The Buffalo Niagara International Airport has finally landed a two-year-old program that makes it easier for travelers to get through security.Select passengers flying out of Buffalo no longer have to remove their shoes, coat, and belt or take their laptop out when passing through security.
"My people love it. So do the customers," said Rick DiPietro, Transportation Security Administration Federal Security Director at the Buffalo Airport.
"We've waited for this time to get away from the one size fits all type of screening. And TSA PreCheck focuses on the low-risk passengers, if you will, and it makes us more efficient where we can provide resources on people that we know a little less about."
DiPietro says passengers eligible for the TSA's PreCheck program include frequent travelers invited by participating airlines and U.S. and Canadian citizens enrolled in a trusted traveler program like NEXUS.
Claudio Tiulleo from Toronto says he cleared the checkpoint in a fraction of the time it used to take.
"We got lots of time now so we can relax, have a coffee, and enjoy the rest of the flight and wait," Tiuello said.
The TSA's PreCheck program, launched in 2011, was rolled out slowly and is now available in 100 airports nationwide. In the coming months, the program will be expanded so the TSA can make it available to more travelers.
