Why doesn’t participate in the US TSA PreCheck?
Jun 24, 2022, 10:26 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2000
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Posts: 3,467
Why doesn’t participate in the US TSA PreCheck?
Does anyone know why NZ, unlike QF and nearly every other major airline, including low cost carriers, has decided to not participate in PreCheck, which provides for expedited screening for trusted travelers at US airports?
Last edited by SFO_FT; Jun 24, 2022 at 10:58 am
Jun 24, 2022, 1:11 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: NZ
Programs: NZ*E, QF-G, EK-P
Posts: 640
Because it is only of use to US citizens / permanent residents and either they don’t carry enough or are to egalitarian to bother? Maybe they have decided not to facilitate a programme that offers no benefit to 99% of their customers? There is no reason it couldn’t easily be expanded to many other countries….. at least those with intelligence sharing agreements but the US has chosen not to - for no clear reason, in much the same way NZ doesn’t use it!
Jun 25, 2022, 11:33 am
#3
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: NZ *E
Posts: 368
Because it is only of use to US citizens / permanent residents and either they don’t carry enough or are to egalitarian to bother? Maybe they have decided not to facilitate a programme that offers no benefit to 99% of their customers? There is no reason it couldn’t easily be expanded to many other countries….. at least those with intelligence sharing agreements but the US has chosen not to - for no clear reason, in much the same way NZ doesn’t use it!
Jun 27, 2022, 3:52 pm
#5
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Nope. It’s not a cost issue. Even Spirit Airlines, an ultra LCC in the US, participates. TSA wants carriers to participate as every passenger that uses PreCheck costs the TSA, and the airlines who pay for it, less than non-PreCheck pax. Maybe it’s a customer data sharing issue with AirNZ.
Jun 27, 2022, 4:11 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,795
Nope. It’s not a cost issue. Even Spirit Airlines, an ultra LCC in the US, participates. TSA wants carriers to participate as every passenger that uses PreCheck costs the TSA, and the airlines who pay for it, less than non-PreCheck pax. Maybe it’s a customer data sharing issue with AirNZ.
Jun 27, 2022, 5:29 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Frensham, Lincolnshire
Programs: RFC
Posts: 5,466
Nope. It’s not a cost issue. Even Spirit Airlines, an ultra LCC in the US, participates. TSA wants carriers to participate as every passenger that uses PreCheck costs the TSA, and the airlines who pay for it, less than non-PreCheck pax. Maybe it’s a customer data sharing issue with AirNZ.
Jun 28, 2022, 9:59 am
#9
Original Poster
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All good points. But, the list of carriers that have gone through the hassle of being a participant in the program include a large number of carriers smaller than NZ, with small numbers of US departures, and/or with small numbers of pax that likely have gone through the process of enrolling in PreCheck. Allegiant, Volaris, even PAL Express, which doesn’t even fly to the US! Given how competitive NZ is with QF, I doubt it’s a cost issue but instead is a data sharing issue. Why oh why would Key Lime Air, GlobalX charters, and Air Serbia spend the $ to participate if participation was a financial cost to the carriers?
Jun 28, 2022, 11:29 am
#10
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: YYZ/SFO/AKL
Programs: NZ*G, back of the bus UA, corner of the MLL AC.
Posts: 376
All good points. But, the list of carriers that have gone through the hassle of being a participant in the program include a large number of carriers smaller than NZ, with small numbers of US departures, and/or with small numbers of pax that likely have gone through the process of enrolling in PreCheck. Allegiant, Volaris, even PAL Express, which doesn’t even fly to the US! Given how competitive NZ is with QF, I doubt it’s a cost issue but instead is a data sharing issue. Why oh why would Key Lime Air, GlobalX charters, and Air Serbia spend the $ to participate if participation was a financial cost to the carriers?
Jun 28, 2022, 12:14 pm
#11
Original Poster
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Lots of pneumatic tubes at The Hub, eh? NZ and all other carriers flying into and out of the US are required to submit APIS data (passport and pax info, etc) to the US Government and I would have thought that that data would, after being received by the US, would generate a massage back to the carrier noting PreCheck eligibility for the relevant pax. Maybe NZ IT is so bad that it can’t put those messages on the PNR/DCS, but even that doesn’t make sense as the dreaded SSSS (secondary screening) does get applied to selected pax, so I don’t believe it’s an IT issue. Hmm, quite the mystery. Maybe an email to the Head of Commercial will provide an answer.
Jul 3, 2023, 8:23 pm
#13
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,795
I'm not about to pick a different airline based on pre check.
Jul 4, 2023, 3:54 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: SEA
Programs: NZ Elite (*G)
Posts: 665
It's not something I have had to worry about, given I fly out of Seattle. As such, I attach pre-check to my flight out of Seattle and then don't have to go through security in LAX, SFO (depending on airline) or YVR. Coming back, I always have pre-check lined up for the flight back to SEA, so again it's not an issue at LAX or SFO. Thus, of North Americans (at least based on my experiences), mainly only those who originate in one of the cities NZ flies to have to worry about it.