Flying Through Airport Lines

Still, the days in which every passenger is treated as a potential terrorist are over. As John Pistole, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, said recently, “Most passengers do not pose a threat to security,” confirming what travelers have been saying for years.

Here is a guide to some of the options that will save you some time.

Global Entry

BEST FOR People who travel internationally several times a year.

COST $100

Last year I traveled outside the United States 10 times and, by my reckoning, spent a total of eight hours in the immigration hall at Kennedy Airport. It was the wraparound crowd-control line that I encountered in Terminal 4 in December that inspired me to join Global Entry, which is run by the Customs and Border Protection agency. The program allows travelers to re-enter the United States with a quick stop at an electronic kiosk rather than wait in lengthy lines for an interview with an immigration agent.

Applicants fill out an online questionnaire that takes about 15 minutes to complete and includes consent to a background check. There are questions about addresses, employment and travel — past and present. After hitting the submit button, the officials on the other end do a criminal background check and, if approved, an in-person meeting with an agent follows.

Mine was scheduled for three weeks after my provisional acceptance, which I received just hours after applying. I went to the Customs House in Manhattan, the only off-airport site for interviews, where my fingerprints were taken and I was photographed. (All 24 airports where Global Entry is in place can also process applications.) Nothing in my background qualified me for closer scrutiny, but sometimes agents do feel the need to ask whether an applicant has had any customs or immigration issues in the past.

By summer, Global Entry will be operating at 26 domestic airports and 5 in Canada. Membership is open to legal United States residents and citizens of Mexico, Canada and the Netherlands.

Information: globalentry.gov

T.S.A. PreCheck

BEST FOR Members of American and Delta frequent flier programs.

COST Free

The upside of PreCheck, the Transportation Security Administration’s trusted traveler program, is that it is free. The downside is that it is open by invitation only to frequent fliers on just two airlines: American and Delta. This is not some secret club; these were the first two airlines to adapt their passenger information systems to communicate with the agency’s secure flight database. Members must give the airline permission to share information from their frequent flier accounts with the T.S.A.

What information is that? The agency won’t say. But whatever it is, Greg Soule, the agency’s spokesman, says it is enough for the agency to do a risk analysis. “It’s nothing more than what would be provided as part of the frequent flier program,” he said. Nevertheless, the traveler’s eligibility is assessed anew for every flight.

Alaska, US Airways and United are currently working to coordinate their passenger information systems with the T.S.A. “We’ve been working with all of the airlines to encourage participation,” Mr. Soule said.

At present, PreCheck operates at a dozen airports, including American’s base at Dallas/Fort Worth International and Delta’s home, Hartsfield-Jackson International, in Atlanta. By the end of the year, PreCheck is scheduled to be in 35 airports.

I’m a frequent flier on American and Delta, but my invitation must have gotten caught in my spam filter. No matter. Like all 235,000 members of Global Entry, I’m automatically enrolled in PreCheck. I’m anticipating an expedited stroll through a special security checkpoint — one in which I get to keep my shoes on and my laptop stowed.