La Crosse airport plans pre-screening event, expects to keep American Airlines flights

Are you ready to start taking airline flights again? 

The La Crosse Airport has scheduled a ‘pre-checking’ event next month, for people planning to fly later in the year. 

Airport director Ian Turner says one of these programs was scheduled for earlier in the year, before the pandemic hit.    

Month-by-month passenger levels at the airport dipped below 400 in April, but they bounced back to about 3000 for July. 

The airport is taking appointments for the TSA screenings, to be held September 21st through 25th.  No walk-ups will be allowed.    

The TSA will not take walk-up passengers for the pre-screening, because of health concerns. 

Participants must enroll for appointments, and if they pay an $85 fee, the screening will be good for five years of flights.      

Turner also says the La Crosse airport will not be affected by cuts being planned by American Airlines. 

Last week, American said it will drop flights to 15 U.S. cities by October, but Turner, says the airline recently increased local service after a downturn because of COVID-19.

American recently received almost $6 billion in federal money to help recover from a large reduction in passenger use during the pandemic.