National Registered Traveler Program

Are you getting questions about the National Registered Traveler Program? Chances are good that you will soon. Here is a summary of the program's status, features and benefits, and what questions are still unanswered about it.

More information is available at the TSA website.

What is Registered Traveler?

  • Allows frequent travelers to undergo a more thorough screening once and a lighter screening each time they travel
  • Operated at participating airports by private companies (EDS, Unisys, Verified Identity Pass, etc.)
  • TSA retains control of key program standards and all physical screenings
  • Components of program include
    • Strong operational role for private sector
    • Mandatory interoperability among airport locations
    • Open technology platform that facilitates competition
    • Central information management system with robust safeguards on personal privacy
    • Substantive benefits linked to enhanced checkpoint screening measures
  • All passenger-specific identifying information, including biometric information, will be maintained in accordance with all applicable federal guidelines

History of Registered Traveler

  • Prior to 2001, CAPPS I (Computer-Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening) matched people buying tickets with names, addresses, aliases, warrants, and criminal records in a master database
  • CAPPS I assigned a threat level and checked luggage was checked accordingly
  • After 9/11 CAPPS II added former addresses, phone numbers, and relatives to the database as means of identification and denial of flight, and screened everyone regardless of luggage
  • CAPPS II policies violated the Privacy Act of 1974 prohibiting the government from compiling secret databases of personal information, and was cancelled in 2004
  • Registered Traveler avoids CAPPS II’s privacy issues because it is voluntary

When and Where Will Registered Traveler Be Ready

  • TSA will be ready to screen on 6/20/06; when individual airports will be ready is up to them
  • 10-20 “test” locations will be selected from interested airports
  • Airports with a stated interest include Indianapolis, San Jose, Sacramento, and Cincinnati
  • Airports that have stated they are not interested include San Francisco, Detroit, Las Vegas, and Atlanta
  • Undecided airports include Boston, Miami, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas, LaGuardia, JFK, Dulles, Reagan National, and BWI

Who is Registered Traveler Intended For and How Will It Work

  • US citizens, US national, and permanent legal residents traveling 7+ times per year
  • In exchange for a fee, participants will
    • Complete an application
    • Submit fingerprints (all 10) and iris scans
    • Undergo a background check
    • If accepted, receive an RT card with imbedded biometric scans
  • At airport insert card in reader, scan fingerprint or iris, scan hand luggage, and pass through metal detector
  • Benefits have not been finalized and may vary from airport to airport:
    • May have one or more dedicated security lanes for RTs, or may complete biometric scan at a kiosk then pass to front of line for luggage check/metal detector
    • May or may not be required to take out laptop and remove coat and shoes
  • Will still be subject to random secondary searches (as of 5/3/06) “to preserve an element of randomness to ensure unpredictability and disrupt efforts to thwart the system.”

What Don’t We Know Yet

  • Cost – most likely $80-100/year
  • Exactly what information will be required on the form – date and place of birth, SSN are likely
  • Which airports will enroll and be selected
  • Whether travelers with a non-participating home airport are eligible
  • Exact airport procedures and the exact tangible benefits to travelers
  • How often future background checks will be performed after initial registration 

What Are People Saying About RT

  • Proponents say
    • by eliminating trusted individuals more scrutiny can be given to other travelers
    • by the end of 2007 two-thirds of major US airports will have an RT program
    • test in Orlando specifically was very successful in moving people through quickly
  • Opponents say
    • this gives unfair and undeserved scrutiny to other travelers
    • it provides a loophole for terrorists
    • program could expand beyond counter-terror activities
    • benefits to travelers are likely to be minimal
    • release of personal data represents a privacy issue
  • The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) supports the program while the Air Transport Association (ATA) and its member airlines oppose it
  • 92% of surveyed business travelers are interested
  • 68% of companies anticipate enrollment to be a reimbursable expense for employees traveling more than ___ times a year, with 10 as the most common number cited
  • 57% of surveyed travelers are concerned about the privacy issues and identity theft risk associated with the data collection
    • ChoicePoint, a partner of Verified Identity Pass which operated the pilot program in Orlando in 2005, last year released personal info to 35+ government agencies and thieves may have stolen data on 145,000 people from their system