Did you know you may be able to speed up your trip through security at the airport? If, like me, you feel like you’re always running behind once you’ve packed the snacks and headed out the door, you can benefit from participating in TSA Pre✓™.
If you qualify for this program, you’ll walk to a very short line, show your boarding pass and walk though a metal detector while your bag is being X-rayed. No removing items from your bag or clothing from your body. Let me qualify that – you might have to remove a trench coat, but if you want to wear your fancy boots that take forever to put on or take off, go right ahead because they will stay on your feet. You can also manage to avoid the full body scanner.
It’s unbelievable how much more pleasant a trip through the airport becomes when you remove the stressor of the regular TSA line. The requirements as listed on the TSA website are:
Q. Who is eligible for TSA Pre✓™?
A. Travelers that are eligible for TSA Pre✓™ include:
•U.S. citizens of frequent flyer programs who meet TSA-mandated criteria and who have been invited by a participating airline.
•U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents with a Known Traveler Number (KTN), sometimes referred to as a trusted traveler number.
•U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who are members of the TSA Pre✓™ application program.
•Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including those serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Reserves, and National Guard.
•Department of Defense and U.S. Coast Guard civilian employees.
•Members of the following U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) trusted traveler programs:
•All members of Global Entry.
•U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and Canadian citizens who are members of NEXUS.
•U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who are members of SENTRI.
TSA will determine an individual’s eligibility for TSA Pre✓™ on a flight-by-flight basis through an intelligence risk-based analysis of passenger data. A comparison of the four DHS Trusted Traveler programs is available here.
Currently, there are 11 airlines that participate in the program. I inadvertently was approved for a recent trip by using a 3rd party online booking site and leaving a checkbox checked. If I had known how much I’d like the service, I would have been demanding it, searching for that checkbox, and feeling stressed if I couldn’t find it. Serendipity is a wonderful thing!
If you feel enough pressure planning ahead for your dietary, workout, and health routine needs for a trip, you can now get rid of some stress by taking the easy way through the airport. I highly recommend it.
Anyone else use this service? Has it worked as well for you as it has for me?
For more information, visit:
http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/faqs
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”