It Just Got Easier for Families to Pass Through Airport Security Together — Here’s Why

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is expanding access to its popular TSA PreCheck program, making it easier for families to get through security in time for a busy summer season.

The agency will now allow teenagers 13 to 17 years old to accompany their parents or guardians who are already enrolled in the program into the expedited security line, the TSA shared with Travel + Leisure. Teens must be on the same reservation as their parents or guardians and have the TSA PreCheck mark on their boarding pass.

Previously, the TSA allowed only children 12 and younger to accompany a parent or guardian into the PreCheck lane.

TSA PreCheck allows travelers to pass through airport security faster since they are not required to take off their shoes, belts, or light jackets or take their laptops or liquids out of their carry-on bags. Enrollment costs $78 for five years, but several credit cards offer reimbursement for the service. 

The expansion of the program comes as the TSA is gearing up for a busy Memorial Day holiday weekend. The agency said it expects to screen about 2.6 million passengers on Friday, May 26, alone, on what is forecast to be the busiest day of the holiday weekend. 

“TSA is ready to handle this summer’s anticipated increase in travel,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “Our staffing levels are better and this is largely due to better pay for all TSA employees which starts on July 1st.”

In addition to expanding PreCheck, the TSA continues to roll out Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) units, which allow travelers to get through security without having to show a boarding pass or, in some cases, even a physical ID. Travelers in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, and Maryland can all add state-issued IDs in the Wallet section of an iPhone and use them for a limited number of units equipped with a reader capable of scanning those state-issued digital driver’s licenses or digital identification cards.

The TSA PreCheck service is available at airports across the country. And last year, the agency opened its first-ever international location in Nassau, Bahamas.