TSA Pre Check

[NotPayinExtra]

What kind of time saving, luck, experience etc, have you had with pre check? What airports are a must for it? What besides not taking off your belt is a plus? Stories, details, etc welcome. Need to be at gate no later then 2 hours after arriving at airport.

[lax19]

Shoes stay on, laptop and toiletries stay in your carry on.

As far as airports go, Denver is a must. Last time we flew out of Denver, the regular TSA line was backed up into the check in lobby while perched k had twenty people in it. Also early flights out of PDX can have long lines that are avoided using precheck. Pre Check also saves time at Seattle and LAX.

[ARandomTraveler]

I've had Precheck for 7 years, it's an absolute must almost everywhere. I've never waited more than 5 minutes to get through security, even at the busiest airports. 
 

Not only do you not have to take liquids out of your bag, you don't have to put them in a ziploc either. They do hold you to the 3oz limit, but my toiletry bag, and my purse, are both filled with liquids, never in a ziploc, and I've never been stopped or questioned about it once in 7 years. 
 

Shoes stay on, small jackets can stay on, laptops and electronics can stay in your bags, and you don't have to go through the security thing that has X-ray vision through your clothes (I don't think all airports have these, but DEN definitely does). 
 

For $85 it lasts 5 years. It's a major time saver and for the most part, you're in line behind seasoned travelers who are quick and know the process, so you're not waiting for the TSA agent to explain every step to everyone in front of you. Most Precheck people know to have their ID and ticket ready, or at some airports, just your ID. They're efficient with putting their bags on the conveyor, they know what they do and don't need to remove from bags and pockets, and we're in-and-out of there in minutes.
 

Of course there's always someone who doesn't know what they're doing (I personally think anyone who ends up needing an instruction from an agent, or anyone who gets sent back for having something in their pockets should lose their Precheck for their next flight, but I digress). All of that just makes the process so fast. 

[fac429]

I've also had it for 7 years or so and it's awesome.  At the airport I most frequently use I know that I can show up at the airport about 15 minutes before my boarding time and it's highly unlikely that I won't make it to my gate on time.  I've been to airports where the regular line isn't super-long and others where the regular line is an absolute nightmare, but since I've had pre-check I've never been to an airport where the TSA line took more than about 5 minutes.  Best $85 you'll ever spend if you fly once a year or more on average.

[NotPayinExtra]

2 hours ago, NotPayinExtra said:

What kind of time saving, luck, experience etc, have you had with pre check? What airports are a must for it? What besides not taking off your belt is a plus? Stories, details, etc welcome. Need to be at gate no later then 2 hours after arriving at airport.

Ok, an addendum I didn't realize would potentially pose a problem. One of us getting tsa pre check had a DUI (misdemeanor) 1st and only from 2015 to which a deal was made of $500 fine and 2 days community service and 1 year suspension of license. All I can find is sites saying if under 10 years, they may not be approved. It's $85 each and if one doesn't get approved, the rest will all wait on regular long line anyway. Is it worth all applying? Does anyone have experience with this situation? Get turned down? Approved? 

Side note: Cruise is Not to Canada. Mexico/Bahamas.

[njkruzer]

Don't know about not being able to get it with a dui.  We actually have global entry, $100, includes pre-check and we've had it at least 7 years.  Wouldn't travel out. You can take children through pre-check line even without they're having pre-check but not immigration line unless they also have global entry.  Our granddaughter first got it when she was 2, she's 9 now.

[Tolkmit]

I've had pre-check pretty much since it came out in 14, and travel quite a bit for work.

It's slowly, primarily becoming a quality of life improvement as opposed to a reliable speed improvement. You will definitely, on average, have shorter wait times for security, sometimes SIGNIFICANTLY shorter wait times. However, as the number of people with pre-check has grown, I've increasingly run into the TSA line taking about as long as the non TSA line. It's not often, but it happens enough that I wouldn't recommend believing you can get to the airport later based on having pre-check anymore. And that trend is going to continue.

So ultimately, it's a question of how much do you fly. It's really nice, not having to take off your shoes & belt, not having to remove stuff from carry on. However, if you fly once a year, I don't know that it's worth 17 dollars per time. If you fly once a month, 100% get it. 

