Originally Posted by
ashill
But that's the point: is regular screening cheaper than PreCheck? I highly doubt it; quite the contrary. So getting more people into PreCheck-style screening (however it's branded) saves tax dollars, I assert.
You're correct. PreCheck was not conceived as a security protocol, but rather as a way to save money by not having to hire more screeners.
Recall the huge lines in the Spring of 2016. Those happened because TSA either let screeners go or did not hire replacements for screeners who left the agency. TSA was certain that tens of thousands of travelers would sign up for Pre; that never materialized and TSA was caught short.