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Sea-Tac airport lines stretched to garage. Now TSA is testing checkpoint reservations

When people entered the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in April, they were greeted with security lines that stretched all the way into the garage.

A new pilot program at the airport could make it so travelers don’t have to stand in line at all.

As more people get vaccinated against COVID-19 and cases of the virus drop across the country, some people are starting to feel safe enough to travel again. The increase in passengers when the Transportation Security Administration is still short-staffed is creating long lines at Sea-Tac and other airports.

“We had situations where we had waits that were into the garage and over 60 minutes,” Perry Cooper, a spokesman for Sea-Tac airport, told McClatchy News.

SEA Spot Saver makes it so some travelers don’t have to wait in line to go through TSA at all.

The program allows passengers who don’t have TSA PreCheck or CLEAR to sign up for a time slot to go through a TSA screening. It’s free and available to all passengers . It will run during the airport’s peak times through Aug. 31.

The way SEA Spot Saver works depends on the airline you’re using.

Passengers need to follow a three-step process to get a Spot Saver slot:

  • Select the airline for your flight

  • Input your personal information, including your name and the number of people in your party

  • Wait for a notification for you to go to your assigned checkpoint. There will be SEA Spot Saver logos near the area, or you can use an interactive map

If you’re flying with Alaska Airlines, you can book a reservation 24 hours before your scheduled flight or once you’re at the terminal. If you’re flying Delta or other airlines, you can look for SEA Spot Saver signs that have a QR code on them.

Once you scan the code using your phone’s camera or a QR reader app, it will create a text message that you can send to get your registration started. That will then tell you when you can return to the checkpoint for screening.

When people have allotted time slots, it should reduce the need to stand in a long line, airport officials said.

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