DEN: Handswabbing in the Pre-Check Line
Jun 5, 2014, 12:21 am
#1
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DEN: Handswabbing in the Pre-Check Line
Seriously, how do they decide when to shunt pax from regular lines to Pre-Check? My guess... randomly.
We headed up the Pre-Check lane with no one ahead of us. Right before we got there, they sent over a family of 5 who had no idea what Pre-Check was (don't take off your shoes!), so that slowed down the process.
I watched them swab the hands of 3 from that family (dad and 2 of the pre-teen kids). When it came to me, he asked me to put out my hands (my fiancee deftly maneuvered around me and avoided it
)
Off-handedly, I said, "This kinda goes against the point of Pre-Check... doesn't it?"
To which the TSA guy replied, "... you're Pre-Check? Go on ahead."
This rates a *SIGH* from me.
We headed up the Pre-Check lane with no one ahead of us. Right before we got there, they sent over a family of 5 who had no idea what Pre-Check was (don't take off your shoes!), so that slowed down the process.
I watched them swab the hands of 3 from that family (dad and 2 of the pre-teen kids). When it came to me, he asked me to put out my hands (my fiancee deftly maneuvered around me and avoided it
)Off-handedly, I said, "This kinda goes against the point of Pre-Check... doesn't it?"
To which the TSA guy replied, "... you're Pre-Check? Go on ahead."
This rates a *SIGH* from me.
Jun 5, 2014, 8:35 am
#2
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Its part of the random part of precheck. random hand swabs have been occuring in precheck lines since precheck began. Although always linked to a random alarm on WTMD not a swab everyone
Jun 5, 2014, 11:26 am
#4
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I must be lucky then... I've seen the carts, but have only been swabbed twice AFTER the WTMD randomly alarms. They might as well just swab us before we check in too.
Jul 31, 2014, 1:36 pm
#7
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I've been in PreCheck line at DTW and seen TSA require hand-swabs of every pax in line. I have even been required to have the hand swab before I got to the WTMD.
Jul 31, 2014, 3:28 pm
#9
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This is a good question. The TSA has said before that once you're in the checkpoint, you're stuck there and have to complete screening, but where does the checkpoint begin?
Aug 5, 2014, 2:31 pm
#10
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They said it was a random check.
Still it was faster than taking shoes off and putting them back on.
Bob H
Aug 6, 2014, 11:23 am
#12
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Just went through PreCheck at SAT. They were doing random swabs at the very beginning of the line, in fact before the ID and boarding pass check. No apparent system other than maybe head count as they did the three people in front of us, skipped my wife and I, and started again with the couple in line behind us. Obviously I didn't stick around to see what the pattern might have been. The medal detector picked me for a random bag check but all they did was open one compartment of my backpack and glance in it. Quick and simple.
Aug 6, 2014, 4:55 pm
#13
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I believe the check point begins after the TDC because that is the point of first contact with the TSA. I have left the check point once I am through the scanner. My bags have left the check point once they are available to be picked up. YMMV.
Aug 7, 2014, 7:53 am
#15
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Now in some airports JFK (AA) and LAS (UA) the metal detector randomly picks passengers for Scope and/or Grope. I dont mind the hand swabs as much after dealing with that.