Inconsistency among airports and long lines
were among the chief concerns cited about passenger-screening
practices in a recent online poll of business travelers and travel
managers conduced by the Business Travel Coalition (BTC).
Varying practices
from airport to airport was the top concern (38%), barely edging
out long lines (37%). In almost a footnote, removing shoes (9.6%)
was the third most-cited peeve in the survey.
Of the participants
in the poll, sponsored by biometric fast-pass vendor Verified
Identity Pass, 66% identified themselves as business travelers, 13%
as travel managers, and 21% said they completed the survey in both
roles. The survey of 651 respondents was conducted May 6 to May
31.
Slightly more than
77% of business travelers and just more than 60% of corporate
travel managers said they would support or strongly support a
registered-traveler program.
Their endorsement
of a registered-traveler program came with caveats, according to
the BTC.
These travel
managers and individual travelers are supportive insofar as the
cost of membership is affordable, a program delivers on promised
benefits and the use of, access to and protections of travelers
data meet the highest standards, the BTC said.
The Transportation
Security Administration (TSA) is conducting a pilot registered
traveler program at five airports that runs through
September.
The BTC plans to
provide the survey results to the TSA.
To contact the
reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail to [email protected].