TSA Precheck heads-up--be prepared

[sam_gordon]

We've sailed with TSA Pre-Check dozens of times and have never had it not apply to us.

Still doesn't guarantee you'll always have it. As others have posted, the TSA website even says it's not guaranteed.

 

[Cheburashka]

Still doesn't guarantee you'll always have it. As others have posted, the TSA website even says it's not guaranteed.

Of course they say it isn't guaranteed. Otherwise someone would try to sue if Pre-Check was closed for some random reason or the passenger needs extra screening due to putting disallowed materials in the carryon or otherwise looking suspicious, or the passenger himself didn't document his KTN properly when making the reservation, etc.

My point is that it isn't a random experience. When I book using our KTNs, I know we'll get Pre-Check, and over several years and dozens of flights to many destinations, we always have. Calling it "random" implies that you have a good chance of it not working. As long as you document it properly when booking, that isn't the case.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We've used Pre for many years and never had an experience where we didn't get it - until I got the random security screening pop up on my boarding pass earlier this month. The security screening seems to be the random part, and it takes priority over the Pre. I didn't get Pre that flight, couldn't get Pre that flight, and went through a specific screening process to get through security. If that happens once every 100 flights or so, I'll be ok with it.

 

[Miffy]

Of course they say it isn't guaranteed. Otherwise someone would try to sue if Pre-Check was closed for some random reason or the passenger himself didn't document his KTN properly when making the reservation, etc.

My point is that it isn't a random experience. When I book using our KTNs, I know we'll get Pre-Check, and over dozens of flights to many locations, I always have. Calling it "random" implies that you have a good chance of it not working. As long as you documented it properly, that isn't the case.

I've had Precheck for at 6+ years and my experience, although not vast, is that I always get it. The only reason it wasn't listed on my boarding pass last week was that something went kaflooey with my check-in on the JetBlue app.

JetBlue admitted this when I chatted with them after I got two emails from them saying my payment for the extra-room seat had failed when in fact the payment hadn't failed. My boarding pass, btw, also didn't show either my seat assignment or the departure gate.

At the airport, a JetBlue rep was able to pull up my KTN and issue me a new boarding pass that listed Precheck on it. So if I'd been randomly selected to not get Precheck, then I was randomly selected to get it afterward, which makes zero sense.

My only somewhat funky experience with Precheck was several years ago at LGA, where, after going through the Precheck line, I was taken aside and had an additional screening. The TSA agent told me that that was random and had nothing to do with Precheck.

BTW, there was no one in the Precheck line in Terminal C at MCO during my experience last week. So I hardly think they were limiting the number of Precheck passengers.

 

[kylenne]

There are times where you will not get it. It may be because your airline ran out of slots, it may be that you are randomly selected for full screening. You may end up with the dreaded ZZZZZ on your BP which guarantees secondary screening. Big warning on the front page of tsa.gov, Pre does not guarantee expedited screening.

The only times I’ve not been able to use the Pre line it’s mostly been because of this. I travel quite frequently between JFK-YYZ and for a period of time in 2019 I got the dreaded ZZZZZ like 4 times in a row coming back from Pearson. I seriously doubt that was random, maybe they were suspicious because of how often I go, but after a very ugly incident with a TSA agent who decided my braids needed secondary screening I filed a complaint and mysteriously stopped getting flagged.

Occasionally Pre lines can be closed, esp. in smaller airports and when air travel started picking up again and airports were very short staffed. Pre lines at JFK were operating short hours for a bit. But even Pre-Covid it’s happened once or twice coming back from Canada (Have I mentioned how annoying YYZ is?). It’s why I always try to have liquids quickly accessible, just in case.

 

[gmi3804]

Your Known Traveler ID MUST be on your reservation for it to show up on your Boarding Pass. Always add it to your profile AND confirm it's there when you ticket. You can add it after you ticket and before you check in.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It’s why I always try to have liquids quickly accessible, just in case.

My husband has had global entry since earlier this year. He has flown a decent amount since then and has not had pre-check one time but the other times he has. I just got global entry in October but have yet to fly with it (will in about a month) but we both will continue to keep electronics and liquids as if we were flying before pre-check. I'd rather be prepared then stress or fuss with it at the airport or security line.

 

[gmi3804]

My husband has had global entry since earlier this year. He has flown a decent amount since then and has not had pre-check one time but the other times he has. I just got global entry in October but have yet to fly with it (will in about a month) but we both will continue to keep electronics and liquids as if we were flying before pre-check. I'd rather be prepared then stress or fuss with it at the airport or security line.

The ID needs to be linked to each reservation. You don't just "get" PreCheck without doing that. If it's linked to your profile on each airline, it should automatically be linked; I always double-check and have never had to add it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The ID needs to be linked to each reservation. You don't just "get" PreCheck without doing that. If it's linked to your profile on each airline, it should automatically be linked; I always double-check and have never had to add it.

Thanks for that but nothing I said should have indicated that we didn't know what we were doing lol. Trust me my husband is well aware of what to do considering he flies a lot for business with tickets rarely booked more than a week to two weeks in advance sometimes only a day or two in advance. It's in his SWA profile and Delta and American, he added it right after he got home from his global entry appointment. He had pre-check several times after that, didn't have it one time, and then had it the rest of the times. Thanks for your concern though.

