Airport TSA

[MARC Rider]

I've got some questions about Pre-Check, given that there seem to be some people here who have it. My wife and 25-year old daughter are flying with me to California in July for a family wedding. Leaving BWI on a Thursday morning, returning, leaving Oakland on a Saturday morning. Given all the hoo-hah I've been reading about TSA meltdown (and my own unfortunate experience last summer), I'm wondering whether we should apply. Of course that's three of us at $85 bucks apiece, but it is good for 5 years.

I looked at their website, and it seems like you don't have to make the initial application online, but you can just go to the interview (they have a couple of locations in inconvenient parts of Baltimore and also downtown DC.) Is it possible to schedule interview appoints for all 3 of us at the same time? (The appointment schedule form on the web site appears to only allow you to make one appointment at a time, but they have a phone number to call.)

If we do get an appointment, what has the experience been in terms for time from appointment to time that you receive your KTN ("known traveler number?") That is, what's the absolute latest we need to get the appointment in order to apply it to our flight in early July? We already have the reservations, but the website said you should be able to call the airline and have them apply the KTN to the reservation before the boarding pass is issued.

Is this worth it, or should we just suck it up and arrive at the airport 3 hours early? (Of course, I'd hate to go through the process, fork over the cash, and find out there's no pre-check line that day.)

 

[HighBall]

Speaking of TSA and incompetence - As of 5.23.16

TSA's Head Of Security 'Removed' From Office, Says House Panel

 

[Palmetto]

For MARC Rider:

I pre-applied online, then I went to Miami International for the actual sign-up. You can walk in, but if you have an appointment, you'll do better than walk-ins they say. BTW, there was no one in the office when I showed up, so the whole thing took about 15 minutes. I got an online answer in a couple of days, and a follow-up letter in about a week, both containing my KTN.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I didn't have to deal with the TSA directly since Pre membership comes with GE, but it sounds like signing up for Pre will probably take longer than before and is likely to mean less to those who already have it once everyone currently in the backlog finally gets signed up.

Link: http://www.wisn.com/news/wisconsin-travelers-express-frustration-over-tsas-precheck-program/39693824

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I didn't have to deal with the TSA directly since Pre membership comes with GE, but it sounds like signing up for Pre will probably take longer than before and is likely to mean less to those who already have it once everyone currently in the backlog finally gets signed up.

Link: http://www.wisn.com/news/wisconsin-travelers-express-frustration-over-tsas-precheck-program/39693824

I'm just waiting for everyone to have signed up for pre-screen and get in that line then I can breeze through the regular line. It might just pay to be poor (and not travel much). :lol:

 

[MARC Rider]

I didn't have to deal with the TSA directly since Pre membership comes with GE, but it sounds like signing up for Pre will probably take longer than before and is likely to mean less to those who already have it once everyone currently in the backlog finally gets signed up.

Link: http://www.wisn.com/news/wisconsin-travelers-express-frustration-over-tsas-precheck-program/39693824

I'm just waiting for everyone to have signed up for pre-screen and get in that line then I can breeze through the regular line. It might just pay to be poor (and not travel much). :lol:

Actually, what it means is that when they sign up everybody, security screening for most passengers will be the way it was before they started going nuts about it. That is, you'll be able to keep your shoes on, laptops in your bag, etc. That's part of the attraction of the pre-check program.

The taking off your shoes and belts, and having to pull laptops etc. out of the bags is what slows up the security lines in the first place. But it seems like they're happy to have most people not have to do this, as long as the passengers pay the ransom fee. So why not just end the silliness of the shoes and belts, etc? If they want money, they can just add a "security charge" to the ticket prices and be done with it.

BTW, the year after 9/11, I had occasion to travel to Tijuana, Mexico, and when I entered the pedestrian border crossing to return the the US, I had to go through a metal detector. I was about to empty my pockets, when the soldier (yes, there were genuine US Army (or maybe California National Guard) soldiers at that border crossing in June 2002) supervising the operation told me not to bother. Apparently they can set the detectors up so that they can distinguish between a cellphone, change and keys in the pocket and a weapon in the pocket. Of course, they don't have detectors that can distinguish between Cuban and Dominican cigars, but that's the point of the interview with the customs officer. (I brought no cigars over, but I did have a bottle of tequila in hand.)

 

[bretton88]

One thing they could do is permit pre-checking on folks under a given age (18? 16? 13?) if they're with an adult who qualifies and/or permit "piggyback" pre-check within a family (e.g. the parents would pay $85/ea but let the kids in for $20).

I've been mulling this over, btw, and my sense is that the TSA is being semi-intentionally obtuse in their handling of things (e.g. "keeping on keeping on" even as it became apparent that Precheck wasn't selling like they wanted it to, not to mention often botching up handling Precheck by not having the Precheck line open even when the main lines are extremely long). Basically, if next week a domestic airline attack (or foiled-in-progress attempt) occurred it would basically be all on the TSA's head (witness the dubious-to-criminal use of funds and documented bumbling). If, however, Congress starts seriously meddling then the TSA can at least /try/ to play the blame game. Yes, I recognize that their hands are tied in various ways but I get the feeling they almost WANT Congress to start ordering them around so they have some level of defense when the shoe inevitably drops.

Pre check has allowed kids 12 and under to come with their eligible parents for a couple years now.