Checking In

The 9/11 attacks and their aftermath altered travel in so many ways, it's hard to remember what it was like before. Making travelers remove their shoes as part of the regular airport security drill would have seemed like a Monty Python skit prior to the attacks. Airlines not allowing things like knives to eat with, or toenail scissors, would have seemed a public relations fiasco. And could anyone have foreseen that, one day, you wouldn't even be able to board an airplane with a plastic container of water?

But business travelers specialize in adapting to challenges. And as security evolves and events continue to unfold, creative solutions are cropping up in response. While the best ones have taken their time in coming, they are coming.

Two innovations that should make air travel easier are the Registered Traveler program, which is pretty much what it sounds like, and remote luggage check-in services, which are appearing at major airports, most recently Los Angeles International.

Registered Traveler users have to provide personal information, including fingerprints and eye scans, and fork out about $80 a year in exchange for essentially cutting through security lines in dedicated lanes at the airport. The program got off to a slow start because of criticism that it might mean big costs for the Transportation Security Administration, and that it compromises the privacy of users. (It's a voluntary program, for pete's sake!) It was slated to go live in June, which didn't happen. It's currently still operating in just one airport, Orlando International.

But British Airways' announcement 10 days ago that it is teaming with the operator of a registered traveler program known as Clear (http://www.flyclear.com/), Verified Identity Pass, to launch at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport by October at the latest is sure to kickstart demand among business travelers.  

In addition to Orlando and JFK, airports in Cincinnati, San Jose and Indianapolis have signed deals with Verified Identity Pass. The program makes a lot more sense for congested airports than smaller ones. A Business Travel News Online article said Denver International and LAX have submitted requests for proposals, while Boston Logan International Airport and McCarran International in Las Vegas rejected the concept.

Earlier this year, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts bought thousands of Clear memberships to give to Gold Passport Diamond-tier members, so look for marketing at the front desk this fall.

Check-in nowhere near the airport

Another service spurred by 9-11 security worries is remote check-in. Six months ago, remote luggage check-in and boarding pass printing launched in downtown Los Angeles and expanded to four locations this month. LAX has always been of particular concern in terms of security because it frequently tops terrorist hit lists.

For $5, travelers can check bags at locations miles away the airport, expediting check-in while keeping more people away from the terminals, a plus for traffic as well as security. The company operating the program, BAGS, Inc., is located in Orlando, and processes luggage for a majority of Disney resort guests. Most of its clients are hotels, but it's working on getting more airports. San Francisco International airport started service at Moscone Center in March.  

As a Los Angeles Times article points out, remote programs should give passengers back some of the two to three hours they've been asked to allow for airport check-in since 9-11.

Write to: Barbara Correa at bboydstoncorrea@yahoo.com