 

[kylenne]

My husband has had global entry since earlier this year. He has flown a decent amount since then and has not had pre-check one time but the other times he has. I just got global entry in October but have yet to fly with it (will in about a month) but we both will continue to keep electronics and liquids as if we were flying before pre-check. I'd rather be prepared then stress or fuss with it at the airport or security line.

I do the same. You never know—I flew down to BWI this morning, breezed through Clear+Pre but I set the metal detector off in the Pre line and was told to take my boots off before going in the body scanner. Fortunately they’re zippered and come off fast.

Global Entry is well worth it, I would have it even if I didn’t get a credit for it through my travel card. I have to renew mine next year, but if you do any kind of international travel it makes it so much faster. Especially since a lot of airports are getting rid of electronic kiosks now. GE pax will still have them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I do the same. You never know—I flew down to BWI this morning, breezed through Clear+Pre but I set the metal detector off in the Pre line and was told to take my boots off before going in the body scanner. Fortunately they’re zippered and come off fast.

Global Entry is well worth it, I would have it even if I didn’t get a credit for it through my travel card. I have to renew mine next year, but if you do any kind of international travel it makes it so much faster. Especially since a lot of airports are getting rid of electronic kiosks now. GE pax will still have them.

My husband's new job is airline fueling systems so he flies 99% of the time to just the airports or right by them to an nearby jet fuel tank farm. His prior job was at power plants so he had steel toed boots from that. I want to say it was early summer and I forget where he was flying to but he forgot that he was wearing his steal toed boots..whoops. They're heavy but he was able to get them off fast enough. His new work boots aren't steal toed (I think they are composite) so it's fine.

His work paid for global entry which for how often he'll be at airports that's really nice and then the CC he has paid for mine. We've been fine without pre-check...but I have a feeling we're really going to enjoy the experience with it I just want to make it easier on myself and be prepared, no need for added stress if I don't have to!

 

[_19disnA]

I added my KTN# to my user profile for all of the airlines I regularly use. Obviously, when making a specific reservation it is good practice to check to see if it shows on the boarding pass to avoid an issue caused by 'user error' that you can easily correct before you ever travel.

 

[robinb]

I have Global Entry and I've never had a problem with my KTN. I always make sure that it's in my traveler profile before I make my reservation. But, this is a good reminder to take a photo of the card before I travel next and add it to 1Password.

 

[Lewisc]

My point is that it isn't a random experience. When I book using our KTNs, I know we'll get Pre-Check, and over several years and dozens of flights to many destinations, we always have. Calling it "random" implies that you have a good chance of it not working. As long as you document it properly when booking, that isn't the case.

Calling it random doesn't mean.a high probability of being sent to regular security.
A, very low, number of pre checks are randomly sent to regular security. Similar to a random irs audit. A way to get info on pre-check pax compliance


The vast majority of pre check.pax won't ever be randomly selected

The point is you don't really have a reason to complain if that happens to you. Suck it up.

Always look at your BP. If it doesn't say pre check allow extra time

 

[Miffy]

Just as a point of fact, JetBlue has my KTN. It's in my profile. I still don't know why it didn't show up on my initial boarding pass, although based on the odd email I got from JB saying my payment hadn't been received (it was received), I suspect it was some kind of a glitch.

But for the future, I will have my KTN with me, since it's something I didn't have easy access to last week.

ETA: When the agent at the Precheck line saw that my boarding pass didn't have Precheck on it, he asked me for my KTN, which I didn't know. So it wasn't like he was turning me away. If I'd've had my KTN he would've let me stay in the line. This seems to refute some PP's info that if your boarding pass doesn't say Precheck, then you don't have it and can't use it.

 

[Cheburashka]

Calling it random doesn't mean.a high probability of being sent to regular security.

"Random" indicates there is a good likelihood of it going either way. If you say, "The ability to drive to the airport in less than 3 hours is pretty random", when the airport is only a 30 minute drive away, that isn't an accurate statement. A person could counter: "Ah, but you could get in a car accident and have your timing completely derailed and then it would take over 3 hours. That could possibly happen." True, but that is so unlikely that it wouldn't make sense to say that it is "random" whether or not you can get to the airport in less than 3 hours.

 

[Lewisc]

Random" indicates there is a good likelihood of it going either way

Lottery numbers are randomly selected. Random certainly doesn't mean a high probability of winning.

 

[Cheburashka]

Lottery numbers are randomly selected. Random certainly doesn't mean a high probability of winning.

Random in that sense indicates that you're unlikely to get it. So again, that use of the term is inaccurate. Pre-check is highly reliable.

 

[EACarlson]

My point is that it isn't a random experience. When I book using our KTNs, I know we'll get Pre-Check, and over several years and dozens of flights to many destinations, we always have. Calling it "random" implies that you have a good chance of it not working. As long as you document it properly when booking, that isn't the case.

That's not what the word random means. Whether the odds are 50:1 or 100,000:1, there is still a chance that you could get randomly selected to not get the benefits of Pre. Come over to FlyerTalk and you'll find lots of stories of folks that did not get Pre for a multitude of reasons, including random selection. My wife got randomly selected to have to go through the body scanner earlier this month at MSP rather than using the WTMD.

 

[Lewisc]

Random in that sense indicates that you're unlikely to get it. So again, that use of the term is inaccurate. Pre-check is highly reliable.

My use of random is extremely accurate. Carefully read EACarlson post, if you want to get educated.