I signed up for TSA pre check.

[HoneyBBQ]

Filled out the form online. Drove to a center and paid my $85. Got fingerprinted. Passport scanned. That's it. Took 5 minutes in time.

Now I will get to laugh and wave at you suckers in the cattle line at the airport taking your shoes off and trying to figure out where you left your belt and guzzling your water bottles.  

I figured the government already had my fingerprints from when I was naturalized, so why not!

Anyone else a pre-checker?

[wvugurl26]

I thought about doing it. I haven't flown this year at all though. Last year I flew a bunch. I work for the federal government, they got my fingerprints when I started and will get them again every 5 years when my badge and security clearance is renewed.

When it was first announced and you had to go to Dulles or Indy some people were making a huge deal about the fingerprints. It's just not an issue for me.

[bookkeeper]

I have been diverted to the precheck line before, but I have not paid to be in the fast line. DH is retiring so our days of flying on business trips will soon be over.

I think it is a really good idea for someone who flies all the time.

[chiver78]

I am also a prechecker. didn't make a hoot of difference on my way OUT last time, as the flight itself got all f'd up b/c of weather. but it was nice to be able to skip the line on the way home.

will be testing it out again in August, can't wait to see how that goes. I'm flying JetBlue, and the security line at that terminal at logan is redonkulous - and probably the reason that pushed me over the line to signing up. I fly JB from Logan 9 times out of 10.

[HoneyBBQ]

chiver, does JetBlue DO TSA precheck? I thought only certainly airlines (big ones) did it.

[chiver78]

they have started in certain cities (Boston being one...) in the past couple months. I signed up through my US Airways FF account first, but I fly with JB more.

[justme]

I am! I love it. I got the Global Entry and found out PreCheck was an added bonus. But now I'm thinking that Global Entry is the bonus!

www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/airlines-airports has a list of the airlines that have it at every airport. Though it's not always up to date. 

It sucks that they don't just use a card system instead of by airline. I'm not going to fly Air Tran again because they don't have precheck (ok, there's a few reasons but that's at the top).


ETA: If you think you may fly out of the country in the next 5 years, I'd pay the extra $15 and get Global Entry to skip customs lines. 

[zibazinski]

We won't make it before italy trip but we have appts for it in June.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

May 16, 2014 12:03:48 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

Filled out the form online. Drove to a center and paid my $85. Got fingerprinted. Passport scanned. That's it. Took 5 minutes in time.

Now I will get to laugh and wave at you suckers in the cattle line at the airport taking your shoes off and trying to figure out where you left your belt and guzzling your water bottles.  

I figured the government already had my fingerprints from when I was naturalized, so why not!

Anyone else a pre-checker?

Yep, I can go through on my NEXUS.  It's great!

[emma1420]

I was going to do it, but then I looked up the precheck hours at my home airport (which were only from 5a.m. to 7a.m. each day).   I don't think I travel enough to other domestic airports to make it worth the $85.  I find the security lines for passengers with airline status at most airports to be adequate.  Although, if my home airport didn't have such ridiculous hours I'd definitely get it.

[HoneyBBQ]

May 16, 2014 13:06:54 GMT -5 emma1420 said:

I was going to do it, but then I looked up the precheck hours at my home airport (which were only from 5a.m. to 7a.m. each day).   I don't think I travel enough to other domestic airports to make it worth the $85.  I find the security lines for passengers with airline status at most airports to be adequate.  Although, if my home airport didn't have such ridiculous hours I'd definitely get it.

Yeah, I waited literally 45 minutes in line at SEATAC the other day.... my spouse had precheck. Never again. 

[justme]

When did you last check? The hours that used to be on the precheck site I linked have disappeared. I've been able to get precheck at the places I've flown out of (Orlando, Tampa, DC, San Fran) at all hours of the day.

[HoneyBBQ]

I didn't see anything about NEXUS when I signed up for precheck. How does that work?

[justme]

It's under a different system (Global Entry). NEXUS lets you cut the lines in both US and Canadian customs. It also gives you a trusted traveler # for precheck. Global Entry lets you cut the line in any US customs entry and has several reciprocal countries - though Canada and Mexico are not ones. I know Australia and New Zealand accept Global Entry in their customs. 


ETA: They're under the DHS while precheck is through TSA. www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

May 16, 2014 13:48:31 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

I didn't see anything about NEXUS when I signed up for precheck. How does that work?

NEXUS is the way we get into Canada (we go about weekly) without waiting in the ridiculous lines at the border.