I have no experience on whether a DUI will effect approval. However, there is a very high chance it will effect how long it takes for that person to get results. My father and mother applied together, and 1.5 months after her getting approval he still hadn't heard anything. He called, and found if you have any unusual flags, you get put into a separate review that takes a very long time. For him, he was retired Air Force; and got flagged because he previously had certain clearances, but no longer did (purely because he was retired.) Having "lost" those clearances put him in the "review" stack, so it took him months longer than my mother to get approved. This happened again when they renewed. So if you are going to get it hoping to have it by a certain trip, expect that party member may need on the long end of whatever their current projections are for approval times.

[matj2000]

If you have to ask, you probably don't fly much.

 

It is not worth it for the non-frequent traveler

[SargassoPirate]

In certain cruise ports TSA Pre has come in handy - Fort Lauderdale in particular.  Twice disembarking there I've seen huge crowds and long lines waiting to go through immigration and customs, while off to one side was a short line for TSA Pre or Global Entry (can't remember how it was marked since I also have Global Entry)

[flamingos]

37 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

In certain cruise ports TSA Pre has come in handy - Fort Lauderdale in particular.  Twice disembarking there I've seen huge crowds and long lines waiting to go through immigration and customs, while off to one side was a short line for TSA Pre or Global Entry (can't remember how it was marked since I also have Global Entry)

Have you sailed recently? There is no line to get through immigration now that they have facial recognition.

[flamingos]

The only issue we have had with our Global Entry is that one airline didn't get the memo, even though we added our trusted traveler number to our ticket online.  You MUST have pre-check on your actual ticket; at TSA they don't care if you have your card.  So if your ticket (on your phone or printed) does not have 'pre-check' identified, you can't use their line.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

I've had precheck for four flights and travelled with people who didn't have it. 

 

Flight One... Departing SDF (Louisville).  The companion without pre-check cleared security before I did.

Flight Two... Departing SRQ (Sarasota).  I finished security 5-10 minutes before my companion

Flight Three... Departing CVG (Cincinnati).  I finished security 5-10 minutes before my companions.

Flight Four... Departing MCO (Orlando).  I finished security 5-10 minutes before my companions. 

 

I only got pre-check because my credit card offered it for free.

 

YMMV.

[SargassoPirate]

26 minutes ago, flamingos said:

Have you sailed recently? There is no line to get through immigration now that they have facial recognition.

Yes.  As recently as last January through Fort L and the facial recognition was working.  The cruise before that it was not and we had to go through the cattle chutes to the officers.  

 

Regardless, I always scan the area for a TSA Pre or Global Entry line instead of just lining up with the sheeple.

 

Speaking of scanning the area.  A oouple of times I've arrived at the TSA checkpoints, scanned the area, and noticed that the steerage line was shorter with more magnetometers and staff working than the TSA Pre line.  I noted the last person in line in TSA Pre and then I processed through the steerage line well before that person made it through the TSA Pre.

 

 

 

[Tulsacoker]

even in small airport like Tulsa it is worth every penny, the plus side is when you go to big cluster airports (Denver, Chicago or  Seattle ) I would have paid double 

[poocher]

Can I ask why you need to be at the gate 2 hours prior to boarding?  I’m barely at the airport 2 hours prior.

[flamingos]

13 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Regardless, I always scan the area for a TSA Pre or Global Entry line instead of just lining up with the sheeple.

 

IIRC, you get scanned almost immediately after you enter the room. There is no option to avoid being 'sheeple', and it's unnecessary.  🙂

[klfrodo]

I not only have GE and TSA Pre-check. I also have Clear.

The Pre-check line might be 50 people deep. I bypass, go to Clear which never has a line, then automatically go to the head of the TSA line, get verified that my ticket has Pre-Check on it, and off I go.

[smokeybandit]

8 hours ago, lax19 said:

As far as airports go, Denver is a must.

You ain't kidding.

 

Over the summer I had to pick up my son who flew as an unaccompanied minor. You can't use pre-check lines to do get to the gate for that. The regular line had to be at least 300 people deep and I'm probably undercounting.

 

Luckily the often forgotten A Bridge security line only had a few people in it.

[smokeybandit]

1 hour ago, Tulsacoker said:

even in small airport like Tulsa it is worth every penny, the plus side is when you go to big cluster airports (Denver, Chicago or  Seattle ) I would have paid double 

 

I've used pre-check at tiny regional airports (where there is no dedicated lane, you just get a laminated pass that tells the agents you're pre-check) and it's still worth it there.

