Cost: $78 application fee; membership is valid for five years after you complete your interview and receive approval. You can also gain TSA PreCheck access through Global Entry, which costs more but includes expedited passport control. Some credit cards will reimburse the application fee for either program.

The TSA is not prepared to eliminate all liquid restrictions, and the existing rule limiting other carry-on liquids to 3.4 ounces remains in effect.

TSA's new free Gateside program lets PreCheck members walk past security without a boarding pass to greet arriving travelers at 13 U.S. airports.

TSA Weighs Water Bottle Perk for PreCheck Travelers

A new pilot program by the Transportation Security Administration offers gate passes for PreCheck members at select airports. One is in Arizona.

The TSA recently introduced a new program called Gateside by TSA PreCheck, which brings back a popular airport feature that was eliminated after the 9/11 attacks, when TSA was officially established.