TSA Pre Check

[Ret MP]

Worked well for us back in May going from ATL to SEA and back.  That was the first time we flew in at least a decade and probably the list time we fly, anywhere.  I hate flying.  Anyway, as I was applying and going through the process of getting the Pre-Check, I was questioning myself as to why.  Why I was doing it for a one and done (probably)!  Well, we got to ATL, I was never so satisfied with a decision (a little exaggerated there).  The line was unbelievably long and I saw a lot of frustrated faces in the huge crowd.  Almost the same thing in SEA when we were done with the cruise.  I get frustrated easily and glad I didn't have to put up with all that sh#*.  The Pre-Check was as smooth as butter (mostly, metal detector went off on my wife and I in SEA, we had to walk a little distance to go through a body X-ray type scanner.  We both have knees replaced and the metal detectors didn't go off in ATL and we've been told by the surgeon that the metal in the knees wouldn't set off the detectors and I've read that too), but still well worth the bucks and processing, to me and my wife!  YMMV

[DaKahuna]

4 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.

 

 Was it Silver Airlines?  We made the mistake of flying out of Miami on Silver and although the flight was through United, they did not offer TRA Pre or free bags for United Premier members.  They are number one, ahead of Frontier and American, on airlines I will not fly. 

 

 

[flamingos]

6 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Was it Silver Airlines?  We made the mistake of flying out of Miami on Silver and although the flight was through United, they did not offer TRA Pre or free bags for United Premier members.  They are number one, ahead of Frontier and American, on airlines I will not fly. 

 

 

No - Delta!  We were rather surprised, but we will always check from now on.

[rudeney]

14 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Worked well for us back in May going from ATL to SEA and back.  That was the first time we flew in at least a decade and probably the list time we fly, anywhere.  I hate flying.  Anyway, as I was applying and going through the process of getting the Pre-Check, I was questioning myself as to why.  Why I was doing it for a one and done (probably)!  Well, we got to ATL, I was never so satisfied with a decision (a little exaggerated there).  The line was unbelievably long and I saw a lot of frustrated faces in the huge crowd.  Almost the same thing in SEA when we were done with the cruise.  I get frustrated easily and glad I didn't have to put up with all that sh#*.  The Pre-Check was as smooth as butter (mostly, metal detector went off on my wife and I in SEA, we had to walk a little distance to go through a body X-ray type scanner.  We both have knees replaced and the metal detectors didn't go off in ATL and we've been told by the surgeon that the metal in the knees wouldn't set off the detectors and I've read that too), but still well worth the bucks and processing, to me and my wife!  YMMV

 

I fly out of ATL often as my office is in Richmond and it's easier for me to drive the 2.5 hours to ATL for a 1 hour direct flight than to drive 1 hour to BHM for an 8-hour odyssey of connecting flights.  I love TSA Pre-check for that!  My wife has an artificial knee, and she always sets off the metal detectors!  I should have an artificial hip by the end of the year so we'll see how that works out for me.  

[Ret MP]

8 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

I fly out of ATL often as my office is in Richmond and it's easier for me to drive the 2.5 hours to ATL for a 1 hour direct flight than to drive 1 hour to BHM for an 8-hour odyssey of connecting flights.  I love TSA Pre-check for that!  My wife has an artificial knee, and she always sets off the metal detectors!  I should have an artificial hip by the end of the year so we'll see how that works out for me.  

My knee, one of the best decisions of my medical/health life.  My wife, not so much.  She's always in pain and at the same time numb.  I was like that for 3 years but after I started walking 3.5 miles almost everyday at a fast clip, it doesn't hurt at all anymore (except in some chairs after sitting motionless with my leg tucked under the seat for a while, usually restaurants or kitchen table).

 

I don't recommend joint replacement anymore because of my wife not overly happy with it and my old Army buddy got his done because of my experience.  He hates and regrets it.  So, I just speak of my experience, now.  

 

Back to the topic.  Even though I hope I'll never fly again, I have it for the next, almost, 5 years if things don't go as planned.  

[dada2199cc]

4 hours ago, klfrodo said:

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.

 

I have Clear Plus, too, and this is how I do it.  Skip the entire Pre-Check line and off I go.

[Prinny11]

10 hours ago, NotPayinExtra said:

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.