You apply and pay, get called in for an interview at one of the border stations, they take your picture and fingerprints and a few weeks later if everything is kosher, you get a card in the mail.  I can use my NEXUS card in replacement of a passport when I go to Canada.  My NEXUS card also has a retinal scan on it, so I can bypass airport custom lines at airports in Canada that have scanning devices (for us, it is usually YVR because we are as likely to fly out of there as Seattle).

When we got back from Mexico last year, it allowed us to bypass customs coming into the US as well.  Unfortunately, we still had to wait and go through customs to go into Mexico.

[8 Bit WWBG]

So what do you actually get?  I don't mean what is listed on the site, I mean what REALLY happens?  Is the line shorter?  Do you just walk on through?  Is there still a metal detector (or hyper-invasive body scanner that totally stores images even though they claim not to)?

If you have to travel at a busy time, I'm sure it can be quite worth it.  I don't fly that often, so I'm not sure it would be worth it for me.

[HoneyBBQ]

May 16, 2014 15:42:00 GMT -5 alwaysbeoptimizing said:

I did global entry, which also gets me into precheck, but haven't had a chance to use it yet. Where were you naturalized from?

Germany. Military brat.

[HoneyBBQ]

May 17, 2014 13:37:00 GMT -5 8 Bit WWBG said:

So what do you actually get?  I don't mean what is listed on the site, I mean what REALLY happens?  Is the line shorter?  Do you just walk on through?  Is there still a metal detector (or hyper-invasive body scanner that totally stores images even though they claim not to)?

If you have to travel at a busy time, I'm sure it can be quite worth it.  I don't fly that often, so I'm not sure it would be worth it for me.

You get a 10 digit number that you put in when you make your reservations. Your boarding pass says PRECHECK on it and you don't have to go through the normal screening line. You get to go through one with nobody in it! You don't have to take off your shoes and a few other things (like take out laptops, etc). There is still a normal scanner. You can also take a kid with you, and they don't have to do any of the stupid screening stuff, either. Which is awesome when you have a 2 yr old and you're trying to take out your laptop, take off your belt, take off your shoes, take of THEIR shoes, etc. It's just too much damn work.

It seems like now no matter when I fly it always takes an hour to get through security. I'd rather show up later at the airport and breeze through.

[tcu2003]

Hmmm...being able to take a kid through with you might make it worth it for me. Even with AA's priority access, it can still take forever to go through security since I'm at a hub.

Can you also take a kid through with you if you do Global Entry? And do you have to renew every so often?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

May 17, 2014 17:01:02 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Hmmm...being able to take a kid through with you might make it worth it for me. Even with AA's priority access, it can still take forever to go through security since I'm at a hub.

Can you also take a kid through with you if you do Global Entry? And do you have to renew every so often?

For Global Entry, everyone needs to have a card.  I renew my card every 5 years.

Do my Global Entry benefits extend to my travel companion(s) (children, spouse, or co-traveler) who is/are not part of the Global Entry program?

Global Entry benefits are member specific and cannot be extended to others.

www.cbp.gov/global-entry/faqs

[8 Bit WWBG]

...:::"...and they don't have to do any of the stupid screening stuff...":::...

So basically, if you pre-pay, you must not be dangerous.

Getting to stroll through without having to go through the invasive nonsense that is all for show definitely sounds worth the money.  There are days I'd probably pay the $85 just to go through ONE line without some buffoon pawing at my things.  It'd be nice to wear lace up shoes on a flight again...

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

May 17, 2014 20:53:44 GMT -5 8 Bit WWBG said:

...:::"...and they don't have to do any of the stupid screening stuff...":::...

So basically, if you pre-pay, you must not be dangerous.

Getting to stroll through without having to go through the invasive nonsense that is all for show definitely sounds worth the money.  There are days I'd probably pay the $85 just to go through ONE line without some buffoon pawing at my things.  It'd be nice to wear lace up shoes on a flight again...

i suspect tha TSA pre check works a lot like NEXUS.  While you usually get a free pass through security, they DO do spot checks if you happen to draw the lucky number.

I've had my NEXUS card 5 years now, and twice in the last 6 months the car we were in was snagged for further examination.  This really sucks because we have to go into a building and wait while they go through the car.  

[truthbound]

I am not cattle. I don't fly. So I guess good for you?

[pinkbow832]

I have Global Entry and pre-check, and both are glorious!  Global Entry is amazing when you can breeze through customs/immigrations in approx. 30 seconds while everyone else is standing in line for an hour or two.  The pre-check part is awesome for skipping the line, not having to undress/take things out of your suitcase, and you normally go through a metal detector vs. one of the radiation scanners.  We've had it for about 2 years now and will definitely renew when it expires.  I think the Global Entry portion is worth the price and having pre-check is a bonus to that.