The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is launching the new "Families on the Fly" campaign through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to make air travel easier for families.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the new campaign on Thursday, which aims to ease the airport screening process for families who are traveling with kids while still maintaining strong security measures.
Families on the Fly Campaign
TSA's Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator, Adam Stahl, added that the two organizations are committed to making the airport security experience as "smooth and stress-free as possible" for traveling families.
He added that the Families on the Fly campaign is already being rolled out in select airports to mitigate the unique challenges that families go through when traveling together. It also aims to minimize stress while still keeping the same level of security at airports.
Some of the benefits of the Families on the Fly campaign include dedicated family screening lanes at select airports. It would also feature discounted TSA PreCheck enrollment fees for families and exclusive TSA PreCheck lanes for military personnel and their families, according to TravelPulse.
So far, the only airports that are rolling out the new campaign are Orlando International (MCO) and Charlotte-Douglas International (CLT). However, travellers can expect to encounter the new service at other airports soon, such as at Southern California's John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA) and Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
The Families on the Fly campaign builds on a summer initiative that the TSA previously launched, known as the "Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease." This particular program allowed military families and uniformed service members to get expedited service access to TSA PreCheck lanes at select airports.
Making Air Travel Easier for Families
On top of the aforementioned benefits, service members and civilian Department of Defense (DOD) employees are eligible to get free TSA PreCheck by using their DOD ID number as their Known Traveler Number, FTNNews reported.
Additionally, children aged 12 years and younger can accompany these individuals through TSA PreCheck lanes without facing any restrictions. On the other hand, individuals aged 13 to 17 must be listed on the same reservation as a PreCheck-eligible parent or guardian.
The new campaign comes as the TSA Cares program is still available for veterans and wounded warriors to provide them with personalized assistance through the screening process and ensure a dignified travel experience that would cater to all of their needs, as per the TSA.
