Originally Posted by
N830MH
Actually, they change to $78 PreCheck for 5 years. They reduce the price.
Surprisingly, it looks like the
price varies depending on how you apply.
Originally Posted by
FliesWay2Much
The DHS knows the threat is minimal. We all know the threat is minimal and that PreCheck should be the standard. The problem is that the USG has spent (thrown away??) tons of our money creating this monstrosity called airport security. In all my years in & around the federal government, I have never seen an agency like the TSA squander all this money, sometimes on programs that they later simply canceled, without anyone being fired. The Blue Cancer Boxes, Puffers, and CastScope immediately come to mind. They have to keep "normal" security theater going because they can't admit the threat no longer supports all of it (if it ever did). Remember that PreCheck was invented to silence the airline industry and the frequent flyers who loudly criticized the TSA. "Keep your mouths shut or we'll take away your privileged status", they said. That's why many of us called it "ExtortionCheck" back in the day. In terms of the "surge", my hunch is that a large percentage of it was a result of the merger with Global Entry and the blanket authorizations to military members and some federal employees. The only reason why Mrs Flies and I have ExtortionCheck at all was because of Global Entry.
I held out against PreCheck for years on principal - I didn't like the idea that I was not only paying my own government to snoop on me, but that I was paying for the privilege of not being disrobed and felt-up just to get on a plane.
But after spending some mornings observing the speed of the PreCheck lanes compared to the regular lanes, and realizing that every job I've had for the last fifteen years have required a background check, fingerprints, and entry into a government db in the same manner as PreCheck, I figured, the damage is already done. Let's get that sweet fully-clothed screening experience!
So I caved, spent the $85, and it was worth every penny on the first couple of flights alone. No disrobing, no unpacking valuable electronics or LGA bag, and no emptying pockets except to remove metal, are all huge improvements on the screening experience. The speed of the PreCheck lane, coupled with its superior efficiency and ease of use, are enough to offset my grumble-grumbles at having to fork over extortion money to my own government for the privilege of not having my 4th Amendment rights squished between said government's proverbial toes like Elle Driver's eyeball.