TSA Pre-Check

I'm hoping to make several trips to Vegas this year and a couple or more to Texas. I finally decided to apply for TSA Pre-Check.

I did the online application this past Sunday and scheduled the interview for 1pm the next day. It took about an hour to drive there, the interview was basically me providing my id, birth certificate, and finger prints. They took a picture of me.

I was back on the road by 1:15. Around 5:00 that same day I got an email update. My status had changed to Eligibility Determined, I Googled this and it seemed to me I was approved.

Today I received another email saying I was approved and a link to get my known traveler number.

My wife has a KTN through her job. In the past I would get Pre-Check if I booked my flight along with hers. But if I go to Vegas before her and we travel home together she would get Pre and I would not.

We flew ATL to Hobby recently and both got Pre. They had a new thing in place that scans your ID. This took a minute and became the choke-point. Getting through the luggage scanners took no time, you kinda had the place to yourself.

 

McCarran isn't very TSA Pre-check friendly. At least in my experience they usually have it closed and make you get in line with the regular boarders. The only perk is they give you a paper saying TSA and you don't have to take your shoes off but if you beep they make you take it off anywyas.

 

Scan your ID instead of you boarding pass? Charlotte Pre-Check has had a pilot for this for awhile (I want to say about a year) and it has generally been quicker than handing over ID and boarding pass (or scanning the BP). Was there something specific that caused the delays?

 

It seems that one's spouse gets precheck if you have it, even if they don't officially.

 

I love having pre-check. Especially since I don't have to take out all my camera gear any more. Funny thing, when I applied, I did so maybe a month or so before my trip. I was waiting and waiting and still no KTN the day before my flight. I was like oh well, at least maybe I'll get it for the flight home. I got in my car around 5am to go to the airport the morning of my flight and that's when I got the email with the KTN. Updated my mobile boarding pass right then, and good to go!

 

Get back in the pack with the rest of the homies. WHO do YOU think you are ? Jeeze, some people.

 

I can't recall specifically but I believe that in CLE when I left for Vegas in Feb that I put my phone on the scanner and showed the lady my ID. I had a photo of the boarding pass which also worked to get on the plane.

Anyone travelling with you typically gets it as long as you have your number in the system and all tickets are booked on the same reservation. When I flew in 2018 I bought the tickets and then got my KTN. As a result my GF had to go through regular security and I went through precheck on the way out. It took her 45 minutes and me 5. On the way home both our boarding passes printed with the precheck.

As far as precheck in vegas, it takes slightly longer than where I am in Cleveland but still only a few minutes. They wouldn't give you the bowls for your pocket goods and wanted you to put everything in your carry on before putting it on the belt for scannong.

 

Great, Now everyone is going to apply for it

 

They only wanted the ID. They stuck in a machine that sucked in a for a moment then the guy would look at the computer screen. Took a minute or so. On top of that he would ask about 10% for their boarding pass.

 

Yup, that's the same system. Wonder if it's just a training thing, as I found it quicker than the traditional method in Charlotte. Actually, my last trip there were two lines for Pre Check, one using the scanner and one the traditional pre-check boarding pass and ID, and we could see the scanner line moving quicker.

 

That must be a certain check area... we ALWAYS get precheck and go right through. We have been there when it opened at 6am or so at least twice - if it had been 10 minutes earlier, we would have gone the regular route.

 

I flew out on sprint at LAS around 5PM on a Monday a few weeks ago and the pre check line was closed at that security point for the day already

 

When I flew last week Austin was doing the ID scan only. It was fast.

 

Good to hear. I'm hoping to be in Austin mid April.

 

Pre check at the A/B gates have limited hours. (Sun/Mon/Thu/Fri) 5 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed on Tue, Wed, Sat..
https://www.mccarran.com/security

 

In today’s third world flying environment, I can’t imagine that anyone who took more than a flight a year not wanting pre-check. Our preference is to make our airline travel as hassle free as possible, and pre-check helps do that. Almost everyone we know who has pre-check has an occasional complaint about it, but we don’t know anyone who is giving it up.

Would you like pre-check? Yes, please. Would you like to give it up and get a refund because the last time you went the line was closed? No, thank you.

We have pre-check and global entry. Global entry saves even more time and hassle than pre-check.

The conveniences and failures have been well and exhaustively documented on this Board, but I think the consensus is “go for it.”

 

We have Global Entry and Clear. Clear gets to cut the Pre-check line

 

When the pre-check at LGA (older terminals) is closed, they give you a card that gets you "expedited screening" where you don't need to take off your shoes or take laptop out of bag and such.

In LAS I saw the reverse. In the C check point they had a dog and were announcing "Everyone is Pre-Check today, please don't pet the dog." and the dog sniffed your bag as you were moving through the queue.

 

We got TSA Pre last summer.
Hopefully, one of these days, we'll actually get to use it.

 

Had 3 flights already booked.
Did precheck and got my KTN and was able to go back and add it to my already booked flights.