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> You can avoid that with precheck. Precheck is an extremely weird product. If the TSA checks actually had any safety impact, trying to bribe your way around

> You can avoid that with precheck. Precheck is an extremely weird product. If the TSA checks actually had any safety impact, trying to bribe your way around them should be the biggest red flag there is. Instead, precheck is expressly allowed and actively advertised. Precheck is nothing more than the TSA letting you pay your way out of a problem that it created.

josephcsible 5y ago
Your background gets checked as part of getting precheck. Not everyone can get it just because they can afford the fee. And it doesn't let you skip security completely; it just lets you go through a metal detector instead of a body scanner.
- cosmotic 5y ago
  There are other benefits: typically shorter line, don't have to remove shoes, don't have to unload laptop into bins, sense of superiority, etc.
xxxtentachyon 5y ago
I was surprised by this when I went in for my Precheck appointment soon after the program started. I had made room in my schedule for an hour or so, and was horrified when the entire interview was just a TSA employee taking my picture. I don't really understand what the utility could be beyond revenue and getting ahead of constituent pressure from people rich enough to make some noise about how useless the TSA is.
- josephcsible 5y ago
  It wasn't just that interview. A background check happened behind the scenes.
  - xxxtentachyon 5y ago
    I’m sure it did, but at that point why not automatically grant it to every citizen who can pass a background check?
    - josephcsible 5y ago
      Because it takes time and resources to do the background checks.
_moof 5y ago
The truly hilarious thing about PreCheck is that you don't even need it. Just give the airline a little extra money and you get access to the PreCheck line with no questions asked. I guess I'm glad they dispensed with the pretext, but... what?
- josephcsible 5y ago
  You're thinking of first class screening, which is not precheck. It's just a dedicated lane with a shorter line. You're subject to exactly the same checks as regular passengers.

josephcsible 5y ago

Your background gets checked as part of getting precheck. Not everyone can get it just because they can afford the fee. And it doesn't let you skip security completely; it just lets you go through a metal detector instead of a body scanner.

cosmotic 5y ago
There are other benefits: typically shorter line, don't have to remove shoes, don't have to unload laptop into bins, sense of superiority, etc.

xxxtentachyon 5y ago

I was surprised by this when I went in for my Precheck appointment soon after the program started. I had made room in my schedule for an hour or so, and was horrified when the entire interview was just a TSA employee taking my picture. I don't really understand what the utility could be beyond revenue and getting ahead of constituent pressure from people rich enough to make some noise about how useless the TSA is.

josephcsible 5y ago
It wasn't just that interview. A background check happened behind the scenes.
- xxxtentachyon 5y ago
  I’m sure it did, but at that point why not automatically grant it to every citizen who can pass a background check?
  - josephcsible 5y ago
    Because it takes time and resources to do the background checks.

_moof 5y ago

The truly hilarious thing about PreCheck is that you don't even need it. Just give the airline a little extra money and you get access to the PreCheck line with no questions asked. I guess I'm glad they dispensed with the pretext, but... what?

josephcsible 5y ago
You're thinking of first class screening, which is not precheck. It's just a dedicated lane with a shorter line. You're subject to exactly the same checks as regular passengers.