I have a DUI from 2011. Hubs and I applied for TSA Pre check in 2018.  He got approved in about a month, and I got approved in a little over 2 months.  It may take a little longer, but it should not be a problem

[George C]

We have had it a while , everyone needs to have there tsa # just in case airlines didn’t add it . Happened to us a few times , just showed it to ticket person then they gave us new boarding pass with it added.

[F27TW]

13 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.

 

Absolutely LOVE PreChek.   Best $85 i've ever spent.    We fly in and out of Orlando several times a year .. and that airport's regular security is always a congested mess.   But PreChek whizzes us right through in minutes.   No belt removal, no shoe removal, no computers outta bags, no getting barked at by nasty TSA agents ..  .. its just a much more civilized experience.  3-oz. rule does still apply, though.   

 

Ive used it at airports here in CT and NY too as well as others in Florida and its always great.   It's worth the little bit of work required at the beginning .. (on-line application and visiting a TSA office for fingerprinting and background check, etc).       

 

Do it  .. .you won't regret it. 

Edited October 11, 2022 by F27TW

[TexasRon]

Our daughter got TSA Pre a few days before she took several flights (BWI-HOU, HOU-DAL, AUS-BWI) in a week.  She declared it the best $85 she ever spent after years of regular security processing (she has flown regularly since she was 7-8 and is now 25).  
 

My wife had a similar experience and put off getting until I had it for a couple of years since the office for processing here is not close.  Again, she loves it.

 

The longest wait time for me is the delay until some moves to operate the scanner.  Joint replacements don’t work with the x-ray in most cases.  
 

 

[poocher]

6 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

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

But that’s not what OP said.  They said at the GATE  2 hours before.

[rudeney]

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

My knee, one of the best decisions of my medical/health life.  My wife, not so much.  She's always in pain and at the same time numb.  I was like that for 3 years but after I started walking 3.5 miles almost everyday at a fast clip, it doesn't hurt at all anymore (except in some chairs after sitting motionless with my leg tucked under the seat for a while, usually restaurants or kitchen table).

 

I don't recommend joint replacement anymore because of my wife not overly happy with it and my old Army buddy got his done because of my experience.  He hates and regrets it.  So, I just speak of my experience, now.  

 

Back to the topic.  Even though I hope I'll never fly again, I have it for the next, almost, 5 years if things don't go as planned.  

 

I have a friend who had hip replacement about 5 years ago and she's still having serious problems due to an infection that won't heal.  My wife still gripes about her knee, but it's not pain, just "noises".  None of this scares me at all -  my hip hurts enough that I'm willing to do whatever it takes so I can walk, sit, stand and sleep without pain!

 

As for flying, I'm headed to Tampa for a conference in two weeks.  Before the end of the year, I will likely be flying to my company's offices in Richmond and our contract software development team's offices in Chicago.  I am really supposed to be traveling more than I do - at least once a month - but COVID slowed that down a bit.  I suspect things will get back to "normal" for travel next year.  

[Ret MP]

6 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 My wife still gripes about her knee, but it's not pain, just "noises". 

LOL, mine sounds like a ticking time bomb, and it can be heard by others if real quiet, when I walk or wiggle my knee left and right while sitting. Some, no pain!   

[DaKahuna]

For the past 10 years or so I was pretty much a road warrior - flying about 10 times a year for work and two times a year for vacation.  I am a bit of an over achiever and have Global Entry, Clear, and TSA Pre.  

 

My wife flies with me on vacations, two or three times a year at most so I have TSA Pre and Clear for her.   

 

I cannot being to count the amount of time that having Clear has saved me time over TSA Pre and how much time TSA Pre has saved me.  When we flew back from our last cruise out of Seattle, the TSA Pre line was said to be 15 minutes long.  We were thru security in under 5 minutes, most of which was spent waiting for the security scanner after passing the document check podium.

 

We frequently creuise out of FLL and when three or four large cruise ships empty on a Saturday or Sunday morning the lines can get horrendous as I am sure most of you know. 

