TSA Pre-Check

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

Hey now,

 

With all of the CONUS travelers experiencing delays/long lines at TSA checkpoints in the airport, how have those of you with Known Traveler Numbers fared recently?

 

We're going to be flying a lot this summer, and at the end of May we'll be using our KTNs for the first time. Hoping to be expedited....

[leaveitallbehind]

I travel frequently and am TSA pre-check. All of the lines I've experienced recently have been moving well and without delay. Even if the lines are longer with more pre-check now, they still move faster than the standard lines. Well worth it IMO.

 

It of course will vary by airport, time of day, and day of week, and airline, but overall it is far better than non pre-check. My typical experiences will include PHL, PIT, DTW, ORD, and LAX and most frequently with American and Delta.

[slidergirl]

I did my end-of-season vacation the middle of April. From my home airport (a DL fortress-hub), ATL, SJU, VQS, JFK and home. I have Global Entry, so I got my TTN through that program. I breezed through all the lines, no more than a very few people, if any, in front of me. My first departure was a red-eye, but there are 4 red-eyes out of my airport, so there were 4 planeloads of folks going through the good old dog & pony show. Especially helpful at SJU, where there was a ship full (Carnival) of people leaving along with people who took regular vacations at a resort or business folks. The regular line snaked quite a long way. The PreCheck line had no one in front of me. This was at about 9am on a Sunday. The Ag Check line was strangely vacant, too, with only 4 people ahead of me.

Best of all were my flights to/from SJU and VQS - no TSA checks at all!!! The trade-off was that I had to step on the baggage scale so they could see how much I weighed for placement in the plane for weight&balance purposes :eek:

Edited May 15, 2016 by slidergirl

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Make sure your airlines have your TTN in the system and that it is associated with your ticket, especially if you were ticketed before getting the TTN.

[klfrodo]

I travel often for business.

I also have Global Entry which includes TSA Pre-Check.

 

Last couple of times, the lines looked very long and I was very disappointed.

Reality though was that even though the lines looked long, my longest time in line was 9 minutes.

[Donray]

For those flying international out of LAX they do not have a special pre-check. You need to get in line with everyone else.

[Keith1010]

Just came back from a trip and the Pre TSA appov worked great at four different airports.

 

Keith

[SuiteTraveler]

We used our Pre-Check one week ago to/from a cruise on Breakaway DFW/Newark/DFW. It saved us loads of time waiting in line. However, the TSA Pre-Check lines at DFW and HOU and AUS were long last week - like 90 minutes for Pre-Check but even longer for non Pre-Check. Not sure why.

[Essiesmom]

Not sure if I am TSA Pre-check, but my sister is, so we use her passport to check in. We breezed through at JAX, and in Miami they directed us from station 3 back to station 2 where lines were very short. No wait. EM

[zqvol]

Not sure if I am TSA Pre-check, but my sister is, so we use her passport to check in. We breezed through at JAX, and in Miami they directed us from station 3 back to station 2 where lines were very short. No wait. EM

 

The fact that your sister has pre check or that you use her passport to check in has nothing to do with whether or not you get it on any given flight. It is done on an individual basis.

[navybankerteacher]

Not sure if I am TSA Pre-check, but my sister is, so we use her passport to check in. We breezed through at JAX, and in Miami they directed us from station 3 back to station 2 where lines were very short. No wait. EM

 

If a TSA agent let you go through on the strength of your sister's passport, the agent should be immediately terminated. If you are TSA precheck, that fact will appear on your boarding pass - which is compared with your ID, as is every passenger's -- so I have to doubt your statement.

 

As a matter of fact we took four flights in the past two weeks (attending graduations in Texas and upstate New York - because we have Global Entry - and input our number at the time of booking flights - our boarding passes always show pre-check. At each boarding we were in lines of less than ten, while there were easily a hundred in line for the regular scanning. Also, there is no need to remove shoes, remove iPads or laptops and liquids from our bags, or to remove jackets.

[njhorseman]

Just being enrolled in TSA Precheck or Global Entry does not 100% guarantee you will be granted access to the precheck line. On one flight last winter we were not, and my sister mentioned to me that on one flight (different airport and airline) recently she and her husband also had to go through the regular security. TSA apparently will sometimes randomly force trusted travelers to go through the regular security line.

[navybankerteacher]

Just being enrolled in TSA Precheck or Global Entry does not 100% guarantee you will be granted access to the precheck line. On one flight last winter we were not, and my sister mentioned to me that on one flight (different airport and airline) recently she and her husband also had to go through the regular security. TSA apparently will sometimes randomly force trusted travelers to go through the regular security line.

 

Agreed - nothing is a sure thing, but our experience has been that every time we have entered our Global Entry numbers at the time we book our flights -----(I think you need to make sure you provide the number each time, and cannot assume that any airline will maintain data confirming your eligibility for you) --- our boarding passes have shown the Precheck notation and we have not experienced agents directing us to the regular lines.

 

It is not just a matter of being enrolled - you need to enter your number every time you book a flight.

[njhorseman]

Agreed - nothing is a sure thing, but our experience has been that every time we have entered our Global Entry numbers at the time we book our flights -----(I think you need to make sure you provide the number each time, and cannot assume that any airline will maintain data confirming your eligibility for you) --- our boarding passes have shown the Precheck notation and we have not experienced agents directing us to the regular lines.

 

It is not just a matter of being enrolled - you need to enter your number every time you book a flight.

 

Deleted. Accidental duplication post.

Edited May 16, 2016 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

Agreed - nothing is a sure thing, but our experience has been that every time we have entered our Global Entry numbers at the time we book our flights -----(I think you need to make sure you provide the number each time, and cannot assume that any airline will maintain data confirming your eligibility for you) --- our boarding passes have shown the Precheck notation and we have not experienced agents directing us to the regular lines.

