TSA Precheck

[daniel2002p]

Since I travel quite a lot of work I figured I would sign up for TSA Precheck at DFW Airport. I made an appointment but as usual it is not until end of August, it was the soonest available. I read somewhere that this week it is moving outside the secure area at the D terminal so I can do a walk-in in hopes that they will have time to see me sooner.

Has anyone done a walk-in with the Precheck folks and how does it work really?

--Daniel

[steveincowtown]

With your frequent travel do you have status with any of the airlines at DFW? You may be able to get it easier that way. Not sure how it works now, but as Ex Plat with AA I was signed up automatically and just notified.


Regarding the walk up, if it is anything like Global Entry they will ask you the same 10 questions 3 different ways and you will be on your way.

[TVGuy]

Yes, it's very easy. You go in they & go over some info, ask some simple questions, take your picture, show you how to use it on a dummy machine and that's it. Park in the middle of the terminal. It's in the lower level just left of center if you are facing the terminal. Shouldn't take but 20-30 minutes.

[daniel2002p]

With your frequent travel do you have status with any of the airlines at DFW? You may be able to get it easier that way. Not sure how it works now, but as Ex Plat with AA I was signed up automatically and just notified.


Regarding the walk up, if it is anything like Global Entry they will ask you the same 10 questions 3 different ways and you will be on your way.

I only have Platinum not Ex Plat so I don't get the perks others do.

--D

[daniel2002p]

Yes, it's very easy. You go in they & go over some info, ask some simple questions, take your picture, show you how to use it on a dummy machine and that's it. Park in the middle of the terminal. It's in the lower level just left of center if you are facing the terminal. Shouldn't take but 20-30 minutes.

Sweet I may pay them a visit this Thursday once they open it outside the secure area.
Thanks!

--D

[FL450]

Their might be multiple locations. In Houston my company signed me up for Global Entry since we travel out of the country which includes Pre-Check and Houston had two locations( Downtown and IAH)

[jimlongley]

My wife's recent airline tickets showed "TSA Precheck" with a green checkmark on them, but mine did not. I used to be a TSA "officer." Of course mayne the "used to be" has something to do with it. It did not seem to make a difference with our check in experience, and my fake knee gets me hand scanned EVERY time.

[PUCKER]

If you travel out of the country a few times a year I *highly* recommend getting Global Entry. As mentioned, you get TSA PreCheck with that as well. Imagine coming back into the USA on a Saturday in July/August and everyone else is getting back from Cancun, etc. and you've been on an overnight flight and there is at least a 1.5 hour line to clear immigration and then another 1.5 hour line once you get your bag to clear customs...been there...done that...HATED IT! With Global Entry you walk up to a kiosk in immigration and you are out of there in a couple of minutes or less, you go down the escalator and you are waiting on your bag (that's the longest part, getting your bag)...once you get your bag you walk to a special line and they look at your credentials and then you walk out. It's easy/peasy.

[sookandy]

I signed up through American with my EX Plat status during the trials. At first it was pretty random. Now I get it about 98% of the time. I don't think I had to answer anything. Just ID info. It sure makes it easier and faster. TSA seems to be much nicer in those lanes too.

[FL450]

Just dropped a plane and passengers off in Orange County,LA and catching AA home.
My boarding pass didnt print pre check but I went thru the pre check lane with my Global One.
The TSA officer made me rejoin the normal line at the Xray but I did bypass the long line.

[daniel2002p]

Well I did the interview with TSA peeps at DFW Airport. Now for the wait which they say takes 30-60 days for the "Security Threat Assessment".

--D

[Vol Texan]

I've notice a bunch of replies here, but they wander back and forth from the topics of 'Pre-Check' to 'Global Entry'.

