WASHINGTON — Airline passengers can't escape the headaches of the new age of air travel: long lines at checkpoints and confusion over security restrictions. But some airports are trying to ease the aggravation. A new travel program is under consideration to quicken the way to the gate. And security officials, aware of checkpoint inconveniences, are constantly mulling refinements in procedures. But what does the new year hold for your trip to the airport?

REGISTERED TRAVELER

More than a dozen airports are expressing interest in the registered traveler program, an initiative that allows pre-screened passengers who pay an annual fee to breeze through security. The moves come as the TSA recently announced that it would allow the program to expand beyond the one airport, in Orlando, Fla., where it now operates.

The program works by allowing participants, who have passed a background check, to move quickly through a special kiosk area and then through TSA checkpoints. It costs about $100 a year to join the program ($28 goes to the TSA). Participants' identities are verified through a biometrics card that contains digital scans of their fingerprints or retinas.

The main benefit is reliable and consistent wait times of about 1 to 5 minutes, said Steven Brill, chief executive of Verified Identity Pass, which runs the operation at Orlando. More than 30,000 people have signed up to participate there, Brill said.

In coming weeks, Brill said his company plans to open registered traveler kiosks at four other airports, John F. Kennedy International in New York, Indianapolis International, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International and San Jose International in California.

WAIT TIMES

Toe-tapping and finger-drumming at the checkpoint will not cease any time soon. But TSA officials say the average wait to get through security during peak times has dropped because of a public education campaign and better staffing.

In mid-August, the TSA banned most gels and liquids from carry-on bags after British police said they had uncovered a plot to blow up airliners with liquid bombs. In September, those restrictions were eased, and small amounts of gel and liquid toiletries were allowed onto planes if they could fit inside small plastic bags.

That move snarled security lines as passengers and screeners tried to figure out the new rules. Worried about confusion caused by the change, TSA launched a publicity campaign before the Thanksgiving travel crunch to alert people to the changes. The agency also beefed up staffing at checkpoints to handle the throng of travelers.

In the first few weeks of last month, the average peak wait time nationally has dropped to 11 minutes from 13 minutes in October, officials said.

SECURITY RESTRICTIONS

There is no end in sight to the ban on gels and liquids from passenger cabins, according to the TSA. Officials say they are excited about a hand-held device that can help them detect liquid explosives in a container-by-container analysis. The device would allow screeners to verify that bottles contain medicine or breast milk without opening them, speeding the checkpoint process without spoiling the liquids, officials said.

But despite testing at laboratories, the government has not found a device that can detect liquid explosives in carry-on bags. That means the TSA is unlikely to allow large containers of liquids and gels back into airplane cabins before the end of 2007.