Originally Posted by dustman81

You're got the passport processing time which according to the Department of State is taking 4-6 weeks. You could expedite, which costs more, and get it in 2-3 weeks.

Then you've got the time it takes to vet you for GE, which can take up to a month. Then you've got to find an appointment time for your interview, which depending on where you choose to do it, could be the next day up to months in advance.

So figure at least 2 months to get your passport and GE. Also, since you'd be a first-time passport applicant, it'd cost you $135 for the passport which is on top of your $100 GE fee. The passport is good for 10 years, GE is good for 5.

While you are not guaranteed expedited screening, having GE greatly increases your chances of getting the "three beeps of awesomeness".

Remember, Precheck only works if you are departing from an airport that has a Precheck lane and with an airline that has Precheck (AA, UA, DL, AS and US).