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[Archived] TSA Pre-Check / PreCheck Known Traveler program for AA FFs

Old Dec 26, 2012, 9:58 pm
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Last edit by: JDiver
TSA Pre-Check / PreCheck Known Traveler program for AA FFs (consolidated)


You are eligible to be selected (on a flight-by-flight basis) for TSA PreCheck expedited screening if:
  • You are a frequent American Airlines flyer that have been invited by American Airlines to participate and followed the instructions on the email to accept, or/and
  • You participate in a "Trusted Traveler" program (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI and/or TSA PreCheck application program) and have entered your "Known Traveler ID" in the reservation
    • If you're using your AAdvantage number, you can enter the "Known Traveler ID" in the Personal Information and Password tab of My Account) so it will auto-populate in all new reservations bearing the AAdvantage number made anywhere
    • If your reservation doesn't have your AAdvantage number, you can retrieve it and add the "Known Traveler ID" to it. The method is not very intuitive: on AA.com click on my trips, then on view all, then on find my reservation and enter either the record locator (if you know it), or the flight information using the AA operating flight number (not any eventual codeshare number from another airline).
    • Your Secure Flight Information (name, sex, DOB) in the reservation must match the one with the program (except for "middle" or other names, which are ignored) (name on ticket does not matter)
    • You will find your "Known Traveler ID" on the GOES website or on your program's card, under the name "PASSID". It is either 9 digits or the letters TT plus 7 digits
You will know if you have been selected on a particular flight if the wording or logo "TSA PreCheck" appear on your boarding pass.

NOTE: 20 May 2016: "Todays announcement makes a total of 16 carriers that participate in TSA Pre✓: Aeromexico, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant, American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Seaborne Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin America and WestJet.

Passengers who are eligible for TSA Pre✓ include: members of the TSA Pre✓ application program, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trusted Traveler program, Global Entry, and Canadian citizens who are members of CBPs NEXUS program. TSA Pre✓ is also available for U.S. Armed Forces service members, including those serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Reserves and National Guard."

Link

How it works

In the Pre-Check lane, you no longer need to remove the following items:
  • Shoes (some, such as steel-toed shoes, may require removal)
  • 3-1-1 compliant bag from your carry-on (all liquid restrictions still apply)
  • Laptop from your bag (if electronics are stacked on top of each other, they require removal)
  • Light outerwear or jacket
  • Belt (large belt buckles may require removal)
  • Pre-Check Lanes are WTMD only-- No NoS in use
LOCATIONS

Link to FlyerGuide Wiki listing of American Airlines (only) PreCheck checkpoints.

Link to FT thread AA Airport / Concourse TSA PreCheck - Hours [only] (may not be current)

See also post 1 of this thread. (It contains much additional info in the Moderator's Note.)

NOTE: PreCheck is changing to a Trusted Traveler (GE/NEXUS/SENTRI) -like program, where anyone will be able apply and pay USD $85 (online or at a PreCheck enrollment center), be vetted for approval, present proof of identification and be fingerprinted at a PreCheck enrollment center (IAD and IND, opening Fall 2013, will be thie first), and be granted PreCheck status for five years from that time. It will not be airline - or airline status - tied.

"Current PreCheck participants, including those eligible via a CBP Trusted Traveler Program such as Global Entry, will continue to receive PreCheck eligibility. Participants who opted-in through their airline frequent flyer program may want to consider applying for PreCheck, as they are more likely to be selected for PreCheck expedited screening more often if they are vetted via the PreCheck application process." Link.

Trusted Traveler (Global Entry, Nexus, Sentri) and Having Problems with PreCheck?






If you belong to one of the Trusted Traveler Programs listed above, you may run into issues getting PreCheck clearance if your Secure Flight Data is not an exact match to the data that you entered into your application on the GOES (Global Online Enrollment System) website when you applied for your TT membership.

For example, if your airline account has Bob Jones, but your GOES account has Bob James Jones, then the TSA may not be associating your information properly when it "decides" who can and can not have access. Additionally, if your PASS ID # (listed above in the screen-shots) is not an exact match, there will be a mismatch when TSA processes your information, and you will not receive PreCheck.

