BALTIMORE, Md.
Before year's end, Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport will be part of a passenger prescreening program that allows low-risk travelers to keep their belts and shoes on and their laptops in their bags as they go through security checkpoints.
But the airport's largest carrier — Southwest — will not participate, as it concentrates instead on its $1 billion merger with AirTran and the consolidation of their ticketing systems. Southwest and AirTran account for roughly 70 percent of BWI's traffic.
All three of the Baltimore-Washington region's airports were included in the announcement Wednesday by the Transportation Security Administration that it would expand its trusted traveler program — called TSA PreCheck — to 28 major U.S. airports. An agency spokesman said an implementation date had not been set for BWI.
Since its launch last fall at seven airports, TSA PreCheck has screened about 336,000 passengers. The program is being offered by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines to its high-mileage frequent fliers. US Airways, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines will begin using PreCheck later this year.
