Travel Advisory: State says TSA PreCheck still available at Hawai‘i airports

The Transportation Security Administration’s program TSA PreCheck — which provides travelers an option for a faster security experience in dedicated lanes at U.S. airports — remains available at Hawai‘i airports, but the U.S. Customs and Border Control Global Entry lanes will remain closed during the partial government shutdown.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation issued a travel advisory just on Sunday to inform the public that the speedier screening service remains available after receiving word that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security changed its mind on suspending TSA PreCheck.

Homeland Security originally announced Saturday night that TSA PreCheck and would be halted at 6 a.m. Sunday until further notice. But the backlash from travelers, airline industry groups and others led to a reversal of the suspension.

Global Entry is similar to TSA PreCheck in its expediency. The Customs and Border Patrol program offers faster clearance for travelers who a pre-approved and considered to be low-risk as it offers expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States.

The state said while Global Entry is shuttered, the Enhanced Passenger Program continues at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The program leverages biometric facial comparison technology to streamline processing of U.S. citizens arriving on selected flights.

“While we recognize that temporary changes to federal trusted traveler programs may create uncertainty for some passengers, we are in active discussions with our CBP partners to address any potential disruptions to international travel,” state transportation director Ed Sniffen said.

Travelers at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport are encouraged to use Mobile Passport Control. It is a free and secure app that allows eligible passengers to submit their passport information and customs declaration in advance, access dedicated MPC lanes — and typically experience shorter wait times and faster processing upon arrival.

The Department of Homeland Security called the suspensions of expedited screening as an “emergency measure” to preserve limited resources amid a now more-than-week-old funding lapse linked to a partial federal government shutdown that started Feb. 14.

This shutdown — which affects only Department of Homeland Security and federal agencies under its umbrella, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Transportation Security Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency — is the result of an impasse between Democrats and Republicans over legislation to fund the department.

Democrats are standing firm on demands for new guardrails on immigration enforcement, which is at the core of President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign.

“Shutdowns have real-world consequences, not just for the men and women of [Department of Homeland Security] and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement Sunday. “The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians.”

Homeland Security data show more than 20 million people used TSA PreCheck as of August 2024.

According to IFly.com, the average security wait times were running up to just 4 minutes for travelers flying out of the Hilo airport.

It was far different on Sunday morning, according to Hokulani Mahi-Mahoe, who posted in the Hilo Happenings Facebook group: “TRAVEL PSA: If anyone is flying out of Hilo today please arrive to the airport at least 3 hrs prior to get through the TSA checkpoint lines are long, check point is operating on one machine.”

“Oh yeah today I think TSA precheck isn’t working now since a partial government shutdown is affecting TSA so if you’re used to those shorter lines might want to arrive earlier now until that’s resolved,” said Tiare Claire Mataoa in the Facebook group. “This might also be affecting the regular lines if they have some of the regular employees not working. Tough for those that are still working.”

“At no point in any other gov shutdown since 2008, has TSA or global been reduced, and pre check has never been stopped since it’s inception, through several funding shutdowns,” replied Howard Mermelstein. “Noem said as much, to cause hardship is her goal …”

Scot Urada isn’t blaming Transportation Security Administration for the chaos, he said in a reply to a Facebook post by Hawai‘i News Now about the situation. But he’s “sure glad they came to their senses” and decided to lift the planned suspension on TSA PreCheck.

“We just flew back last night [Feb. 21] on a red eye. The security line was LONG,” wrote Reddit user expelliarm in a reply to a post in the r/MauiVisitors subreddit. “We got super lucky though, they opened up the security desk on the left side and directed our line through there. We made it through in ~15 minutes. Shoes stayed on, electronics needed to come out.”

“We are glad that [Department of Homeland Security] has decided to keep PreCheck operational and avoid a crisis of its own making,” U.S. Travel Association President and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Freeman told PBS News.

Airlines for America said Saturday that it’s well past time for Congress to come to the table and iron out a deal. The trade group representing major airline carriers also criticized the timing of the TSA PreCheck closure announcement, saying it was “issued with extremely short notice to travelers, giving them little time to plan accordingly.”

“[Airlines for America] is deeply concerned that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs are being suspended and that the traveling public will be, once again, used as a political football amid another government shutdown,” said the organization in the PBS News story.

Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Patrol will also end courtesy escorts and requests for port courtesies for members of Congress.

Plus, Homeland Security said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will scale back to bare-minimum, life-saving operations as part of the department’s efforts to preserve its limited resources.

U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, called the actions of Homeland Security part of an administration strategy to distract from other issues and shift responsibility.

“This administration is trying to weaponize our government, trying to make things intentionally more difficult for the American people as a political leverage,” he told CNN on Sunday, according to the PBS News story. “And the American people see that.”

Lawmakers returned to Washington today from their February recess.