AUS introduces on-site TSA PreCheck enrollment

Good news for frequent travelers (or those who hope to travel more frequently): The Austin-Bergstrom airport now offers departing travelers a quick and easy way to enroll in TSA PreCheck with no advance appointment. It takes about five minutes, according to a news release from AUS, and then “most passengers will receive their Known Traveler Number (KTN) within three to five days for use on subsequent trips.” Courtesy of security company IDEMIA, uniformed “enrollment ambassadors” can be found stationed just past the airport’s security checkpoints, ready to enroll passengers in PreCheck, which allows travelers to breeze through most security screening lines. Gilbert Almaraz, who is TSA’s Texas federal security director, offered this tempting vision: “This June, we saw 94 percent of TSA PreCheck passengers wait less than 5 minutes in security checkpoint lines and they avoid having to take off their shoes and belts and can leave their compliant liquids and laptops in their bags.” Airport CEO Jacqueline Yaft added that AUS is “thrilled to be among the latest airports to introduce this new TSA Precheck enrollment initiative. As our airport welcomes more travelers this year than ever in our history, increasing access to TSA PreCheck gives AUS travelers more options for an easier experience.”