I do fly a lot, so, for the un-initiated, I hope I can simplify this (I've had both for a number of years, and each keeps evolving, so some of the details here may change, but this should be general enough to see the difference):

• Pre-Check is a program offered by the TSA that makes it easier to get through airport security. As a Pre-check customer, I get shorter lines, less invasive screening (e.g. I don't have to go through the naked body scanner, remove shoes, remove belt, take PC out of the bag, etc.). Instead, I keep on most everything, put my bags on the conveyor, and walk through the magnetometer. In short, it's a better way to get into the secure are of the airport so I can fly.
• Global Entry is a program offered by the CBP that makes it easier to get through customs when re-entering the United States. As a Global Entry customer, I get shorter lines, less tedious interview process (e.g. an interview with a CBP officer who is trying to identify who I am and query me about any number of things + a second line after leaving the baggage area). Instead, I put my data & biometrics into a kiosk and have a very brief face-to-face with a CBP officer, and if I didn't check bags (which I usually don't, even on international trips), I can bypass the baggage area and the second line altogether. In short, it's a better way to get into the country so I can get back home (and re-arm, of course!)

FAQ & other stuff:

• If you get Pre-check, do you automatically get Global Entry? Nope...these are two programs offered by two agencies, each with a different purpose.
• If you get Global Entry, do you automatically get Pre-Check? Nope...but it does help, since you will have already received your 'Trusted 'Traveler' number. But you still have to apply.
• Are there other programs? Sure, CBP has several other related programs, such as FAST, FLUX, NEXUS, SENTRI, SES, Smart Gate and STEP. Some of those (e.g. FLUX, SES, & Smart Gate) offer us who frequently travel to/from the Netherlands, S. Korea, and Australia to have simplified entries into those countries. NEXUS and SENTRI simplify entry between US, Canada, and Mexico for those who do so regularly.
• Global Entry costs $100. Some frequent flyers get reimbursed for this (see last note below).
• Pre-Check costs $85. Global Entry members don't have to pay this.
• Global Entry is accepted at around 45 airports right now.
• Pre-check is accepted at around 115 airports right now, but only if you're flying one of the accepted airlines. For instance, when I fly United, I get it most of the time, but when I jump on a Singapore Airlines or Lufthansa flight, I don't.
• If you have Global Entry, is it always available? Almost always. Rarely have I seen the kiosks closed, and there is no random selection process. If the kiosk is open, then I can use it.
• If you have Pre-Check, is it always available? Most of the time, but not always. As I mentioned above, if you're flying the wrong airline, your out of luck. But also, the process routinely selects you to go through the full screening. It rarely happens for me, but sometimes, it does. Of course, they tell you up front if you've got it or not, because it is printed on my boarding pass before I ever leave home. When I don't have it printed, I leave for the airport a bit earlier to make sure I have time enough to get through the full screening process (complete with opt-out of the full-body scanner and the requisite pat-down after).
• Some airlines will pay for their most frequent travelers to participate in these programs. For instance, United will foot the bill for Platinum, 1K, and Global Services members of their frequent flyer program for Global Entry.

All this so I can go to work...I put in over 350K miles last year alone.

So, to get back to the OP's point...

If you ever do any international travel, I'd get Global Entry. From a financial perspective, it makes sense, because then you don't have to pay for Pre-Check, and you could get both programs for only $15 difference.

If you are a frequent flyer with high enough status to get it reimbursed, get Global Entry. That way, you can effectively get both for no cost.

If you never travel internationally, and you don't have high enough frequent flyer status, then Pre-Check is still worth it, if you fly several times per year (you have to weigh the cost-benefit analysis of the $85 vs. the hassle and time at the airport for yourself).

On a side note, the CBP officers I've met have all been very professional and good to work with. I see mant of the same ones on a regular basis as I enter at Bush airport in Houston, and I'm overall quite impressed with them. To see that organization come up with something as logical as Global Entry for regular travelers doesn't surprise me one bit. (Note: this is not an original program...when I lived in Singapore, every legal resident of the country (me included as a foreigner!) were able to use a very similar program at their border using automated kiosks.)

Many of the TSA folks I've met have been quite good - and some have been a bit spotty - but I'm definitely not a fan of the decision-making the TSA does at the higher levels. So who'd ever think the bosses at TSA would come up with something good like Pre-Check? I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut, every once in a while.

[RogueUSMC]

Is the Pre-check a one time deal or does it expire?

[daniel2002p]

Is the Pre-check a one time deal or does it expire?

Expires every 5 years from what I remember.

--D