Vendor seeks to expand offerings for Registered Traveler participants

Would persons who sign up for the government-backed Registered Traveler program be willing to pay more than the $100 sign-up fee in order to obtain additional benefits besides an expedited screening process? A company called FLO Corp. (for Fast Lane Option) thinks they will. A passenger survey conducted for FLO by the Business Travel Coalition found that 82 percent would like to see greater airline/airport participation in Registered Traveler, and 80 percent had no problem with the $99 enrollment fee for “consistently expeditious security checkpoint processing.” But the survey also determined that 38 percent of the respondents would be very or extremely interested “in paying $199 to upgrade from a basic RT membership offering to a premier RT membership, with benefits beyond security processing that could include reserved parking at one’s home airport, remote baggage check-in at hotels, airport concession discounts and global assistance,” the company said. Under the company’s plan, persons holding an RT biometric ID card issued by FLO would gain access to such premium-level benefits. Partners in the vendor’s “FLO Alliance” include Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, The Paradies Shops (airport retailers), Expedia Corporate Travel and others. For information on the program, go to www.fastlaneoption.com.