Brazillian airline Azul is now offering US-bound passengers the ability to go through TSA pre-check, joining 73 other domestic and international airlines that offer this service. For those that regularly fly from Brazil to the USA, this will streamline the pre-flight journey and allow them to skip much of the often very invasive security process. 

What are the details of this new offering?

Those that have traveled much of the world know that the United States has one of the most 'aggressive' pre-flight security process. New security policies in recent years such as no liquids over 100ml, taking shoes off, removing belts and full-body scans have been implemented for all domestic and US-bound flights (and many of which have found themselves filtering to other countries too).

For those that travel frequently, these additional checks can cumulatively waste hours of their time. Hence, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration, the agency that manages US flight security in America) offers passengers through certain airlines the ability to be 'pre-checked', labeling the passenger with a 'known traveler number'.

There are several benefits to getting pre-checked by the TSA

• Pass through security without having to remove electronic devices like laptops
• Bring onboard liquids over 100ml
• Remove belts or jackets
• In some airports, join a faster queue through the security lane

Being pre-checked does come at a cost, however, $85 USD for five years (which can cost less than booking an exit row in economy on a single flight). There are some restrictions however, the program is only available to,

"US citizens (USC), US nationals, lawful permanent residents (LPR), members of the US armed forces, members of any of the three US Customs and Border Protection Trusted Traveler programs (Global Entry, Nexus, and Sentri), some frequent flier program members, and children 12 and under of parents already holding TSA Precheck."

Azul Airlines Now Offers TSA Pre-check

For those that fly from Brazil to the US frequently (or those who fly frequently are traveling to Brazil for a trip) the news that Azul has joined the program is fantastic indeed. The Brazilian carrier has become the first from Brazil and the 2nd from South America to join the program (behind Colombia’s Avianca), as reported first by Flyer Talk.

Currently, the airline only flies to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, but with increased frequencies on the horizon (and possibly new routes to other US states), this program future-proofs frequently travelers.

Azul Airlines operates a fleet of 135 aircraft and has four of the excellent A330-900neo aircraft on order. They fly to 112 destinations, both domestic and international. They recently made news that their retiring Embraer aircraft they use on regional routes might be going to the new Moxy start-up airline in the US.

“Our customers have been asking for TSA Pre-Check and now we are proud to be the first Brazilian airline to deliver this experience to our customers.  Whether you are departing on our nonstop flights from Orlando, Fort Lauderdale or beginning your trip at any of our partner cities, flying Azul from the United States to Brazil has never been more convenient”, says Abhi Shah, Chief Commercial Officer at Azul to Simple Flying.

What do you think of this news? Will you be applying for the TSA pre-check? Let us know in the comment below.