StarNews file photo
UPDATE: New Hanover Airport Authority gets good news at meeting — After Caitlin’s answer was posted (see below), the airport was notified that it was selected to offer the expedited screening process. As Caitlin reported in the story Jan. 8, 2013, “Broughton said he was told the Wilmington center is expected to open this month near the intersection of Carolina Beach Road and Shipyard Boulevard once officials receive the proper equipment.”
Here’s her previous answer:
While Wilmington International Airport was selected to become a federal Transportation Security Administration Precheck airport, local residents hoping to apply for the time-saving program will need to jump through several hoops before approval.
TSA officials allow applicants to start the pre-approval enrollment application online. That’s not a problem for anyone with access to a computer, but there’s a mandatory in-person portion for all applicants. That’s where things will get a bit tricky for any local resident who want to enroll.
Currently, the closest application center to Wilmington is in Alexandria, Va. Yes, that means folks should prepare to travel at least 300 miles to attend an in-person interview and screening for the Precheck program.
Initially, TSA only opened an enrollment center in Indianapolis in early December. Since then, however, centers in the Washington, D.C., metro area, the New York area and California also opened.
According to TSA’s website, another 300 enrollment centers are to be opened, but they have not announced where and when.
Wilmington airport officials said they were selected at random for the program and the selection makes it the fourth airport in the state to offer the expedited security screening.
For more information about the program, visit www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck.
RELATED LINKS:
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Date posted: December 19, 2013
User-contributed question by:
Page Lowry
I am in US Airways frequent flyer program and the PreCheck showed up on my boarding pass on trip this week. I did not apply for it. It may have something to do with your frequency of travel.