Teens can now accompany parents through TSA PreCheck

Sarah Gambles
·3 min read
A passenger passes by a sign for the Transportation Security Administration’s TSA PreCheck line in Terminal A at Logan Airport in Boston, Monday, June 27, 2016. Teens ages 13 to 17 can now accompany their parents through TSA PreCheck if they are on the same reservation.
A passenger passes by a sign for the Transportation Security Administration’s TSA PreCheck line in Terminal A at Logan Airport in Boston, Monday, June 27, 2016. Teens ages 13 to 17 can now accompany their parents through TSA PreCheck if they are on the same reservation. | Charles Krupa, File, Associated Press

The Transportation Security Administration announced that teenagers can now accompany their parents through TSA PreCheck. Up until now, only children 12 and younger were allowed to follow parents through the expedited security check process at the airport.

According to new policy, “Children between the ages of 13 and 17 who will be traveling on the same reservation as an enrolled parent or guardian may also access the TSA PreCheck lanes, provided the children have the TSA PreCheck indicator on their boarding pass.”

The policy comes just before a summer travel season that is expected to be extremely busy — TSA Administrator David Pekoske said last “Sunday was the busiest day for TSA screening since the start of the pandemic” — a 12% increase compared to last year with 2.67 million people screened, CNN reported.

“From TSA’s perspective we are ready. We have more staff on hand this year than we had last year, which is a good thing because we have more passengers this year than we had last year,” Pekoske said during a press conference, per CNN.

It also comes before a Memorial Day weekend that is forecast to be wildly busy — AAA is predicting “that 42.3 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home, a 7 % increase from last year’s tally,” according to The Washington Post.

“We have fully recovered in aviation,” Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, told the Post.

What are the perks of TSA PreCheck?

Going through security at the airport can feel like a pain, but TSA PreCheck does make things a little smoother for frequent travelers. To use TSA PreCheck, travelers must have the TSA PreCheck featured on their boarding pass.

Here are some of the perks you get from using TSA PreCheck:

  • Travelers can keep their shoes, belts and light jackets on.

  • They don’t have to remove laptops or iPads from their bags.

  • They can also keep the allotted size of liquids inside their bags.

How to apply for TSA PreCheck

The cost for TSA PreCheck is now $78 and lasts for five years. To renew online, it costs $70 and is “also good for five years,” USA Today reported.

To get the perks of TSA PreCheck, you have to apply first. Here’s how to apply to get TSA PreCheck:

  • Submit an online application.

  • Schedule an in-person appointment.

  • At the appointment, you will have to submit a background check and go through fingerprinting at the enrollment center.

  • Pay the $78 fee.

Once you get approved, you will get an email notifying you of your Known Traveler Number, which you will add to any future airline bookings at the time of booking. If you have trips already planned once you get the Known Traveler Number, you can get TSA PreCheck added to your boarding pass at the check-in counter at the airport.