 

[newcruzer2]

Only flown 3 times in the 5 yrs we had it..... Am definitely renewing, $85x2 BEST MONEY EVER SPENT

[time4u2go]

I agree with others about how good it is.  And definitely worth the difference to get Global Entry (unless you know that you will never fly internationally), as it's only $3 per year difference.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

In addition to all the listed benefits for TSA, if you plan any international air travel in the near future skip TSA and apply for Global Entry.  GE will get you TSA pre-check included.  Just make sure to input your Trusted Traveler Number on all your FF accounts or when you make your air reservation.  GE is only a few $ more and is well worth it if you return from overseas, by air.  We have used it twice at SFO once from Hong Kong and once from Germany.  It saved us at least 90 minutes both times clearing CBP.  There were people trying to get in the GE line who didn't have it and the CBP officer was directing them to the general line and telling them "it's about hour and half."  We use GE several times a month at the land crossing from Mexico into San Diego.  It saves us hours getting back into the US. 

[Ret MP]

Well, I think it's almost unanimous, Pre-Check is a good thing.

[buddylover]

15 hours ago, fac429 said:

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.

Ever fly out of Chicago O'Hare or LAS (Las Vegas)......been in TSA precheck lines for over an hour at each on multiple occasions.  There have been times when the regular line is shorter and we have left TSA PreCheck to go into those lines.  It really depends on time of day/date (holiday?, school break time?).  To say you have NEVER waited more than 5 minutes is really overstating TSA PreCheck....as we have NEVER gotten thru in 5 minutes when we fly.  OP, it is helpful in not having to take off shoes, belts, unloading bags etc....but you can wait in a LONG TSA PreCheck line at times too (we have!).

[Ret MP]

11 minutes ago, buddylover said:

Ever fly out of Chicago O'Hare or LAS (Las Vegas)......been in TSA precheck lines for over an hour at each on multiple occasions.  There have been times when the regular line is shorter and we have left TSA PreCheck to go into those lines.  It really depends on time of day/date (holiday?, school break time?).  To say you have NEVER waited more than 5 minutes is really overstating TSA PreCheck....as we have NEVER gotten thru in 5 minutes when we fly.  OP, it is helpful in not having to take off shoes, belts, unloading bags etc....but you can wait in a LONG TSA PreCheck line at times too (we have!).

I'm sorry YOU experienced that!  I'm sure others have experience what has been reported.  I know the one and only time I used Pre-Check at ATL, it was about 5 minutes.  SEA was a little longer because of the knee.

 

This is not an attack on you, not meant to be.  Just pointing out that everybody experiences things differently and recalls them differently.  For example:  The reported 5 minutes may have actually been 8 and a half minutes..............  

 

Oh, I don't think anybody guaranteed 5 minutes or less.  Just that their experience was never more that 5 minutes.  Their experience, not everybody else's.

Edited October 11, 2022 by Ret MP

[time4u2go]

9 minutes ago, buddylover said:

Ever fly out of Chicago O'Hare or LAS (Las Vegas)......been in TSA precheck lines for over an hour at each on multiple occasions.  There have been times when the regular line is shorter and we have left TSA PreCheck to go into those lines.  It really depends on time of day/date (holiday?, school break time?).  To say you have NEVER waited more than 5 minutes is really overstating TSA PreCheck....as we have NEVER gotten thru in 5 minutes when we fly.  OP, it is helpful in not having to take off shoes, belts, unloading bags etc....but you can wait in a LONG TSA PreCheck line at times too (we have!).

I've seen this too, where TSA Precheck can take longer than the regular lines.  I suspect TSA Precheck might become like self-disembarkation...as more and more people use it, it becomes the rule rather than the exception.

[njkruzer]

No problem using pre-check in Nashville this am.  No one ahead of us. 

[not-enough-cruising]

20 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Well, I think it's almost unanimous, Pre-Check is a good thing.

At DFW they are doing Beta testing for the next generation TSA Pre Check; facial recognition. 
I have used it twice now, it’s every bit the game changer as the original TSA Pre was at its inception. 

[smokeybandit]

32 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

At DFW they are doing Beta testing for the next generation TSA Pre Check; facial recognition. 
I have used it twice now, it’s every bit the game changer as the original TSA Pre was at its inception. 

They're doing boarding and customs by facial recognition now. Might as well do precheck that way too

[ymncruise]

I love not having to take off shoes, etc.  but in California, they made me take my small electronics out of my backpack. Didn’t have this happen in other states.