 

It is not just a matter of being enrolled - you need to enter your number every time you book a flight.

 

The numbers are stored in our profiles associated with our frequent flier numbers. No need to enter the trusted traveler number separately every time we book. The trusted traveler numbers, along with the associated vital statistics such as passport numbers are automatically inserted into our reservation record as long as we're signed in with our frequent flier numbers.

[Hlitner]

The numbers are stored in our profiles associated with our frequent flier numbers. No need to enter the trusted traveler number separately every time we book. The trusted traveler numbers, along with the associated vital statistics such as passport numbers are automatically inserted into our reservation record as long as we're signed in with our frequent flier numbers.

 

Yep, you are totally correct so go on doing what you do :). On the other hand, we always manually enter our Global Entry number whenever we book a ticket and have always received Precheck! We also are in many frequent flyer programs (which also includes our KTN) but we maintain some degree of skepticism in their systems. Perhaps we are a bit anal, but on the other hand have always had that handy "Pre-Check" on every boarding pass.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Hlitner

[Essiesmom]

If a TSA agent let you go through on the strength of your sister's passport, the agent should be immediately terminated. If you are TSA precheck, that fact will appear on your boarding pass - which is compared with your ID, as is every passenger's -- so I have to doubt your statement.

 

Both of our boarding passes had TSA pre-check printed on them. I make the booking and pay for the tickets, but we are both on the manifest. EM

[navybankerteacher]

Yep, you are totally correct so go on doing what you do :). On the other hand, we always manually enter our Global Entry number whenever we book a ticket and have always received Precheck! We also are in many frequent flyer programs (which also includes our KTN) but we maintain some degree of skepticism in their systems. Perhaps we are a bit anal, but on the other hand have always had that handy "Pre-Check" on every boarding pass.

 

Right - I would like to think that all airlines are co-ordinated enough to always tie GE number to my frequent flyer A/C - but we see enough posts from people who somehow do not receive Precheck to want to rely on their co-ordination when it is so easy to manually enter it when booking - we have never missed our Pre-check notation.

[zqvol]

If a TSA agent let you go through on the strength of your sister's passport, the agent should be immediately terminated. If you are TSA precheck, that fact will appear on your boarding pass - which is compared with your ID, as is every passenger's -- so I have to doubt your statement.

 

Both of our boarding passes had TSA pre-check printed on them. I make the booking and pay for the tickets, but we are both on the manifest. EM

 

None of that has anything to do with the fact you got pre-check. It is sometimes given based on teh CC you use to pay for the flight. You can rest assured that it had NOTHING to do with your sister being on the manifest.

[jennybenny]

Check with the airline too

My husband and son have Global Entry, but they booked with Virgin. They were not able to use TSA Precheck on their outbound flight because Virgin is not included. It's in the fine print! He was bummed but on the way back home they were expedited through with a shorter line.

[Hlitner]

None of that has anything to do with the fact you got pre-check. It is sometimes given based on teh CC you use to pay for the flight. You can rest assured that it had NOTHING to do with your sister being on the manifest.

 

I do not believe that is true these days. There was a time when TSA Pre Check seemed almost random but that seems to be long gone. Now, it is a matter of signing up for Pre-Check, Global Entry, Sentri, etc. All these options cost money (TSA applications are $85 for 5 years and Global Entry is $100). These involve jumping through some government hoops (we had to drive about 100 miles for a face to face interview) and completing a detailed application. If you are approved you are issued a Known Traveler Number (KTN) which you use when you buy an airline ticket or later add to your reservation.

 

Once upon a time you could get pre check for just being a frequent flyer and enrolled with an airline club. Some folks may (or may not) still be grandfathered, but the current process is a bit more complicated (and costs money). It has nothing to do with your credit card except that at least one card (AMEX Platinum) will pay the fee to join Global Entry.

 

Hank

Edited May 17, 2016 by Hlitner

[Hlitner]

Check with the airline too

My husband and son have Global Entry, but they booked with Virgin. They were not able to use TSA Precheck on their outbound flight because Virgin is not included. It's in the fine print! He was bummed but on the way back home they were expedited through with a shorter line.

 

I just checked and the current list of participating airlines is:

Air Canada

Alaska Airlines

Allegiant Airlines

American Airlines

Delta Air Lines

Hawaiian Airlines

JetBlue Airways

Southwest Airlines

Sun Country

United Airlines

Virgin America

WestJet

 

Not sure about the integration of any foreign airlines although, as Global Entry folks, we have been given the option of applying to at least one program operated by a foreign country.

 

Hank

[donaldsc]

We used our Pre-Check one week ago to/from a cruise on Breakaway DFW/Newark/DFW. It saved us loads of time waiting in line. However, the TSA Pre-Check lines at DFW and HOU and AUS were long last week - like 90 minutes for Pre-Check but even longer for non Pre-Check. Not sure why.

 

Probably because more people are using TSA-Pre. I wish that they would stop pushing it and let those of us who planned ahead and got our approval keep the short lines.

 

DON

[navybankerteacher]

Probably because more people are using TSA-Pre. I wish that they would stop pushing it and let those of us who planned ahead and got our approval keep the short lines.

 

DON

 

Good point - of course, the reluctance of people to spend $100 on things like passports may slow the rush - also the time factor in scheduling appointments, making the interview and getting clearance will make it likely that the crowd due to arise from recent publicity about delays at the airport will not be getting in line with us before this summer's travel season is over.

[2flacruisers]

Pre-check is used by many airlines to ensure that travelers don't miss connecting flights..had Pre-check at LAX a couple of weeks ago..glad to have it at that airport

Edited May 28, 2016 by 2flacruisers