To ensure you receive PreCheck on all flights (domestic & internatioal), be sure to ensure the information in your AA profile is accurate. The name on the ticket does not matter- the "Secure Flight Data" is what is used to determine PreCheck status.


Signed in members with 90 days / 90 posts can edit this Wikipost; wiki contents may be printed by using the (lower right wiki corner)



TSA Pre✓ / PreCheck / Pre Check Issues, Changes, etc.

Known issues:

  • Not every airport or terminal offers the TSA Pre✓ program

  • TSA Pre✓ may have limited or irregular hours or closed at times without notice

  • TSA Pre✓ members are still be subject to random selection for intensified screening

  • TSA Pre✓ program has changed from an airline elite invitation program to a fee-based program with certain screening requirements

  • If one's TSA Pre✓ status is from the pilot invitation program and one doesn't have a Known Traveler Number ("KTN"), TSA Pre✓ status may not carry on to another airline and one may experience increasing denials (not having the TSA Pre✓ printed on boarding pass and being sent to the regular TSA screening queues

Link to TSA Application Program and TSA Pre✓ program information, links

Changes to TSA Pre✓

TSA Pre✓ was originally offered by certain airlines to their elite status members. These TSA Pre✓ members do not have a Known Traveler Number from a USDHS trusted traveler program (GOES / Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI or the new $85 fee based TSA Pre✓ Application Program offered to the flying public with 5 year renewal), making TSA Pre✓ status portability challenging. See the DHS Trusted Traveler programs listing and comparison chart here. Please read the following:

From American Airlines, April 2015:

This month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is making changes to the TSA Pre✓ Trusted Traveler Program that will impact which travelers receive expedited screening. If you're not already a member of one of the Trusted Traveler programs like Global Entry or the TSA Pre✓ Application Program, you will probably see a decline in how often you receive expedited screening, even if you've previously "opted-in" through a frequent flyer program.

The best way to increase your chances of receiving TSA Pre✓ on a regular basis is to register for a Trusted Traveler Program with the Department of Homeland Security at dhs.gov/tt. Once you receive your Known Traveler Number (KTN) from TSA, be sure you update your AAdvantage profile.

To add your KTN to your AAdvantage profile:
  • Login to your account on aa.com and select My Account from the AAdvantage menu
  • Within My Account, go to the Information and Password tab
  • Add your Customs and Border Protection 9-digit PASS ID to your secure traveler information
For more information on TSA Pre✓, visit tsa.gov/tsa-precheck.
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[Archived] TSA Pre-Check / PreCheck Known Traveler program for AA FFs

Old Jul 23, 2012, 4:14 pm
  #2491  
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, SPG LT Plat, AA 3MM EXP
Posts: 397
Reading the Barcode

Anyone enterprising enough out there to be able to decode the barcode to know if you can safely pack your liquids deep in the luggage or keep them handy? Here are my *assumptions*. Yes, assumptions only, enlighten me if otherwise, please:

* the barcode readers at the airport are "dumb" and not networked to anything
* this means all information whether you are getting LLL or not reside in the barcode on your BP
* the "randomness" of whether you get it or not is determined when the BP is printed through AA webservices
* if you could scan the barcode at home or with your mobile phone (like a QR code) you could easily tell if you are pre-Check or not
* this is assuming that you could clearly see the "LLL" embedded in the scan once the scan data comes back
* the barcode is not very secure anyway, since all "dumb" readers can decode it

Someone want to write a quick iOS app for the iPhone to do this????? And, I assume this is not a crime, reading your own encoded information, right?
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 5:19 pm
  #2492  
 
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Originally Posted by gozetta
Anyone enterprising enough out there to be able to decode the barcode to know if you can safely pack your liquids deep in the luggage or keep them handy? Here are my *assumptions*.
The barcode is PDF-417, but it's encrypted. You can read the barcode, but you'd have to decode the string. I believe the boarding pass scanners are standalone, but I'm not 100% sure.
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 6:24 pm
  #2493  
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
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Originally Posted by gozetta
Anyone enterprising enough out there to be able to decode the barcode to know if you can safely pack your liquids deep in the luggage or keep them handy? Here are my *assumptions*. Yes, assumptions only, enlighten me if otherwise, please:

