in flagging terrorists."

It would seem that in additional to a credit score, to judge how well you are able to afford to take out loans to purchase a home, vehicle, or getting a new credit card, there will be a similar "terrorist" score to determine if your personal, credit history, and shopping history are in some way linked to terrorism. This goes beyond any other biometric security program that is available in other countries.

Also, the TSA wants to privatize this program to different firms. Would this result in a non-standardization for travelers going across the country?

USA Today - TSA: Program may use fliers' financial data

ATW Daily News - TSA says private firms could offer registered travelers smart cards by June

Boston.com - Logan to start express security program this summer

One good example of biometric technology:

At Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport, passengers can apply for the Privium: irisscan Program. It is used for border passage whereby you identify yourself by means of a state-of-the-art biometrics using iris recognition. The iris scan is more reliable and faster than other forms of biometric identification, such as fingerprint or hand palm recognition. This is because the iris never changes and irises are rarely damaged or injured. After you join Privium, scans are made of both the left and right eyes. After the scan, the iris details are only stored on the chip of the Privium Card and not in a database. When you cross the border, the data on the chip is compared with the data of the actual eye. After this, the data is removed from the equipment straight away.

With this, there's no need to stand in for a queue for Passport Control. The passenger can immediately go the security checkpoint after this check. Of course, while traveling abroad, passengers are usually held up at the passport queue before hitting the security checkpoint line. Also part of the program, the passenger gets priority check-in regardless of class of travel.

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In the UK, Terminals 2 and 4 at Heathrow Airport are running a 39-month trial program called Iris, their automated biometric immigration control plan. The U.K. e-borders system will capture, review, and store data about immigrant travel routes. As such, this is used to streamline the passport control and immigration control queues. As such, they are only comparing the data stored in the person's iris and will use it to compare to the person's passport and immigrant status.

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What could be the ideal way of traveling domestically? After check-in, you go to the security checkpoint. A machine is there instead of a person. You slide your biometric passport through the scanner and scan your eye. The data is used to compare your immigration or citizen status. If all goes well, you can go through. At security, there are internal sensors under the flooring that detect any explosive residue on your shoes or sneakers. There's no need to take off your coat or take that laptop out of your bag. The new x-ray scanner can easily detect the laptop in your bag. The new thermal and x-ray imaging walkthrough can see through your layers of clothing. If there's anything out of the ordinary, you get pulled for a secondary screening.

Let's compare to today at Cleveland Hopkins - Concourse C. After check-in, you go to the security checkpoint. A private firm is at the front of the queue where they check your identity card (passport or drivers license) and your boarding pass. You then go through a queue (either coach or first/business). At the end of the queue, just before the security scanners, a TSA staff person asks to see your identification and boarding pass, and then directs you to the specific lane (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on). Then you have to unpack your bags, remove your laptop and footwear, and coat, and put them through the scanner. You then have to keep your id and boarding pass because the moment you pass through the security detector, a second TSA person will ask for them. After that, you can then collect all of your belongings. (Of course, right after 9/11, you would have had to present your id and boarding pass to the gate person too, but since everything has settled down, all you need to do is present your boarding pass.) I do believe that if you are heading to D.C., you can be pulled out for extra screening right at the gate.