TSA's New Campaign Aims To Make Flying With Kids Less Painful

Flying with children can be extra stressful and difficult. Whether it's working out the best way to prepare for a flight with your kids or figuring out how to handle your family's seats being split up on a flight, any advice and support you can get your hands on can help. It's especially helpful when agencies like the Department of Homeland Security get involved in making travel easier for parents. That's the goal of the Transportation Security Administration's new initiative, Families on the Fly.

Families on the Fly aims to make air travel less stressful for families by simplifying airport security screening. The program will provide designated family lanes at TSA checkpoints to make it faster and easier for parents to get through security with their children. On top of this, families will also be eligible for discounted enrollment in the TSA PreCheck program, which allows travelers to keep on their shoes, belts, and jackets, and to leave laptops and 3-1-1 liquids (which have some unexpected exemptions) in their bags. Parents can join the program for $85 per person — a $15 discount — and children under 17 can use PreCheck for free when traveling with a parent or guardian who is enrolled.

These changes indicate the TSA's commitment to make traveling more comfortable for families across the U.S. "DHS and TSA are committed to making the airport security experience as smooth and stress-free as possible for traveling families," said Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl in an official press release. "The Families on the Fly campaign, being rolled out at select airports, aims to mitigate the unique challenges families face when traveling and minimize stress while maintaining the highest level of security."

The new Families on the Fly initiative is being rolled out at airports across the U.S. It's currently available at Orlando International Airport in Florida and Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. It's not surprising Orlando is among the first cities to benefit from the program, as it's home to world-famous theme parks that attract millions each year. The next airports slated to the add initiative are John Wayne Orange County Airport in California and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii, two destinations also known family-friendly travel.

Over the coming months, more airports in the U.S. will adopt Families on the Fly. These include international airports in Charleston, South Carolina, Tampa, Florida, and Warwick, Rhode Island. Some airports in U.S. territories, such as Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Puerto Rico, will also participate. "There will be expanded areas that will give them the benefit of recognizing that they have children with them and will help make sure that we have the ability to take care of them and their families as they go through this expedited process with their kiddos," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a press conference, per CNN.

Families on the Fly coincides with the TSA's Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease campaign for military service personnel, which launched earlier this year. The initiative created TSA PreCheck lanes for military and service members and their families and allows them to jump to the front of security screening queues to avoid long waits. However, that campaign is currently limited to airports close to military bases.