* the barcode readers at the airport are "dumb" and not networked to anything
* this means all information whether you are getting LLL or not reside in the barcode on your BP
* the "randomness" of whether you get it or not is determined when the BP is printed through AA webservices
* if you could scan the barcode at home or with your mobile phone (like a QR code) you could easily tell if you are pre-Check or not
* this is assuming that you could clearly see the "LLL" embedded in the scan once the scan data comes back
* the barcode is not very secure anyway, since all "dumb" readers can decode it

Someone want to write a quick iOS app for the iPhone to do this????? And, I assume this is not a crime, reading your own encoded information, right?
2000 some posts since I last learned something in this thread... glad I kept up reading it
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 6:35 pm
  #2494  
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, SPG LT Plat, AA 3MM EXP
Posts: 397
Originally Posted by Majuki
The barcode is PDF-417, but it's encrypted. You can read the barcode, but you'd have to decode the string. I believe the boarding pass scanners are standalone, but I'm not 100% sure.
Try the password "GropeMe123". So, this means all of the scanners are equipped with the same password to decrypt, which may not be easily changed (or done efficiently).
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 6:47 pm
  #2495  
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Although this is a government operation and shortcuts probably happen a lot more than we'd suspect. I would find it tough to believe they would use a system so fraught with the ability to forge. I (very much want to) believe the scanners are tied in with WiFi or Bluetooth to do a live lookup.

Taking the anecdotal experiences posted where some BPs pass and some don't, with people using Pre-Check lanes for other airlines, with certain itn's working and some not. That just sounds like a bit much to pull off with some offline system.

Again, my guess. I doubt anyone will be able/willing to divulge the truth, but then this is FT, so the truth isn't a requirement.
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 8:17 pm
  #2496  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: IND
Programs: AAdvantage Executive Platinum, HHonors Diamond, National Executive
Posts: 1,297
Originally Posted by dmsdfw
Were you trying to use a BP printed in IND? It is quite possible that they have not been updated yet to include the PreCheck information in the barcode.
You probably correct.. I wonder if I had reprinted my boarding pass at DFW if it would have worked. Doubt I will have the chance to try this again, but if I do, I'll try that.
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 8:26 pm
  #2497  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
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I have never seen the "LLL" on any of my AA flights since I registered for pre-check, although I fly AA quite frequently. The thing is I didn't know my pre-check information transferred to another airline outside AA. I was surprised when I was going through the security checkpoint for a Delta flight and the TSA agent told me I should go through the Pre-Check lane after scanning my BP. I stayed in the regular lane explaining to the TSA agent that my traveling companion was not registered for pre-check and we were travelling together.

I am curious if one registers for Pre-Check through AA, does it apply to all other airines (UA, US, DL, WN, etc)?
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 9:16 pm
  #2498  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Originally Posted by Majuki
The barcode is PDF-417, but it's encrypted. You can read the barcode, but you'd have to decode the string. I believe the boarding pass scanners are standalone, but I'm not 100% sure.
They're actually not encrypted at all. BPs printed online and mobile BPs have a signature appended to them to validate the data, but the data is still plaintext. Agent and kiosk printed BPs have no signature at all. This is why you see 'BP Signature not verified' on the TSA ticket scanners. The LLL/CLR are not encoded in text after your name - otherwise you'd see it on the gate ticket scanners.

If I had to take a wild shot-in-the-dark guess at it, and not run afoul of any DMCA-type laws which probably criminalize reading unencrypted data from a piece of paper, I would guess that the boarding pass contains the following data in the following order. If I were so inclined, I could verify this by reading and comparing several tickets on different airlines from before Pre-Check, from flights where I wasn't selected, and from flights where I was. Theoretically.

