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The holiday travel season is well underway, which means that those head-numbing lines to get through TSA are at their worst. Although it might be too late to skip the queue this year, you can take steps to make sure you won't have to face the nightmarish holiday lines in 2025.
Thanks to a newly set up enrollment center at the World Trade Center's Oculus, it's going to be easier than ever for New Yorkers to get TSA approved.
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If you're not familiar, TSA PreCheck is a program that screens people and takes risk assessments on individuals. Among other things, they'll conduct a criminal background check to make sure you don't have any federal security violations on your record. Once you get approved, which usually takes a few days or up to a couple of months, you'll receive a personalized code called a "Known Traveler Number" that you can use the next time you check into a flight. Once applied, your boarding pass will have a "TSA PreCheck" stamp that will allow you to receive the program's many perks.
Those with TSA PreCheck get a number of benefits when going through security, including keeping their shoes and belts on, as well as keeping their laptops in their bags. Best of all, travelers with TSA PreCheck get their own separate line at the airport, and 99% of PreCheck travelers wait less than 10 minutes to get through security, per PreCheck's website.
TSA PreCheck is available across 200 airports—including JFK, LaGuardia and Newark—and more than 90 airlines across the U.S. and its territories, including Puerto Rico. You do have to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be eligible. Keep in mind that if you're traveling internationally, TSA PreCheck will allow you to skip the line when leaving the country, but not necessarily when coming back from a foreign airport.
The new enrollment location is on the main floor of the mall at the Oculus and will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You do not have to make an appointment for enrollment or renewal services. Visit TSA PreCheck's website to learn more about how the process works.