- TSA is cutting the price of PreCheck to $78. The service lets members skip long airport security lines for 5 years.
- The move is a rare example of a price cut in 2022.
Americans have seen the price of everything from groceries to gas rise this year, but one travel perk is getting a rare price cut.
The Transportation Security Administration announced it's slashing its enrollment fee for its PreCheck program to $78 from $85. The service allows qualifying travelers to skip busy security screening lines at the airport for the next 5 years.
It's a rare example of a price cut in 2022, as inflation pushes the prices of many goods and services higher, with air travel as no exception.
The price of taking a flight has shot up by 25% this year, the largest bounce since the government started tracking airline ticket prices in 1989, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The markdown for PreCheck comes at a time when demand for flying is booming. The number of people traveling in US airports finally surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time in late October, and experts expect this year's holiday travel season will be a busy one.
"For individuals and families with plans to fly this holiday season, now is the time to enroll or renew in TSA PreCheck," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement announcing PreCheck's price cut.
Not everyone qualifies to cut security lines, though. TSA first must do a "security threat assessment" on PreCheck applicants, which includes a biometric screening to ensure it's not too risky to allow travelers to pass through a quicker security screening process at the airport.