Big4Flyer

When have you been most grateful to get expedited screening, whether PreCheck, Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, or any other nations versions of these?

I've been grateful typically to shave of 5-10 minutes each trip, but last night, flying out of SAN, I got my boarding pass from the kiosk and turned around in time to see around 80 nine- or ten-year-olds with their chaperones walk into the previously empty security line. I have never been more grateful for the Precheck line than at that point. After going through PreCheck I took a seat at the gate and watched kids coming up the escalators from security for the next 40 minutes.

pinniped

My all-time favorite was when the UK first rolled out an expedited-entry system. 2008 or so, and open to foreigners. (Some of us, anyway.) You had to do a short interview...I was traveling through LHR monthly on business with a U.S. passport, and that qualified.

That knocked a lot of time off of every trip since almost NO ONE at the time was using the expedited kiosks. I could go from my plane to the Heathrow Express in about 10 minutes...the interaction with the kiosk took about a minute, and I never had to wait for it...ever.

GE has been nice a few times coming back into the U.S. at a peak time. IAH when all of the South America flights are arriving, any of the big hubs when a bunch of European flights are arriving, etc. I imagine it'd be great for driving to/from Canada, but I don't do that often.

Teasip82

Right after I finally convinced my wife to get GE. She complained about the entire process, and then we traveled to SAT two weeks after she received her KTN. When we left SAT, the line for regular security in Terminal A stretched all the way back to the Southwest ticket counter, or almost the entire length of the terminal. We were the only ones in the PreCheck line. Not only did we save a lot of time standing around, I got to say "I told you so"!

I have also been pretty happy to have GE coming back through IAH when the SA flights are arriving.

davie355

Chicago-MDW security lines are insane, but they have (or at least had) a separate line for people carrying only 1 "personal item." No airline-specific requirements. Easily a 30+ minute savings over the general lines.

bnamike

Everytime I fly out of Orlando I'm thankful to have Pre-Check.

MissJ

Every time I fly with my bf. Well, it's gotten better lately, but we'll get to that later.

He is notoriously late for EVERYTHING. And I don't mean like 5 minutes. I can't even tell you how many times he and I have full on sprinted to the gate.

Now, I just lie to him about departure time. So we breeze through and enjoy some drinks before boarding.

pa3lsvt

This. MCO still has more clueless shoe removers in the PreCheck line than anywhere else, but I shudder when I recall flying out before I had PC.

Plus the time I arrived at YYZ after two different widebodies from Asia. You see, I usually arrive at YYZ mid-morning on a CRJ200 and the customs hall is quiet. But this time, whoa! I easily skipped past hundreds of people that night and was through CBSA in no extra time at all.

travellingcari

JFK Terminal 5 on New Year's Eve
PBI with all the rebooked flights the day FLL was closed due to the shooting
MCO all day any day

Badenoch

At YYZ to take very early morning DL flight to JFK to pick up SAA to Jo-burg and NMB to Windhoek. DL screwed up the reservation, stood in a long line. Got it sorted out but if not for Nexus I'd have never made the flight to JFK and onwards.

StartinSanDiego

Great stories! Now please follow the thread to the Travel Safety & Security forum. Thanks.

bitterproffit

Right after Christmas in LAX checking in with Delta. There was a huge snaking line for regular screening, another huge line for Priority and 5 people waiting for PreCheck. Another time in CLE, a real long line for security and a completely separate area for PreCheck with absolutely no other passenger. The lady who operated the luggage scanner was sitting in a chair half asleep. They woke her up to scan my carryons. If it weren't for rousing her, I would have been through in 30 seconds instead of a minute.

MSPeconomist

Entering at ORD around Labor Day (early September in the USA) on a day when the CBP computer system was down, although the GE network was apparently still working. They were processing lots of new student visa entrants which takes a long time normally, but on that day the lines were about six hours long for foreign passports and maybe two hours for USA without GE. With GE, we were told to just go around the lines, which meant stepping over people as everyone was sitting of laying on the floor in the hallways. I went through instantly and was then able to be on time for a function in downtown Chicago that evening.

makeUturn

Because I do not have to remove my shoes and take my laptop and liquids out of my carryon, I am grateful for PreCheck each time I go through security. It has saved me a lot of time getting through security at MCO on several occasions. The most time it ever saved me was at PHX when returning from a vacation in Northern Arizona. My wife and I entered the security area to discover a huge backup and no PreCheck lane open. It looked like a long wait until about four or five minutes later, the PreCheck lane was opened and all the passengers with PreCheck were asked to move to that lane. We were right next to the lane that had just opened and were the first two people to get through the check point.

flyupfrnt

I think that's what you meant. PNX - Perrin Field is a regional airport in north Texas.

makeUturn

Thanks for pointing out my typo. I have corrected the post.