Expedited traveler screening program to be tested this fall

An expedited program that would exempt select travelers from certain screening procedures at airports in a bid to decrease congestion at security checkpoints is set to be rolled out at four of the country's hub airports, according to Reuters. The pilot program - which will be launched at airports in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit and Miami in the fall - was conceived in response to controversy over the Transportation Security Administration conducting invasive body scans during its screening efforts and targeting typically low-risk groups such as children and the elderly, the news source reports. Frequent flyers with Delta Air Lines and AMR Corp's American Airlines will be given the opportunity to undergo a rigorous background check prior to the day of their flight, in exchange for not having to partake in time-consuming security screening activities such as taking off their shoes and unpacking their laptops. A form of the expedited screening process for airline pilots is set to be tested at airports in Miami and Chicago this summer, according to the Chicago Tribune. KnownCrew testing program members will face a less intensive identity verification process based on photos and airline employment data, but not biometric matches such as fingerprinting and iris scanning.