DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is hosting a "pop-up" PreCheck application center at Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) this week to give south central Pennsylvania travelers an opportunity to improve their airport experience.
"If you want to really improve your checkpoint experience, TSA PreCheck is the way to go," said TSA Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein.
For this week only, people interested in joining the TSA PreCheck program can complete their enrollment process at a temporary application center located in the cell phone lot at HIA. Applicants must first go to the TSA website to begin the application process and will then be prompted to book an appointment at the temporary location. The process will be completed at the "pop-up" location and with TSA PreCheck approval occurring within three to five business days.
Through the application process, travelers will provide the administration with additional personal information and in turn receive an expedited security screening process at airports across the country.
"Those lanes at a checkpoint move a little faster because people don’t have to divest as many things into the bins on the conveyer belt so, it is a huge convenience," said Farbstein. "Once you are in the TSA precheck program we consider you to be a more trusted traveler."
Officials say the program also helps enhance security at airports.
"It’s a huge enhancement of security for TSA because it allows our TSA officers to spend more time looking at the passengers we know less about," said Farbstein.
They add with a going busy travel season, the time you save in lines is worth it. According to the TSA, 88% of PreCheck passengers waited less than five minutes last month.
"It’s important to remember this is an extremely busy travel season at many airports. We are actually seeing that travel going through our checkpoints actually exceeds pre-pandemic levels," said Farbstein. "If you travel even minimally, then it’s truly worth every penny."
The application fee for TSA PreCheck is $78 and lasts for five years.
The TSA PreCheck pop-up application center at HIA runs through Friday, July 21.