Air Canada Joins TSA Expedited Screening Program

The Department of Homeland Security announced the expansion of the Transportation Security Administration's expedited screening program, TSA Pre✓™, to include eligible customers of Air Canada, the first international carrier to participate.

TSA Pre✓ allows pre-approved airline travelers to leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belt, keep their laptop in its case, and keep their 3-1-1 compliant liquids/gels bag in a carry-on, in select screening lanes at U.S. domestic airports. TSA Pre✓ operations are available at more than one hundred fifteen airports nationwide, with more than forty of them offering expedited screening to Air Canada customers. Participating airlines include Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, and Virgin America.

"Air Canada is delighted to be the first international airline to offer TSA Pre✓, accelerating the security screening process for eligible customers at most of the U.S. destinations served by Air Canada," said Benjamin Smith, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Air Canada. "TSA Pre✓ will make our customers' travel experience with us even more enjoyable, including those connecting through our main hubs in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, to international destinations in Asia and Europe."

"TSA Pre✓ is one of many innovative measures we are taking to achieve our goal of improving the efficiency of our border, facilitating trade and travel, and protecting the safety of the travelling public," said U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman. "This is consistent with the vision of President Obama and Prime Minister Harper in their Beyond the Border initiative, and the fact that a Canadian airline is the first international partner speaks to the closeness of our relationship and the importance of our work managing our common border."

Among eligible passengers for TSA Pre✓ are members of the TSA Pre✓ application program, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trusted Traveler program, Global Entry, and Canadian citizens who are members of CBP's NEXUS program. TSA Pre✓ is also available for U.S. Armed Forces service members, including those serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Reserves, and National Guard.

Travelers flying out of the U.S. on Air Canada airlines will have the opportunity to receive TSA Pre✓ when utilizing printed boarding passes at the airport check-in desk or from the kiosk in the departure lobby. Air Canada will expand its participation in TSA Pre✓ to include mobile app and printed-at-home paper boarding passes, later this year.

If an Air Canada passenger is eligible for expedited screening, a TSA Pre✓ indicator will be embedded in the barcode of the boarding pass; when the pass is scanned at the checkpoint, the passenger may be referred to a TSA Pre✓ lane. A TSA Pre✓ indicator will also be printed on the boarding pass, so passengers will know in advance that they are cleared for expedited screening.

TSA will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport. No individual will be guaranteed expedited screening.

For more information, please visit www.TSA.gov or www.AirCanada.com.