The Department of Homeland Security will consider merging
the PreCheck and Global Entry trusted-traveler programs.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator
David Pekoske said that he and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner
Kevin McAleenan were taking a "good, hard look" at combining
voluntary vetting programs that allow air travelers to get through checkpoints more
quickly, Politico reported.
Currently, TSA oversees PreCheck while CBP is in charge of
Global Entry. PreCheck is a program for domestic travel, and Global Entry
expedites screening for U.S. citizens traveling internationally.
The combined programs have about 12 million members, Pekoske
said, adding that combining the programs could boost membership.
Pekoske told reporters that a merger of the two programs
could help unify biometrics initiatives and bring down costs.
ASTA said that while much depends on the details of how the
plan would be implemented, "at first blush this sounds like a fantastic
idea."
"Having two trusted-traveler programs with similar
costs, benefits and application procedures has proved to be, at times,
confusing and frustrating for travelers," said Eben Peck, ASTA's executive
vice president of advocacy. "A single program allowing travelers to get
through the airport-screening process quickly would be a welcome development
and we urge DHS to move this concept forward."