WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Homeland Security Department wants to expand
speedy screening of pre-approved, low-risk air travelers arriving in
the United States.
The goal is to bring the Global Entry program to most international
airports in the country.
For more than a year, the department has been testing the program at
seven airports across the U.S. The effort cuts the average waiting
time for participants to be screened from 10 minutes to three.
The Global Entry program would be open to U.S. citizens and
permanent residents at least 14 years old. They would have to pay a
$100 fee and undergo a background check.
Eventually, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency plans to
expand the program to include foreign travelers whose countries have
an acceptable prescreening process. For instance, people from the
Netherlands who take part in that country's Privium program have been
accepted into the pilot program.
The program will begin at the seven airports testing the pilot
program. Those are New York's Kennedy International, Houston's George
Bush, Washington's Dulles, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, Chicago's
O'Hare, Los Angeles International and Miami International
