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TSA opens Pre-check application office at DFW Airport [Fort Worth Star-Telegram :: ](Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 11--Keeping your belt, shoes and jackets on as you go through airport security at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport is getting a little easier. On Friday, the Transportation Security Administration unveiled its first TSA Pre-check application office in Texas where travelers can apply to be part of the government's trusted traveler program. The office, located in Terminal D, will be open six days a week to conduct interviews, take digital fingerprints and screen travelers who want to be part of the program. "This is the first on-airport location in the state of Texas," said TSA Administrator John Pistole at a press conference in front of the new office. "We do pre-screening on you so you are able to go to a dedicated lane -- here at DFW there are 8 such lanes -- and to go through expedited physical screening." It costs $85 for a five-year membership in TSA Pre-check and allows travelers to move more quickly through security checkpoints. DFW is the fourteenth airport in the U.S. to have an office. Since the TSA opened up the Pre-check program to receive online applications in December, more than 165,000 travelers have signed up, Pistole said. The office is located on the secure side of the airport so travelers need to go online to make an appointment, the TSA said. It takes about two to three weeks for an application to be processed. Last year, DFW Airport revamped one of its security checkpoints at Terminal E to make it easier for travelers to move through the screening process. Jim Crites, the airport's executive vice president for operations, said more travelers should take advantage of programs like TSA Pre-check as it makes traveling more convenient. "We're strong supporters of the TSA's overall risk-based security program and in particular the TSA Pre-check program which we believe results in a higher level of security while addressing the needs of the traveling public," Crites said. Andrea Ahles, 817-390-7631 Twitter: @Sky_Talk ___ (c)2014 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Visit the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at www.star-telegram.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |