Airport screening test will let pilots fly by security checkpoints

From the baltimoresun.com:

New security screening procedures will be tested at O'Hare International Airport starting this summer to allow pilots to speed through checkpoints without undergoing scans or pat-downs, officials said.

It's a first step toward transitioning to a more logical risk-based screening and away from the current system of treating pilots and passengers as equal potential security threats, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Expedited screening of flight attendants, who undergo less rigorous security and background checks than pilots during the hiring process, will occur later, officials said.

The streamlined screening procedures affecting the nation's more than 75,000 airline pilots also may help lead to lines moving more briskly for passengers going through security. At least officials hope that will happen.