TSA announces honor lanes, PreCheck discounts and family lanes at Nashville airport

At a news event at Nashville International Airport, a senior administration official announced new Transportation Security Administration measures aimed at expediting travel for uniformed military, Gold Star families and parents traveling with children, and said some changes are in effect immediately.

The official said the program, described as "Serve with Honor and Travel with Ease," will create dedicated "honor lanes" at security checkpoints — initially at airports closest to military installations — and that 11 airports already have dedicated lanes or front-of-line privileges, including Nashville. The official also announced free TSA PreCheck enrollment for Gold Star families and a $25 PreCheck enrollment discount for military spouses, and said TSA will deploy mobile enrollment units to some bases and installations so service members and families do not have to travel to an airport to sign up.

The announcement matters because it changes how certain travelers will be screened and aims to reduce wait times at checkpoints during an expected increase in passenger traffic, the official said. The official cited a forthcoming World Cup, the Olympics and the country's 250th anniversary as reasons to streamline screening, and noted the agency has seen its seven busiest travel days so far this calendar year.

Details announced and how they will be implemented

The administration official said the honor lane program is being rolled out first to airports nearest military installations and that 11 airports currently offer the service. The official described a Families on the Fly program that will create dedicated family lanes at checkpoints and said Orlando was an early pilot because of its proximity to Disney World. Families signing up for PreCheck will receive either a 15% discount or a $15 discount, the official said.

The official also said TSA will reduce some pat-downs for children and work with national family organizations to adjust screening procedures to be less invasive while maintaining safety standards. TSA leaders Hab MacNeil and Adam Stahl, identified by the official as members of the TSA leadership team, were introduced at the event; the official said they have been involved in the security-procedure work.

Technology, training and private-public partnerships

The official described a goal of reducing required passenger actions at checkpoints, including pausing the requirement to remove shoes at some checkpoints, and evaluating requirements for liquids and electronics removal. The official said the agency is investing in scanners and other technology and is seeking private-public partnerships to pay for equipment and ongoing upgrades. The official framed the changes as an effort to "keep our technology investments, our training for our TSOs, and our TSA employees to the highest level so that people can streamline their processes going forward."

What is already in effect and next steps

The official said the benefits for military service members, Gold Star families and family travelers were "already in effect today" and encouraged eligible people to enroll at tsa.gov. The official said mobile enrollment units will be predeployed to bases and installations to make enrollment more accessible. Specific rollout schedules for additional airports, and details about which scanners or checkpoints will adopt permanent changes, were not specified at the event.

Ending

The official closed the event by thanking TSA officers and military personnel and invited questions. For enrollment and program details, the official directed the public to tsa.gov.