Char 2: Leg of the flight you are on
Char 3: Name in Last/First format.
Char 23: Designation of whether your ticket is paper or electronic.
Char 24: Record Locator
Char 31: Origin
Char 34: Destination
Char 37: Airline code
Char 40: Flight number
Char 45: Day of year (1-366) of flight
Char 48: Cabin (agent and kiosk printed BPs only say F A or J, online or mobile BPs actually contain the bucket letter)
Char 49: Seat assignment
Char 53: Sequence number
Char 66: Check in location (online(WW), kiosk(0K), agent (R0))
Char 69: Day of year of check-in
Char 73: Marketing airline code
Char 89: Not sure, AA puts 29 here, AS puts 25.
Char 91: Ticketing airline 3-digit code (001, 027)
Char 94: Ticket number
Char 104: Selected for pre-check (will trigger LLL)
Char 105: Enrolled in pre-check (will trigger CLR)

Char 109: FF program airline code
Char 112: FF program number
Char 129: AS puts gate number here
Char 138: AS puts the name of the kiosk you used here

If all of the above were theoretically true, it wouldn't be hard to use your smartphone to scan the barcode and check the data in the 104th character of an unencrypted block of text to see whether you're getting to leave your shoes on or not.

Also, it would be weird if all of this were described on page 39 of a document somewhere.

Last edited by AA2070; Jul 23, 2012 at 9:34 pm Reason: Link to IATA
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 10:04 pm
  #2499  
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Tried scanning a BP that I got a CLR on, as well as one that gave me LLL. Didn't see anything to indicate either item in there.

Any iPhone app suggestions?
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 10:05 pm
  #2500  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
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There could also be some other way of semi randomizing the location of LLL, CLR, etc. For example, date, flight #... could be the basis of a simple calculation that would position the requisite information. It would make it more difficult to inspect a series of boarding passes to determine how the flag is set as it would not be fixed.
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 10:51 pm
  #2501  
 
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A couple of data points today. I was checking in at ORD for my flight to LGA as I received a call from AA telling me my flight was delayed. Agent put me on standby for earlier flight. She mentioned that I was not cleared for Pre-Check but she resubmitted my name and I was cleared. Same day, I'm checking in for a flight from JFK to SFO and I ask the agent if I was cleared for Pre-Check; she responded that she could not tell ( I was). So is it a difference in training, stories or software?
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 11:08 pm
  #2502  
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, SPG LT Plat, AA 3MM EXP
Posts: 397
Originally Posted by AA2070
Char 94: Ticket number
Char 104: Selected for pre-check (will trigger LLL)
Char 105: Enrolled in pre-check (will trigger CLR)

Char 109: FF program airline code
First of all, awesome detective work. Secondly, I was just able to scan mine from a free iPhone app in the appstore ("Barcode Scanners" from Manatee). Third, according to your position chart, my flight tomorrow morning has me a "0" character in Char 104, followed by a space, then "AA AA" and my FF number. Will I get the LLL??? Taking bets. It's an easy domestic non-stop.

Last edited by gozetta; Jul 23, 2012 at 11:18 pm Reason: Recounted the position, was a 0 not a space.
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 11:24 pm
  #2503  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Originally Posted by gozetta
First of all, awesome detective work. Secondly, I was just able to scan mine from a free iPhone app in the appstore ("Barcode Scanners" from Manatee). Third, according to your position chart, my flight tomorrow morning has me a "0" character in Char 104, followed by a space, then "AA AA" and my FF number. Will I get the LLL??? Taking bets. It's an easy domestic non-stop.
In the part of the string that looks like this: 000000000000029XXXYYYYYYYYYY31 AA AA FFFFFFF

XXX is the airline stock code
YYYYYYYYYY is the ticket number
3 is the security flag - i've gotten 0 (no precheck) and 3 (precheck). I imagine there is also a way to encode selectee status in that field.

The second flag (1) appears to mean you're enrolled, because this stays even when you get a 0 in the first field (not selected). On BPs from before pre-check, this flag doesn't exist and the space is empty.
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 11:44 pm
  #2504  
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
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Originally Posted by AA2070
The second flag (1) appears to mean you're enrolled, because this stays even when you get a 0 in the first field (not selected). On BPs from before pre-check, this flag doesn't exist and the space is empty.
Hmmm...I'm definitely enrolled but have this: "2900100199999990 AA AA XXXXXXX" which would seem to indicate that I'm not enrolled.
Double checked my profile and I have the green check, the CBP ID, and have had MANY successful LLLs. I am going to keep an eye on my codes for my upcoming trips and post the progress.
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Old Jul 24, 2012, 12:40 am
  #2505  
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Thanks for the info, OP.

Last edited by FriendlySkies; Jul 24, 2012 at 12:52 am
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