美國機場快速安檢的推廣難題

Fliers gripe that getting through airport security lines can be too slow.

飛機乘客抱怨說通過機場的安檢通道可能太慢了。

Now, it may be fliers who are slow to sign up for a program to speed them through the lines.

現在，在簽約加入一項提升安檢通關速度的計劃時，行動太慢的反而可能是飛機乘客。

The Transportation Security Administration is aggressively trying to encourage more people to sign up for TSA Precheck. But the effort has run into traveler confusion and aggravation.

美國交通安全管理局(The Transportation Security Administration,簡稱TSA)正積極努力鼓勵更多的人註冊加入交通安全管理局的Precheck快速安檢計劃，但是這項努力讓旅客陷入了困惑、讓他們更加地不滿。

Trying to hook new enrollees, TSA has been funneling regular travelers into Precheck lanes for a sample of swifter security. Some of the newbies get confused, however, and end up clogging the expedited lanes, angering Precheck veterans. And some regular travelers are getting the free perk so often they conclude they are already in the program and don't need to enroll.

爲了吸引新的註冊會員，TSA一直讓普通旅客進入Precheck通道，以讓其體驗更加快速的安檢。然而，一些新手不知道怎麼回事，結果在快速通道造成堵塞，讓Precheck的老會員大爲不滿。有些普通旅客經常享受這種待遇，以至於他們自認爲已經加入了這項計劃，無需再去註冊。

'It used to be great, but recently the Precheck lines have been the slowest of all the lines,' said Fred Van Bennekom, who teaches operations management at Northeastern University and has timed TSA lines out of curiosity. 'Sometimes there's almost no one in regular lines and we're all backed up at Precheck.'

圖表：美國的快速安檢計劃“過去這是一項不錯的計劃，但最近Precheck通道是所有安檢隊列中最慢的一個，”在美國東北大學(Northeastern University)教運營管理的弗雷德·範貝內科姆(Fred Van Bennekom)說，他處於好奇對TSA通道的排隊時間進行了計算。“有的時候，普通通道幾乎沒人排隊，而我們卻被堵在了Precheck通道。”

Precheck, launched in 2011, is much-loved among travelers because they don't have to take off their shoes and light jackets, don't have to pull liquids and laptops out of baggage, and can walk through metal detectors rather than standing spread-eagle for full-body scanners. By doing background checks on Precheck enrollees and constantly scanning law-enforcement databases, TSA offers what is essentially pre-9/11 screening to 'trusted travelers.'

2011年推出的Precheck快速安檢在旅客中大受歡迎，因爲他們不用脫下鞋子和薄夾克，無須從行李箱包中拿出液體物品和筆記本電腦，可以步行通過金屬探測器而不是站在那兒展開雙臂接受全身掃描。通過對Precheck註冊會員進行背景調查並不斷對執法數據庫進行掃描，TSA對“可信任旅客”進行的實際上是9.11之前那種程度的安檢。

The program started by invitation only. Participating airlines could identify fliers with long-term travel records and top-tier status who met TSA criteria. The program expanded to include people enrolled in Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program for trusted travelers. Global Entry requires a background check, fingerprinting and interview with a Customs officer.

Precheck計劃最開始僅通過邀請才能入會。參與該計劃的航空公司可以通過長期的旅行記錄以及達到TSA頂級客戶標準來識別旅客，項目後來擴大至包括全球通關(Global Entry)的註冊用戶，這是美國爲可信任旅客提供的一項海關和邊境保護(Customs and Border Protection)計劃。全球通關計劃要求查驗背景、提取指紋並接受海關官員的面談。

TSA wants lots more people enrolled in Precheck to make better use of its designated security lanes, which currently number 590 at 118 U.S. airports. Since December, TSA has encouraged travelers to apply to the program directly. The agency is opening enrollment centers across the country, letting people who are U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents to make an appointment or drop in and have fingerprints taken digitally. The $85 background-check fee buys five years of enrollment.

