VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Tidewater Chapter of AAA is offering an $85 five-year plan for TSA Pre-check, the Transportation Safety Administration's expedited service through airport security checkpoints.
Airports through the United States have TSA Pre-check checkpoints where travelers avoid some of the measures performed at normal TSA security checkpoint lines. Tidewater AAA said in a press release, "You do not need to remove your shoes, laptop, 3-1-1 liquids (liquid toiletries placed in 3 oz bottles and placed in a ziplock bag that is one ounce), belt or light jacket."
The agency added the average wait time at TSA Pre-check lines is less than five minutes. In a previous story, the TSA said the average wait on the regular TSA checkpoint line at the Norfolk International Airport is about 10 to 15 minutes.
Tidewater AAA will be enrolling interested people at its corporate center located at 5366 Virginia Beach Blvd in Virginia Beach. Enrollments will begin Monday, Aug. 9, and end Friday, Aug. 13. Enrollment times are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Setting up appointments is encouraged and can be done by clicking here, which will take you to the TSA Pre-check enrollment page.
TSA Pre-check could be the perfect option for those wary of being in close proximity to people while traveling. More people are traveling, according to TSA statistics, and the number of travelers has increased as the pandemic continues, people get vaccinated, and safety measures -- such as wearing face-coverings -- continue to be implemented.
Dr. Marlene Capps, Chief Medical Officer at Mary Immaculate Hospital, told News 3 some of her patients have had concerns when traveling.
"The biggest case-by-case discussions that I have with patients are about the safety of their personal situation while traveling and their received safety on the destination-end in terms of the people they'll be seeing and the activities they'll do once they get there," Capps said.
She added people are more attentive to their surroundings, adding people are looking around to see how close someone may be to them. She also said people are more staunch on hand-washing and using hand sanitizer.
