Boarding pass requirement could mean more waiting By James Pilcher, The Cincinnati Enquirer HEBRON, Ky. =97 While many travelers taking off for Thanksgiving likely will= =20 wait in line at the airport, those lines might be even longer at=20 Christmastime. That's because a boarding pass will soon be necessary before= =20 passing through security. The Transportation Security Administration is in= =20 the process of moving secondary passenger searches from gate areas to=20 security checkpoints. Many of those secondary searches are random, but=20 some are determined by codes printed on boarding passes, as determined by a= =20 profiling system in airline reservation computers. That means TSA screeners= =20 will need to see the actual boarding passes at the screening checkpoint,=20 not just an itinerary, as is the case now. Some industry estimates say as=20 many as 30 percent to 40 percent of all passengers wait until the gate to=20 check in and get a boarding pass. After the new rule is instituted, more=20 people will need to check in at the front end, whether it is at the ticket= =20 counter or at self-service check-in kiosks. The airport is already bracing for long lines today, one of the busiest=20 days of the Thanksgiving season, and again on Sunday, usually the busiest=20 travel day of the year. "There is going to be a change in how people check= =20 in, but in the end, it benefits passengers because they'll only have to go= =20 through security once," said Terry Burgess, the TSA's federal security=20 director at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in=20 Covington, Ky. "We're trying to have it in place by Christmas, but it may=20 have to wait until early next year." He would not comment on what=20 procedures would be followed at the checkpoint. The TSA has already made=20 the switch at larger airports such as Los Angeles and New York's LaGuardia= =20 Airport. Mr. Burgess said it will allow him to use less staff for secondary= =20 screening, meaning more of the 544 workers now on duty locally could be=20 used for checked baggage screening, which is set to start by the end of the= =20 year. Airport officials said they were aware the switch was being discussed, but= =20 airport spokesman Ted Bushelman said "we're working with the TSA to make=20 sure that this doesn't affect the Christmas holidays," although he did not= =20 offer specifics. Carriers such such as Delta Air Lines have been pushing=20 customers to automated check-in services anyway. American just installed=20 two of those machines, while Delta has 15 stations, and Continental has=20 two. In addition, many airlines, including Delta, allow passengers to check= =20 in and print a boarding pass online. Since a switch date has not been set,= =20 Delta would not say whether it is planning extra staff at the front counter= =20 for the Christmas rush. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (Island Events) http://www.islandevents.com (Island Events) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************