CHICAGO - Thirteen percent of frequent travelers expect to lose or have lost their complimentary TSA Pre-Check status, according to surveys conducted by GO Group, LLC, an international transportation provider and GO Airport Express, a Chicago-based ground transportation provider.
The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) announced that as of February 2017, it was significantly reducing access to expedited screening for non-enrolled travelers.
Of the 446 survey respondents who responded to the surveys, 83 percent said the change will not affect them because they already pay for TSA Pre-Check. Forty percent said the new rules did not apply to them because they were not frequent flyers and 28 percent were unsure if they would be affected.
Of those who responded they were losing their free Pre-Check, 23 percent said they would pay the fee because it was worth the price to go through security faster without having to remove clothing items and electronic devices from luggage. Twenty-seven percent noted they would not pay for the privilege, deeming it too expensive. Forty-two percent had not made a decision yet at the time these surveys were conducted.
"TSA Pre-Check offers a valuable and convenient service for those who spend a lot of time in airports, but some frequent travelers are willing to give it up because it is still cost-prohibitive," says John McCarthy, president, GO Group, LLC. "But based on these results, more are likely to be willing to pay the fee to avoid the long lines, especially if, as predicted, air travel will increase this spring and summer."
The GO Group LLC is the nation's largest airport transportation provider, serving some 90 airports in North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe and transporting more than 13 million passengers per year. GO Group member GO Airport Express, one of the oldest companies in Chicago, traces its founding to 1853 and the Parmelee Transportation Company, which provided a carriage service between Chicago's railroad stations and the downtown hotels.
