Families traveling with keiki age 12 and under now have the option to use a dedicated airport security screening lane at Daniel K. Inoue International Airport (HNL).
HNL is among several airports nationwide participating in “Families on the Fly,” it was announced July 18 by The Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The new initiative aims to “minimize their stress while maintaining the highest level of security” during the busy summer travel season and beyond.
According to the announcement, “Families on the Fly” benefits include dedicated family lanes, discounted TSA PreCheck fees for families and dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes for service members and their families.
TSA and Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation conducted a press conference Wednesday about the campaign. The new lane for ‘ohana is located at HNL Terminal 2, TSA Checkpoint 4, between Lobbies 6 and 7.
TSA’s Federal Security Director for Pacific Airports Nanea Vasta said that they soft launched the lane last month, with plans to expand the offering to Terminal 1 soon.
“Things have been going smoothly, and we’ve gotten positive feedback,” she told Aloha State Daily. “We’re also looking at other airports that may benefit from this based on passenger traffic.”
Since its HNL launch, approximately 3,000 people use the lane per day, HDOT officials said.
According to Vasta, there were no increases to TSA staffing to man the ʻohana lane. Existing staff were "moved around,” she said.
“The goal is to enhance passenger traveling experience with a dedicated lane for families and to lessen the wait time in other lanes. Though this initiative focuses on hospitality, being thorough and effective to ensure safety is always a priority.”
The Real I.D. rollout in May also has helped improve safety, in addition to ongoing upgrades to airport security’s state-of-the-art equipment and trainings offered to TSA officers, HDOT officials said.
“We appreciate that TSA has chosen the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to be one the nation’s first airports to have a dedicated family lane as part of the ʻFamilies on the Flyʻ initiative," said HDOT Director Ed Sniffen in a statement. “Having the new lane at HNL is especially significant, given the importance of ʻohana (family) in the Island and Hawaiʻi's popularity as a family friendly destination.”
Curt Otaguruo, deputy director of transportation for airports, noted that the HNL Airport app has interactive terminal maps and navigation tools to help ʻohana find this dedicated lane and more. “We call it wayfinding. It even has flight updates, so itʻs all in one place,” he said.
Other airports participating in “Families on the Fly” so far include Orlando International (MCO), Charlotte-Douglas International (CLT), John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA), Jacksonville International (JAX), Will Rogers International Airport (OKC), Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), with plans to add more across its 435 airports throughout the country.
HNL is not currently participating in TSAʻs "Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease," campaign, which was also launched this summer. HDOT said that initiative has gone live at 10 U.S. airports.
For more information, visit tsa.gov.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
