A new fast track program — which allows a limited number of travelers to reserve a time slot for general screening every morning between 6:30 and 1:30 in the afternoon daily at the security checkpoints of Terminal 7 and Terminal 8 at Los Angeles International Airport — is now in effect on a pilot basis by the Los Angeles World Airports authority…
New Free Pilot Fast Track Security Screening at Los Angeles International Airport
…and the best part of this pilot program — which is officially called LAX Fast Lane — is that it is free of charge to all passengers who depart from Terminal 7 and Terminal 8 as long as appointments are available. You can schedule your appointment for screening either prior to leaving for the airport or when you are at the terminal — but keep in mind that appointments are limited.
If you miss your appointment time for whatever reason, you will be given a grace period of up to 15 minutes beyond your appointment time.
The five steps on how LAX Fast Lane works is:
- Schedule your appointment here OR sign up upon arrival at the airport by scanning the QR code on LAX Fast Lane signs. You will receive a QR code to use when you arrive at your scheduled time.
- Sign up in advance up to 24 hours before your flight or when you arrive to the airport at the ticketing level of the terminal.
- Select the airline with which you are flying as a passenger, destination, and flight number — along with your name, number of people in your party, and contact information in order to save your spot.
- When it is time for your appointment, go to your assigned checkpoint and look for the LAX Fast Lane logo or use the interactive map for step-by-step directions. The LAX Fast Lane pilot is available on the east end of the checkpoint at Terminal 7.
- Show a member of the airport staff your confirmation of your appointment and go through screening.
Final Boarding Call
The LAX Fast Lane program is similar to the SEA Spot Saver program, which was introduced back in July of 2021 — except that the SEA Spot Saver program is limited to only passengers of Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
If you are not a member of either the TSA Pre✓ Program of the Transportation Security Administration or Global Entry of Customs and Border Protection of the United States — both of which charge fees — you might benefit from the LAX Fast Lane program…
…and note that LAX Fast Lane is only available to general screening passengers to help provide a better screening experience for those without a trusted traveler program and create efficiency where the highest demand is experienced — meaning that members of CLEAR, TSA Pre✓, and other trusted traveler programs can use LAX Fast Lane if they want; but they will be unable to use the benefits of their respective trusted traveler programs.
Keep in mind that this pilot program is only available through Tuesday, January 18, 2022. If the pilot program is officially deemed successful, not only will it likely be launched on a permanent basis at an unspecified date in the future; but it will likely include members of trusted traveler programs in the future.
In my opinion, a systemwide program similar to the LAX Fast Lane program should have been the de facto program for passengers to pass through airport security checkpoints instead of the TSA Pre✓ program for the reasons which are specified in the following articles which are posted here at The Gate:
- Two More Reasons I Will Not Pay For Global Entry or TSA Pre✓
- Eliminating TSA Pre✓ Program Fee For Frequent Fliers Could Save Millions of Dollars: Study
- Should the Fee For Joining the TSA Pre✓ Program Be Reduced? No. It Should Be Eliminated.
- TSA Pre✓: A Brilliant Marketing Campaign?
- TSA Pre✓ to Be Expanded to More Passengers — For a Fee, Of Course
Photograph ©2014 by Brian Cohen.
