Delta to offer quicker lines for a fee

ATLANTA, June 23 (UPI) -- Delta Air Lines has teamed up with Verified Identity Pass of New York City to provide quicker lines for passengers, the airline announced.

For a $128 fee, passengers will be able join the shorter security checkpoint lines offered through the Registered Traveler program, which is operated by the Transportation Security Administration, USA Today reported Monday.

The 125,000 people enrolled in the program have signed up at airports or through foreign airlines, the newspaper reported. Delta is the first U.S. airline to offer the service, the newspaper said.

Delta plans to start the program this summer at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York City and at Los Angeles International. Verified Identity Pass will collect the fee and give a share to Delta, the newspaper said.

The move, which could start a trend for airlines looking for ways to make up for rising fuel costs, was applauded by a travelers group.

"It's a very good sign that you have a major airline involved in it," the executive director of the National Business Travel Association Bill Connors said.

"Momentum was slow at the beginning but now it's really starting to pick up," he said.