TSA意欲讓更多的人註冊加入Precheck計劃，以更好地利用它在美國118個機場設置的590個快速安檢通道。自去年12月以來，TSA鼓勵旅客直接申請加入該計劃。TSA正在美國各地開設註冊中心，美國公民或合法永久居民可以預約時間、也可以順便前往註冊，以對他們的指紋進行數字採集。繳納85美元（約合人民幣530元）的背景查驗費可以獲得五年的註冊會員資格。

'It's one of the last great bargains the U.S. government is offering,' TSA Administrator John Pistole joked at an enrollment-center opening last week at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

“這是美國政府提供的最後幾項優惠待遇之一，”TSA的行政主管約翰·皮斯托爾(John Pistole)上週在達拉斯-沃思堡國際機場(Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport)的註冊中心開放時開玩笑說。

TSA said more than 1.2 million people as of December were able to use Precheck, mostly because they had enrolled in Global Entry. Since TSA began taking applications directly, some 170,000 additional people have signed up for Precheck. The program appears on track, but if more travelers don't sign up TSA will have to scale back the number of Precheck lanes at airports, Mr. Pistole said. TSA hasn't set an optimum number of enrollees for the program, he said.

TSA說截止去年12月，超過120萬人可以使用Precheck，大多是因爲他們已經註冊加入了全球通關計劃。自從TSA開始接受直接申請以來，大約又有17萬人註冊了Precheck。這項計劃似乎正步入正軌，但如果沒有更多的旅客簽約註冊，TSA將不得不相應減少它在機場的Precheck通道數量，皮斯托爾說。他說，TSA還沒有爲該計劃設定註冊旅客的最佳數量。

Global Entry, which costs $100 for five years, is an even better deal for people also planning travel outside the U.S. because they also get included in Precheck. But the application and interview process is more extensive for Global Entry. Mr. Pistole says TSA wanted the Precheck enrollment to be quicker, easier and open to citizens who don't have passports.

五年繳費100美元（約合人民幣624元）的全球通關計劃對於還打算到美國以外的地方旅行的人來說甚至更合算，因爲他們也包含在Precheck計劃內。不過全球通關計劃的申請和麪試過程更繁冗一些。皮斯托爾說TSA想讓Precheck的註冊更快捷、更簡單，並向沒有護照的公民開放。

Mr. Pistole, a 26-year FBI veteran who took over TSA in 2010, says Precheck enhances aviation security by moving prescreened people from regular lanes and letting screeners focus more closely on other travelers.

在聯邦調查局(FBI)供職了26年的皮斯托爾2010年接過了TSA的帥印。他說Precheck把事先篩查過的旅客從普通安檢通道里分流出來，讓安檢人員可以更仔細地檢查其他旅客，從而提高航空運輸的安全性。

To entice travelers into Precheck and test TSA's ability to handle more people, the agency has been selecting regular passengers to go through Precheck security lanes and get it printed on their boarding passes. Selection is based on criteria like passengers' travel history and the route being flown. TSA officers trained in behavior detection also can move passengers they deem low risk from regular queues into Precheck lanes.

爲吸引旅客加入Precheck計劃並測試TSA應對更多旅客的能力，該機構一直在選擇普通旅客通過Precheck安檢通道，並將安檢記錄印在他們的登機牌上。普通旅客的選擇是以旅客的旅行記錄和飛行的航線等標準爲依據的。受過行爲檢測培訓的TSA官員也會把他們認爲危險係數低的旅客從普通安檢隊列換到Precheck安檢通道。

The influx of people to Precheck annoys some program veterans. Ann Fries says she sometimes finds 20 people in the Precheck line at Tampa, Fla., her home airport. Many get befuddled when told they don't have to take off their shoes and can leave liquids and laptops in bags. They ask why, slowing the line. Then they ask how they ended up in that lane.

Associated Press上個月的德克薩斯州奧斯汀伯格斯特龍國際機場(Austin Bergstrom International Airport)，旅客在TSA快速安檢通道排隊接受安檢。大量旅客涌入Precheck通道惹惱了該計劃的一些老會員。安·弗里斯(Ann Fries)說她有時在她家鄉佛羅里達州的坦帕(Tampa, Fla.)機場發現Precheck安檢通道有20個人，很多人在被告知不必脫鞋、液體物品和筆記本電腦可以留在包裏時感到迷惑不解，他們會問爲什麼，因而放慢了這個通道的安檢速度。之後他們又會問他們是怎麼進入那個通道的？

'We went from people who knew what they were doing to people in line who don't know what they are doing,' said Ms. Fries, who signed up for Global Entry to get Precheck when it first started.

