Air travel can be a pain in the butt. Airlines can lose your luggage, the passenger in the seat next to you might emit an odor (and will probably feel the need to tell you about how they almost joined the military), then everyone suddenly forgets how to remove their bag from the overhead bins after you land.
But before any of that, you have to get through security screening. Luckily, the Transportation Security Administration is making that part easier for military members, veterans, and their families with dedicated security lanes.
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On July 27, 2026, the TSA announced the introduction of military lanes.
“TSA honors our nation’s heroes by providing special security screening privileges to service members, veterans, and their families,” the administration said. “Our military community enjoys access to dedicated military lanes or front-of-the-line service at over 30 airports.”
The dedicated military lanes are at airports adjacent to military bases across the country, including Seattle-Tacoma, Denver, and Tampa. Active, Reserve, and Guard service members and their families can utilize these military lanes. Veterans and their families also have access the expedited screening.
Most importantly, you don’t have to be in uniform to use the military lanes. Troops just need to show their CAC to get access. Veterans can use a Veteran Health Identification Card, veteran driver’s license or state ID, or a Uniformed Services ID Card. A veteran ID card or VA letter can be used to access the military lanes, but a REAL ID will also be needed to get through security.
At airports without dedicated military lanes (including Fayetteville and Norfolk), travelers can show a valid military ID or veteran ID to the lane monitor for front-of-the-line service; a TSA officer will then guide the eligible traveler through the process at the checkpoint.
Active duty troops already get access to TSA PreCheck screening by inputting their DODID number as the TSA Known Traveler Number (KTN) in their booking. This can usually be done at the ticketing counter, but airline policies may vary.
While veterans generally have to apply for TSA PreCheck, no-cost enrollment and renewals are available to qualifying disabled veterans. Under the VETS Safe Travel Act, veterans whom the VA has determined to have a severe service-connected disability that meets the VA’s eligibility requirements and have the required documentation can enroll in the program.
Although the TSA policy does not specify if front-of-the-line privileges can be exercised at TSA PreCheck lines, a TSA supervisor told We Are The Mighty that they would afford these privileges to service members, veterans, and their families in the PreCheck line. Of course, you still have to have PreCheck on your boarding pass.
Otherwise, the front-of-the-line service applies to regular TSA security screening. The military lanes policy is new and front-of-the-line privileges may be at the discretion of the TSA supervisor.
So, if you’re flying through Fayetteville and the TSA officers don’t know what you’re talking about, politely show them the TSA military lanes webpage and your ID proving eligibility. TSA is already extending a benefit to the mil/vet community, so don’t be an entitled jerk and ruin it for everybody else.
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