
Anyone on the same itenerary as a person with TSA Precheck also gets Precheck - stevecalifornia
https://arring.net/tsa-precheck/
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InTheArena
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
The third way is automatic enrollment via certain security clearances.

~~~
InTheArena
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
Nexus is even better: $50 gets you all 3 programs for 5 years.

~~~
wenc
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
Global Entry also lets you access the Canadian domestic trusted traveler
lines, FWIW.

~~~
dawnerd
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.

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wbronitsky
TSA screenings don't protect anyone from anything[0]; they are pure security
theater and a great way to control the flow of people around the USA. TSA
PreCheck is simply a revenue stream for the TSA.

[0] [https://abcnews.go.com/US/tsa-fails-tests-latest-
undercover-...](https://abcnews.go.com/US/tsa-fails-tests-latest-undercover-
operation-us-airports/story?id=51022188)

~~~
selectodude
I'm not sure that's a secret to anybody, but it's worth $20/yr for me to be
treated like a normal human. It's absolute extortion and it's reprehensible
but I fly too much to take a stand.

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mabbo
TSA precheck is not about security- it's about allowing the privileged,
wealthy, etc to not have to wait in line with everyone else. It's one of many
"pay for access" systems growing around us today.

$20 per ride toll lanes on the highways. "Express pass" at the amusement park.
Global Entry at US Customs. They're all just more ways of saying that the rich
don't need to wait around with the plebians.

~~~
dionidium
_All_ congested systems ration access. Price is a pretty straightforward way
to handle rationing. It's not very interesting or novel to notice that a lot
of systems ration this way.

~~~
freeone3000
It's a bit weird when _governments_ do it, though, especially for matters of
"security" (or in the case of Global Entry, actual security!) There's a bit of
a difference between waiting in line at Walt Disney World and having to go
through customs.

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lsiebert
Of course the number of terrorists trying to do something on domestic flights
is vanishingly small.

there were 631 million people flying in 2010, for example (I did a quick
google, I'm sure there are more up to date numbers somewhere). There were 6
terrorist incidents in the US, per wikipedia. Of those 1 involved a plane,
which wasn't a passenger jet.

Now, maybe all the security theater is keeping terrorists from trying to do
something, but given the fact that terrorists are blowing up markets and other
buildings in iraq and nothing would really prevent that, I'd say the number of
terrorists in the US is just incredibly small.

But yeah, it's amazing that the US government can treat everyone as a
suspicious individual, get them to pay to not be as big of a suspect, given
how little terrorism there actually is.

We spend billons of dollars on terrorism that could probably save a lot more
lives applied to things like safer cars or reducing medical mistakes.

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HEHENE
I have a friend who is ineligible for PreCheck due to prior criminal history,
and he has had the same thing happen to him. His wife got PreCheck and
suddenly every time he flew with her he got it also.

Having known him and his family for years, he's not a security risk at all but
it still seems like that probably shouldn't happen. Especially if the
individual is already disqualified for PreCheck.

~~~
mchristen
I guess the mistake here is thinking that PreCheck provides any kind of
additional security. Best I can tell it's a way to bribe the TSA to remove
some of the inconvenience of going through their security checkpoints.

~~~
PhasmaFelis
IIRC, specifically because wealthy people are much more likely to kick up a
scandal when mistreated, because they've learned to expect better. This lets
them weed out most of the complainers without actually having to improve their
policies.

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arenaninja
TSA precheck is one of those things I should use my credit card to be
reimbursed on. I fly sporadically, mostly within the continental US, and once
had a very uncomfortable search by a TSA agent.

A guy put on gloves, fondled my balls, my butt cheeks, hell he put his hands
inside my pants and went to town (luckily no finger in my butt, I don't think
I would have handled that well). I stayed pissed at this molestation for weeks
afterwards, and I would be surprised if the government hasn't exempted itself
from lawsuits and lawmakers from this shitstain process.

I'm a naturalized citizen, I vote for anyone who even hints at reigning in the
TSA, DHS, ICE, etc. Please do the same.

~~~
ChristianGeek
“Reigning in” means something completely different than what you intended!
(“Reining in” is what you wanted.)

~~~
arenaninja
Thanks, much appreciated! English is not my first language but after some time
complacency has definitely settled in and this one is so subtle I never
would've known!

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counterplex
All Pre tells me is that everyone else is going through more "security" than
even the TSA deems necessary for absolutely no reason. I refuse to enroll in
it mainly because of that.

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pmorici
The problem with pre-check and things like it is that it exempts those who
would otherwise complain the loudest and have the political clout to get the
system changed ie: politicians, frequent business travelers etc...

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koenigdavidmj
Doesn’t work all the time. I have it, but my wife doesn’t; we were both denied
precheck on one pair of flights. Maybe this is how they incentivize us to get
it for her too.

EDIT: typo

~~~
rorosaurus
I had an agent once tell me that "you only get pre 80% of the time". So I just
paid for a chance at precheck?

~~~
ubernostrum
In quite a few years of having it, I've never "missed" on Pre except when
flying a non-participating overseas airline from a US origin.

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rplst8
Security theater, my friends...

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mark212
hasn't worked for me on the last several trips on Southwest. (I'm PreCheck, my
wife isn't; same itinerary.)

~~~
stevecalifornia
Yes, I have seen this not work on Alaska as well. Def works on United though.

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Regardsyjc
If anyone has an American Express platinum credit card, Amex will reimburse
you for Global Entry or TSA Precheck. You get Precheck automatically with
Global Entry so I'd recommend opting for Global Entry. It also lasts for a few
years. The Amex Plat has a pretty hefty annual fee but comes with a bunch of
perks like an annual $200 airline credit, access to airport lounges, and more.
Totally worth opening for the points and perks and then downgrading imo.

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beagle3
Is there a comprehensive list of the programs (Tsa pre, global entry, nexus,
whatever) with the list of costs, perks, and eligibility?

Even a part of this information?

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brewdad
Is this a recent change? Last summer my teenage son was given Precheck
randomly. My wife and I did not and had to go through the regular line. We
gave him all of our electronics and all three of us sailed through security
even though two of us had to go through the standard line.

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KentGeek
Could somebody please kill this story before the wrong bureaucrat realizes
this is happening and I lose my precheck status when I fly with my wife?
Snitches get stitches.

~~~
elyrly
omerta

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java-man
a back door into security theater!

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perseusprime11
I heard Indian temples have fast lanes to see gods. This is a similar system
to create a fastlane. If you pay $99, you don’t have to take your shoes off.

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lern_too_spel
It makes sense if you think the person who has undergone the background check
vouches for the others on their itinerary.

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koolba
This really should work the other way around.

~~~
craftyguy
Anyone on the same itinerary as a person without TSA precheck does not get TSA
precheck? I think that already happens today..

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dboreham
fwiw I travel frequently and have observed the exact opposite : one or more
pax on the same locator as me have "Pre" status on their boarding pass. TSA
staff make me go separate from them, through the regular line.

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crazybLanKeT
true. happened to me few days ago on an int'l flight.

