uhezay

Anyone know what time the Precheck lane in Terminal A East for PHL closes? Terminal C?

Thanks in advance!

gynmd

I've been in Precheck since it came to PHL over two years ago. At Terminal B, one had to generally wait in a long line before even getting to the Precheck line, so I almost always go through Terminal C, where one merely walked right up to the PreCheck line.

No more; they just changed things at Terminal C so that one must wait in a long general line and then wait in the PreCheck line. Very inefficient, and now just like Terminal B. I've not seen this at any other airport in the US, or even through the FastLane in European airports. Waiting in a general queue really defeats the purpose of having preferred access and PreCheck lines. I'm not being elitist, but I travel nearly every week from PHL and this is not making my day. I'm trying to complain to PHL and the TSA, but doubt it will get anywhere. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

BSBD

I suggest you write a letter detailing the issue to the PHL airport CEO, Mark Gale; the Operations Director, Keith Brune; and the TSA Security Director, Dereck Starks. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and written letters still get more respect than emails or phone calls.

Cargojon

I see the operations manager about once a month as we are both on the board of an industry group...I'll ask him about it....

gynmd

Thank you both. I will definitely be writing and would certainly appreciate your help, Cargojon.

davie355

Unfortunately, this happened to me in February at ORD (T3).

They appeared to be set up to allow Precheck passengers to enter the Precheck queue directly, but perhaps they were short staffed when I was there.

GNRMatt

I always fly out of here using US Airways, but this is my first time actually flying on AA. Are the AA Terminal A-East security gates set up with TSA Pre-Check?

hginPHL

They are, but the last few times I have been over there they have been closed. Last week, first thing Monday morning, they were closed and the security lines were back almost to the garage. I walked over to B to go through PreCheck there, and then back over to A East.

The only PreCheck for AA/US that you can count on these days at PHL is at B. A and C don't seem to be open very often at all anymore.

Flyer78

There has been some chatter on the @PHLAirport twitter about this, and they are saying it was TSA's call, and that A-East and C are open depending on volume.

pa3lsvt

In other words, TSA@PHL doesn't know how to properly staff the checkpoints based on historical demand. Having any PC checkpoints closed on a Monday morning is silly, as that may be the period of highest demand all week (if not, it is definitely in the top 5).

Flyer78

Completely agree. For what it is worth, the Pre line in A-East was open going through before 4:30am -- but that was Tuesday morning.

It will be interesting to see what happens (if anything) when the combined AA takes over, and more flights (potentially) start leaving out of A-East.

Also, it would seem possible that the airlines could supply the number of expected Pre customers for any given day by time... but perhaps that is hoping for too much out of wonky PSS.

sjpmurph01

I have discussed this with TSA supervisors at PHL before. B is the primary TSA-Pre checkpoint. So if in doubt, that is where Pre is most likely to be available. A-East and C are only open at peak screening periods currently. (Can't speak for D/E as I'm never down there.)

There are US & AA kiosks and agents at both A-East & B/C, so regardless of who is operating your flight, if you have Pre it makes the most sense to check-in at B/C, and go through TSA at B. From there you can easily walk to A/B/C/D/E or shuttle to F.

chollie

Do they post signs?

I haven't flown from SEA in a while, but they used to have signs indicating which checkpoint has Pre.

ctporter

Just read a story today in the Seattle Times about SEA, and how much busier it is than ever expected. One of the most interesting items in the article was this quote:
"Additionally, the airline meets with TSA every day to talk about passenger projections, and TSA tells the airline which checkpoints will have the most staffing, meaning faster processing for travelers.

“It is just communication, communication with all the airlines, not just Alaska,” Ladner said. “We are the biggest here, so where our customers go can really slam on their lines.”"

I am not sure it really helps that much as I have not noticed the lines getting less long or moving that much faster. (although those of us that have precheck do get through much quicker than those that do not). Bottom line though, it would seem that airlines should be talking with TSA to let them know anticipated loads and times.

sjpmurph01

Pre exists at A-East, B, C, and D/E. Out of the first 3, B is the most reliable for being open. A-East and C will be the first to shut down if it's not busy.

There are not signs, at least not that I've seen, until you get to the checkpoint itself to see if it is/n't roped off.

I can't speak for D/E from personal experience.

When the construction is done at F, it is expected that there will (finally!) be Pre there as well.