6 ms·

PreCheck can be given two separate ways - one is via the the public program (what you do when you enroll) the other is via the airline basically saying "yeah, t

PreCheck can be given two separate ways - one is via the the public program (what you do when you enroll) the other is via the airline basically saying "yeah, this person is frequent enough that we don't think they are a problem" or they are traveling with someone who doesn't trip any of our flags. There is a cost that the airline takes (I've never heard exactly what it is) for each person they refer to the TSA as pre-cleared, which I assume means there is a separate lookup against TSA lists, etc. It's at the discretion of the carrier. United does it all the time, Delta somewhat, and Southwest almost never in my experience. So: a) Airlines can suggest pre-clearing you. b) There is some sort of match that the TSA also does. c) But just spend the money and get the full list. Almost all security is doctrine and kabuki theater. 9/11's big problem wasn't security screening, it was that the doctrine of hijackings at that point was that the threat was hostages and negotiation, and therefore the best thing to do was to comply with hijacker demands.

madengr 8y ago
The third way is automatic enrollment via certain security clearances.
- InTheArena 8y ago
  Yep. Not as cloak and dagger is just getting Global Entry, which also covers TSA: Pre. Even better is that some European countries reciprocate, and you can use expedited lanes going through customs.
  - btgeekboy 8y ago
    Nexus is even better: $50 gets you all 3 programs for 5 years.
    - wenc 8y ago
      Yes! Nexus is the magical trusted traveler program that few people know about because all the enrollment centers are only found at Canadians airports and land crossings near the Canadian border. Only U.S./Canadian citizens + permanent residents qualify however. It is so much better than Global Entry and TSA Precheck in that you get both of those AND Nexus (which even works like Precheck for domestic Canadian flights!) for $10/year.
      - gergles 8y ago
        Global Entry also lets you access the Canadian domestic trusted traveler lines, FWIW.
        dawnerd 8y ago
        Was a nice surprise when I last flew out of YYZ. Although had to have the Global Entry card on hand. Almost wasn't going to carry it with me since its not all that useful when flying.
  - sombremesa 8y ago
    Unfortunately global entry sucks for Indian citizens - if you reside in the US you have to go back to India to complete the process. I finished all of the steps in December 2017 and have yet to get India to submit the paperwork to the authorities...not sure they ever will. To top it off, none of the fees are refundable, even though the processing in the United States has not even started.
- vonmoltke 8y ago
  What clearances would those be? I had a TS/SCI and didn't have Precheck.
  - Rebelgecko 8y ago
    Not sure if that's what they're referring to, but it used to be that a DoD ID/CAC card number worked as a TSA precheck number.
    - astura 8y ago
      Only for active duty military. However, 1) not all active duty military have security clearances 2) most people with CACs aren't active duty (civilian employees and contractors have them too.) 3) not everyone who has a CAC has a security clearance. So has nothing to do with security clearances.
      - 5555624 8y ago
        No, DoD civilians just have to opt-in, it's automatic for members of the military. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/how-can-i-opt-tsa-precheck-dod-civilian https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/how-ca...
amscanne 8y ago
Actually I think the airlines may still need to pay something, even if you’re formally enrolled. For example, Norwegian Airlines, a discount provider doesn’t “participte” in TSA precheck. So although I’m enrolled, there’s no way to get precheck if you’re flying Norwegian. (At last that was the case last year, maybe it was just that their systems weren’t capable.)
- jaak 8y ago
  It's still the same case now, Norwegian Airlines doesn't participate in PreCheck (just flew to Europe last week). However, you can sort of mitigate that if you're also a member of Clear. At my local airport Clear lets me use the PreCheck lines even if the ticket isn't PreCheck (which is contrary to my understanding of how it's supposed to work, but I'm not complaining!).

madengr 8y ago

The third way is automatic enrollment via certain security clearances.

InTheArena 8y ago
Yep. Not as cloak and dagger is just getting Global Entry, which also covers TSA: Pre. Even better is that some European countries reciprocate, and you can use expedited lanes going through customs.
- btgeekboy 8y ago
  Nexus is even better: $50 gets you all 3 programs for 5 years.
  - wenc 8y ago
    Yes! Nexus is the magical trusted traveler program that few people know about because all the enrollment centers are only found at Canadians airports and land crossings near the Canadian border. Only U.S./Canadian citizens + permanent residents qualify however. It is so much better than Global Entry and TSA Precheck in that you get both of those AND Nexus (which even works like Precheck for domestic Canadian flights!) for $10/year.
    - gergles 8y ago
      Global Entry also lets you access the Canadian domestic trusted traveler lines, FWIW.
      - dawnerd 8y ago
        Was a nice surprise when I last flew out of YYZ. Although had to have the Global Entry card on hand. Almost wasn't going to carry it with me since its not all that useful when flying.
- sombremesa 8y ago
  Unfortunately global entry sucks for Indian citizens - if you reside in the US you have to go back to India to complete the process. I finished all of the steps in December 2017 and have yet to get India to submit the paperwork to the authorities...not sure they ever will. To top it off, none of the fees are refundable, even though the processing in the United States has not even started.
vonmoltke 8y ago
What clearances would those be? I had a TS/SCI and didn't have Precheck.
- Rebelgecko 8y ago
  Not sure if that's what they're referring to, but it used to be that a DoD ID/CAC card number worked as a TSA precheck number.
  - astura 8y ago
    Only for active duty military. However, 1) not all active duty military have security clearances 2) most people with CACs aren't active duty (civilian employees and contractors have them too.) 3) not everyone who has a CAC has a security clearance. So has nothing to do with security clearances.
    - 5555624 8y ago
      No, DoD civilians just have to opt-in, it's automatic for members of the military. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/how-can-i-opt-tsa-precheck-dod-civilian https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/how-ca...

amscanne 8y ago

Actually I think the airlines may still need to pay something, even if you’re formally enrolled. For example, Norwegian Airlines, a discount provider doesn’t “participte” in TSA precheck. So although I’m enrolled, there’s no way to get precheck if you’re flying Norwegian. (At last that was the case last year, maybe it was just that their systems weren’t capable.)

jaak 8y ago
It's still the same case now, Norwegian Airlines doesn't participate in PreCheck (just flew to Europe last week). However, you can sort of mitigate that if you're also a member of Clear. At my local airport Clear lets me use the PreCheck lines even if the ticket isn't PreCheck (which is contrary to my understanding of how it's supposed to work, but I'm not complaining!).