[smokeybandit]

1 hour ago, poocher said:

Can I ask why you need to be at the gate 2 hours prior to boarding?  I’m barely at the airport 2 hours prior.

That recommendation is be at the airport at least two hour prior so you can deal with baggage and security lines.

[xpcdoojk]

I have TSA pre check and my wife has Global Entry.  Having both is probably not necessary, but it is a big plus for travel happiness.  On our trip to Key West back in February, I booked the tickets, and AA had her middle name as an initial and GE had it as her full middle name.  She didn’t get Pre Check and she was not happy with me at all.  I now make sure I adjust her AA name when I book now.  Getting them to change it is almost impossible,  

 

Many travel cards will pay (in the form of a credit) for Pre check or Global Entry every 5 years.  You might want to check your credit cards to see if they have this perk.  Of course, these are never free credit cards.  

 

I agree with Matt, if you fly once every few years, it is probably not worth having.  We don’t fly all of the time, but at least 5 or 6 trips a year, and I can’t imagine not having it. 

 

JC

[AlohaLivin]

We love it (and have had it for many years). Now I still get to be the “random” checked person on occasion (60 yo women married to retired Marines often look sketchy apparently 🤣), but still combined with CLEAR we usually sail through. We fly out of Atlanta to cruise ports and DC 4-7x a year. The hardest part is getting the first interview (that was a long wait at an inconvenient place, day, and time even in a large city like Atlanta), but once you have it in hand you can renew online (and even then it is only every 5 years). Plus, many travel credit cards will cover the cost of tsa precheck. 
 

We really should have gotten the global version of it (it does not cost much more). Unfortunately you cannot trade up if you go from one to the other;  you must go through an entirely different, new application/interview process. So for now we will stick with the non-global option as it is my understanding that the lag for the global option is currently massive.

Edited October 11, 2022 by AlohaLivin

[The Scurvy Pirate]

For several years I debated whether it would be worth it ($85 initial fee for 5 years or $17/year), but then I figured I would use it about 4 times a year flying domestically to/from smaller airports.  This would mean 8 different check in's which is about $2.00 a check in.  Earlier this year I renewed it online for another 5 yeasrs for $70, so now even less per check-in.  Upon reflection, it is some of the best money I have ever spent.  Even if it only saves 5 minutes, not having the hassle of removing belts, shoes, etc. it is worth it.  Basically put my phone, watch and wallet (not sure if I need to do all that, but I do) in the bowl and walk straight through.  Even at the smaller airports, the non-pre-check line can have 50-100+ people waiting where the pre-check line there is nomally no waiting.  I can't imagine what it would be like going through a bigger airport.

[rudeney]

3 hours ago, flamingos said:

The only issue we have had with our Global Entry is that one airline didn't get the memo, even though we added our trusted traveler number to our ticket online.  You MUST have pre-check on your actual ticket; at TSA they don't care if you have your card.  So if your ticket (on your phone or printed) does not have 'pre-check' identified, you can't use their line.

 

There is a clause in the fine print of the program stating that you may not always get it on every flight.  Apparently, they use some sort of complex algorithm that can randomly not give you pre-check on a flight.  I guess this is to thwart any "sleeper terrorists".   I've always gotten it for every flight, but a few friends and co-workers have had cases where it was not granted on one or two flights over the years.

 

3 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Speaking of scanning the area.  A oouple of times I've arrived at the TSA checkpoints, scanned the area, and noticed that the steerage line was shorter with more magnetometers and staff working than the TSA Pre line.  I noted the last person in line in TSA Pre and then I processed through the steerage line well before that person made it through the TSA Pre.

 

 

I mainly have TSA Pre-check for the convenience of leaving my shoes and belt on and not having to unpack my laptop.  We flew out of Nashville for our last cruise and my wife doesn't have it.  She went through the regular line, I took both of our carry-ons with me through the Pre-check line.  We exited security at the same time.  The regular line was longer, but had three x-ray and scanner machines where Pre-check had only one.  Coming back out of Boston, I was out of security about 10 minutes before her.  

[frenchcanrican]

I have used Global Entry for 7+ years. It includes Pre-check and if you have certain types of credit cards the fee is reimbursed directly. I would NOT travel without Global Entry. It has saved me hours when checking in and hours when returning back to the USA.