Following hourslong waits at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in March, Houston travelers have a new option to move swiftly through TSA PreCheck lines. 

Houston Airport System has launched TSA PreCheck Touchless ID at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport. 

“TSA PreCheck Touchless ID enhances security screening by using facial comparison technology to verify identity faster and more efficiently,” according to information from the TSA. “The program is designed to improve both efficiency and security.”

Travelers enrolled in TSA PreCheck and flying on participating airlines can move through dedicated lanes at Bush and at Hobby TSA checkpoints in Terminal A-North, Terminal C-North and Terminal E.

Participating airlines at Bush include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines offer the service at Hobby, according to a news release from the airport system. 

To use the service, travelers must have TSA PreCheck, have an active airline profile with the airline and upload passport information to their airline profile. Once those steps are taken, passengers will see a TSA PreCheck Touchless ID indicator on their mobile boarding pass.

The images captured are deleted within 24 hours after departure and are not used for law enforcement or surveillance purposes, according to the airport system. 

Security screening wait times have eased at Houston’s airports in April, but March was a tumultuous time to fly out of the city. An ongoing partial government shutdown that began in mid-February related to Department of Homeland Security funding impacted TSA agents at Houston airports. 

TSA checkpoints were short-staffed in mid-March, leading to three- to four-hour waits in TSA lines at both airports. The issue was complicated by Spring Break travel and several major events in Houston at the time including the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. 

More agents and ICE officers were brought into Houston’s airports. TSA agents are now being paid through an emergency fund approved by President Donald Trump in March. However, the partial government shutdown continues.Â