for clarity you never received “TSA Precheck for free”.

Instead, on occasion TSA will grant a traveler Pre Check despite not being officially certified for it. It has happened to family members and friends, is unpredictable and not known until the boarding pass is available and not something the passenger requested.

I’ve no idea how TSA chooses who or when but presumably there are some Characteristics that TSA looks for. My daughter traveling solo at 16 years old had it as a surprise and I assume TSA felt she was a low risk. Passengers in the pre check lane with me have described their surprise that they were in the pre check at all.

also people over 80 (or maybe 85, cannot recall exactly what age) are given Pre check without applying. Maybe you are in that age group??

my suspicion is TSA did you a favor. JetBlue, like every other airline, has no say in pre check approvals and should not be the target of your ire nor do they owe you any explanation.

if you would like pre check consistently then submit the application. Otherwise it’s rolling the dice.

Mike