Washington ( CNN ) -- After hinting for months that he would start a `` trusted traveler '' program to expedite screening at airport checkpoints , Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole took his first step in that direction Thursday , announcing a pilot project for passengers who voluntarily release certain information about themselves . The pilot project initially will be small , limited to a select group of travelers and to people already enrolled in existing programs run by border officials . Nonetheless , the travel industry and some politicians hailed it as a major change of philosophy that eventually could have a major impact on airport screening , diverting security from known individuals and focusing attention on unknown travelers and suspected terrorists . The TSA disclosed few details about the inner workings of the program . But industry officials briefed by the TSA said eligible participants will get to forgo some of the banalities of checkpoint searches -- such as removing shoes and jackets , and taking computers from carry-on bags . Participants also likely will be directed through magnetometers instead of through full-body imagers , which take more time and have raised privacy concerns , they said . The pilot project will begin this fall . `` These improvements will enable our officers to focus their efforts on higher risk areas , '' Pistole said . He called it a `` common sense step '' that will strengthen overall security . `` I think they 're definitely headed in the right direction , '' said Stewart Verdery , former assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security , and partner in the Monument Policy Group . `` I think the time is right . With travel loads increasing and with budgetary pressures , they need to find a way to do more with less . '' `` This is a signal from Administrator Pistole that he 's not going to sit idly by and let the system be , '' said Geoff Freeman , executive vice president of U.S. Travel Association . `` We hope this is a first step to wholesale reform , and kudos to him for having the courage to do that . The pilot test initially will be available only to certain frequent fliers on American and Delta airlines -- flying out of certain airports . Delta passengers must be flying out of Atlanta and Detroit airports , and American Airlines passengers must be flying out of Miami and Dallas airports . It is also open to participants in Custom and Border Protection 's Trusted Traveler programs , including Global Entry , SENTRI , and NEXUS . All participants must be U.S. citizens . The TSA said it plans to expand this pilot program to include United , Southwest , JetBlue , US Airways , Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian airlines , and additional airports , once operationally ready . Currently , the TSA vets passenger lists against `` watch lists '' of known or suspected terrorists . But the TSA is working with a very limited amount of information about those passengers -- namely a person 's full name , date of birth and gender . Under `` trusted traveler '' programs , travelers voluntarily surrender more information about themselves , giving the government more assurances of who they are . The amount and nature of the information that will be sought was not disclosed . In recent years , there has been a drumbeat of calls for the TSA to adopt a trusted traveler program . Congress and critics have stepped up that demand following two highly publicized incidents , one involving the search of a 6-year-old girl , and the other involving a 95-year-old cancer patient . In both cases , the TSA has said the airport screeners were following established protocols . But the TSA also has said it is working toward a `` risk-based '' trusted traveler program that could expedite travel for people believed to present little risk to aviation . The TSA said Pistole will work with Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin and the airlines to determine passenger eligibility for this screening project , which is voluntary . All passengers in the pilot project will be subject to recurrent security checks . Verdery said that for the project to be successful , participants will want `` predictable '' wait times , and assurances that they will go through different screening . Travelers also will want their reviews based on their individual characteristics , and not solely their relationship with their airline , since many travelers use multiple carriers , Verdery said . Verdery and Freeman both said it is crucial that special lanes be devoted to the trusted travels to expedite their passage . Security experts have long expressed concern about so-called `` clean skins '' -- potential terrorists who enroll in `` trusted traveler '' programs to avoid scrutiny during a terror mission . But the TSA says it will continue to incorporate random and unpredictable security measures to address such concerns . Pistole said other layers of security will remain in place , including intelligence gathering and analysis , explosive-detection canine teams , federal air marshals , closed-circuit television monitoring and behavior detection officers .
TSA announces pilot program . The plan is to ease screening for travelers who provide additional personal information . If successful , the program would likely be expanded to more travelers . The pilot program will begin this fall .