Flying With Your Family Is About To Be a Lot Different Thanks to TSA’s New Rule

Planning a family vacation this fall? Between the packing and the planning and the budgeting and the actual logistics of lugging kids through the airport, there are a lot of things to think about. The last thing you need is to be thrown for a loop due to new measures at airport security. Air travel is going to be different for families thanks to TSA’s latest initiative. Here’s what parents need to know.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that they are starting a new “Families on the Fly” campaign to give families a new way through airport security screening. Many airports now have dedicated family lanes to help minimize stress for parents of kids under 12 when going through security. The entire group can take advantage of this lane, including any aunts and uncles and grandparents traveling with you. It’s also optional, so you can opt for the regular security line if you prefer.

And if you’d rather take your family through TSA PreCheck, families can now sign up for the service with a discounted rate.

“This program goes beyond convenience; it’s about addressing the unique needs of traveling families to provide a smoother, more supportive experience at our security checkpoints,” Daniel D. Velez, a TSA spokesperson, told BabyCenter. Velez explained that TSA officers are greeting families at security checkpoint and ushering them to the family lanes, where the officers will assist with handling baby gear and make the process smoother. (If you’ve ever juggled car seats, strollers, luggage, children, and carry-ons at once, then you’ll know how helpful this is.)

Velez added that the officers are being trained to “be more supportive and recognize the needs of families traveling with infants.”

In a world where babies and kids are increasingly disregarded in public spaces, this new family-focused line feels like it’ll be good. But some people had concerns that it’s just another way to keep kids out of the public eye and make things go smoother for non-families — while making those with kids end up having to wait longer than ever.

“Families (and I include mine) are some of the slowest through security. So much gear, strollers, bottles that need [to be] hand checked…I wonder if they are trying to make it sound like a positive thing for families, but really they are trying to make it faster for everyone else,” one person wrote about TSA’s new line, per BabyCenter.  

A family blogger had a different perspective on this, however. It may not be faster for families, but the experience might make things less stressful.

DisneyTouristBlog wrote, “If done correctly, having dedicated family priority lanes could be a huge win for all involved at Orlando International Airport. This priority lane gives families a space of their own, which might be faster but at minimum will be lower-pressure. It benefits other travelers by getting families out of the regular screening lines, making them more predictable and stoppages less likely. It gives MCO a location to put its most experienced and patient TSA agents, too.”

People also talked about this new initiative on Reddit, with one person sharing their experience: “I’ve experienced family lines in other countries and they’ve always been amazing. They’d even pull me if they saw I was pregnant and just offered to help with whatever I was carrying.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this works when it rolls out!

Airports currently participating or planning on implementing Families on the Fly include Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Hawaii, 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).

Fingers crossed the Families on the Fly lane helps travel go smoother for everyone, leading to fewer tantrums from both the kids and the adults who can’t stand to share spaces with children.

Trying to make summer travel less stressful? Check out these take-along toys kids will love.