TSA’s latest wrinkle on the PreCheck experience has now gone nation-wide, with over 60 airports now offering ‘Touchless PreCheck,’ which allows travelers in the program to smile at a camera and keep their ID in their pockets.
The system uses a camera to quickly match PreCheck members with their on-file passport photos and move on to the scanning area without having to hand ID and boarding pass to an agent. Rolled out last year in a few airports, and only for Delta and American, it’s now available in all major hubs and many medium-sized airports, and to passengers on American, Delta, United, Southwest and the combined Alaska/Hawaiian airlines.
Passengers are still required to bring a Real ID-compliant document with them, since the service can break down or not be available at a particular time. It also requires an opt-in, which is done through profiles in airline apps or websites.
Personal experience with it: It usually has fewer people moving through than regular PreCheck lanes and usually leads to the least-crowded scanning line. That could change as more people take advantage of it.