“過去在這個通道里的人知道自己在做什麼，現在排隊的人不知道自己要做啥，”弗里斯說。她在全球通關會員剛獲准進入Precheck安檢通道的時候註冊加入了全球通關計劃。

Precheck is still faster for her than regular screening at big airports like Los Angeles and Newark, which often have long lines at security screening, but Ms. Fries, an artistic director for a film festival, figures the Precheck changes have added 10 minutes to her average screening time during the past six to eight months. 'It's still a billion times better than the regular lines, but it makes the benefit less of a benefit,' she said.

對弗里斯來說，Precheck通道的安檢在洛杉磯和紐瓦克(Newark)等大機場還是比普通安檢通道快，這些機場等待安檢的人經常要排很長的隊。但身爲電影節藝術總監的弗里斯認爲Precheck的政策變化讓她在過去六至八個月的時間裏平均安檢時間增加了十分鐘。“Precheck還是比普通通道好無數倍，但它現在把自己的優經變得不像優勢了，”她說。

Mr. Pistole said he has heard the complaints about Precheck lanes getting clogged, and TSA has already decided to stop moving travelers 75 years of age and older into Precheck service, unless they are enrolled, because they sometimes can take 10 minutes to move through. As Precheck enrollment grows, the 'managed inclusion' effort will be phased out, he said.

皮斯托爾說他已經聽聞了人們對Precheck通道擁堵的抱怨，TSA已決定不再讓75歲以上的老人進入Precheck服務通道，除非他們是註冊會員，因爲他們有時會花十分鐘通過安檢。隨着Precheck註冊人數的增加，這種“人爲控制性接納”的手段會逐步取消，他說。

'I want passengers, when they think of TSA, to think of something positive instead of patting down 95-year-old grannies or taking teddy bears away from children,' said Mr. Pistole. He said that since taking office he has made more than 20 policy changes, many to reduce the intrusiveness of screening, especially for children, older people and active-duty military.

“我想讓旅客一想起TSA，想到的是一些正面的東西，而不是拍身搜查95歲的老奶奶或奪走小孩子的泰迪熊，”皮斯托爾說。他說自上任以來，他已改變了20多項政策，很多改變是爲了減少安檢時的粗魯行爲，特別是對兒童、老人和現役軍人的粗魯行爲。

Last week, TSA opened three Precheck enrollment centers at airports -- Dallas-Fort Worth, Memphis and Cleveland -- raising the total to 14. TSA expects to have centers at 35 to 40 airports by the end of May and perhaps 75 by the end of 2014. Applications are also taken at many government offices. Locations of enrollment offices are on the TSA website.

上週，TSA又在達拉斯-沃思堡、孟菲斯(Memphis)和克利夫蘭(Cleveland)三個機場開設了Precheck註冊中心，將註冊中心的數量提升到了14個。TSA希望到五月底的時候在35到40個機場建立註冊中心，到2014年底時註冊中心數量或許將達到75個。很多政府部門也在接受註冊申請。註冊辦公室的地址在TSA網站上可以查到。

The Precheck free trial has confused some travelers -- including Dr. Van Bennekom, the Northeastern University professor -- who routinely get boarding passes printed with 'TSA Precheck' and assume they are now enrolled in the program. After several trips with free Precheck privileges, Dr. Van Bennekom went to a Precheck lane only to be turned away. He learned he had to pay to be enrolled.

Precheck的免費體驗把一些旅客弄得稀裏糊塗——其中包括東北大學的教授範貝內科姆——他們的登機牌上通常都印有"TSA Precheck"字樣，於是自以爲他們現在已經註冊加入了該項目。範貝內科姆在旅行中享受了幾次免費的Precheck待遇之後，再到Precheck通道時卻被拒之門外。他後來得知必須繳費才能成爲註冊會員。

If the trial access was an enticement to buy, 'then they are lousy marketers,' he said. 'I've never received any communication that says, 'Now that you've experienced fast check in, for only $85 . . .'' For now, he says he gets free Precheck so frequently he won't bother to sign up.

如果說體驗Precheck通道是吸引旅客購買會員資格的手段，“那麼他們可以說是拙劣的市場營銷人員，”他說，“我從來沒有收到過任何信息告訴我：‘既然你已體驗了快速辦理登機手續的流程，只需85美元（約合人民幣523元）……’”目前，他說既然能如此頻繁地享受免費的Precheck快速安檢，他不會費心去註冊成爲會員。