OAKLAND — As the busy travel season gets under way, the Transportation Security Administration is urging Bay Area travelers to enroll in its pre-check screening process to make their trip through security quicker.
East Bay travelers can do that at Oakland International Airport for the next two weeks. The TSA is setting up a pre-check enrollment center at the airport starting Monday, May 21 through Friday, June 1. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 1029 of Terminal 2’s ticketing lobby except for weekends and on Memorial Day, May 28.
Travelers must apply for enrollment and attend an in-person appointment, which includes a background check and fingerprinting. According to the TSA, the appointment generally lasts around 10 minutes.
After approval and for an $85 fee, members of TSA Pre-check can leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belts during the security check-in process. They can also leave laptops in a case and keep certain liquids or gels in their carry-on luggage. The program is designed to make the the security process faster, and according to the TSA website, 92 percent of members waited less than 5 minutes in airport security lines in April 2018.
The program is available at the Bay Area’s three large airports — Oakland International, San Francisco International Airport and Mineta San Jose International — across a number of airlines.
To give passengers more incentive to apply this month, Southwest Airlines is promising that eligible travelers will get through the TSA pre-check line at Oakland’s Terminal 2 in 10 minutes or less — or the airline will give passengers 2,500 bonus points through its Rapid Rewards loyalty program that go toward credits for flights. The promotion is good through June 29.
The center currently available at the Oakland airport is not the only opportunity to get enrolled in the program. Another enrollment center at the airport will open Friday, June 18 and run through Friday, June 29 from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Another pop-up enrollment center will open in Walnut Creek at the Renaissance ClubSport from Wednesday, May 30 through Friday, June 8. See more pop-up and permanent enrollment centers in the Bay Area on the map below:
For more information about the program and what to bring to your appointment, go to www.tsa.gov/precheck.