Flying for Fun

I have Nexus, GE and my KTN is in my Alaska profile since 2014. I am "almost" 100% on getting TSA Pre and it is also always extended to the other party in my reservation. I have noticed from time to time that the information in my profile doesn't make it into the reservation and I am prompted for Passport & KTN information at check-in.

I said "almost" 100% because I got ssss'd in April but attributed it to flying last minute for a family medical emergency and had booked an international one-way ticket while OLCI was already open. Surprisingly, my Partner on the same PNR was not flagged.

What I find most frustrating is how international flights destined to the United States have to be dealt with. From YLW Kiosks are shut down and all passengers must queue to check their baggage (no self tag, bag drop) and be "interviewed" during the process and then at the gate before boarding. Same experience when transitting Nadi, Fiji. In Hong Kong you can't use the City Check-in nor use the CX First Class Check-in at HKG. After all that, I enter the USA with GE and clear immigration without talking to anyone and customs with a hello.

James

tusphotog

Probably got SSSS'd because of your hatred towards those A320s.

That's strange. When I left HEL this year, it was absolutely no different than checking in to a domestic US flight. I could OLCI, use the hundreds of kiosks if I wasn't checking a bag and security was easy, efficient and quite pleasant. All the "interview" questions were done at the gate in the extremely efficient Finnish manner.

Kiosks work at YVR too, so certain Canadian airports must have different rules? That's about all I can guess.

Flying for Fun

Really? Who said I hated the A320? I have flown them before, just not with former VX nor AS for that matter. I don't and never did have any issue with the aircraft. I did have a schedule change recently though on an upcoming CX award YLW-SEA-LAX-HKG-BNE. My SEA-LAX flight had an equipment change from Boeing to Airbus. They moved me from 2F to 2F. It os in February so not sure if it will be reconfigured by then.

I could use kiosks and do OLCI too, most times. I haven't been through HEL but the questioning feels more like an interrogation and repeated at boarding. In HKG I was flying CX F to BOS all US Bound passengers had to queue at a regular check-in counter, without priority, to be processed instead of using the much "nicer" check-in desk. No issues with security, immigration or customs and very efficient outside NA from my experience too. In Australia, you don't need a BP to pass through security, like the good old days in the USA.

I picked up a bottle of water in SYD and it traveled with me, through security from SYD-SCL-MAD-DXB-ICN without issue. In transit in MAD they took it out and analyzed it and then gave it back to me. lol

Kiosks work at YVR because like YEQ & YYC they have US preclearance and arrive in the USA domestically. YLW & YYJ don't and arrive internationally. Our Kiosks in YLW are unplugged with "out of order" signs on them. You are interviewed and a sticker is placed on the back of your passport before you are allowed into the queue. Also there is no longer an Elite queue.

James

Beltway2A

When was the last time you were in HKG? In-town check for US flights in should be back as of 29JUN18.

https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...s-flights.html

Flying for Fun

September 9th, 10th & 19th, however I wasn't bound for the US. My last US bound flight from HKG was February 18th.

Thank you for the update. I hadn't realized that there were changes in June. I will be in HKG again November 6th and flying CX to LAX on the 7th. In-town Check-in is very handy.

James

Beltway2A

I agree wholeheartedly. Have a great flight.

UAPremierExec

To clear up some misnomers spread by airline staff:

1. TSA Pre is no longer "random". There are algorithims happening in the background (not attached to the airline PSS - Passenger Service System) that will flag travelers "cleared" for Pre who are not part of the KTN sytsem. This is done as a way to "market" the program to travelers who don't know or understand it (ie - TSA wants more $$$$)
2. You *will* always get it if you are booked at least 3 days out and all your information is correct (and part of the KTN system). All US airlines (and flights in/out of the US) have to do a "Pre-vet" 72 hours in advance. The chance of NOT getting it are increased when you book under 3 days and still fall under the "allegedly" sunset Domestic Selection Criteria Rules (one way ticket, cash payment, etc).
3. As mentioned earlier, if even ONE character is off or doesn't match your KTN profile, you will not get a Pre flag.
4. Systems like Delta, the departure control system (DCS) is separate from Deltamatic (their res system). So the only way to "fix" it on Delta is if you completely uncheck-in for a flight, reenter ALL your information, and check-in again. Other airlines are unfortunately moving to this type of IT architecture. Alaska's DCS is presently a Sabre product, tied directly into the Sabresonic reservation partition (PSS).

czpdx

I'll add a contrary data point to this criterion. When I set up my DL profile last fall, I inadvertently misspelled my own name by leaving off a letter (e.g., Jonatan instead of Jonathan, although that's not my real name). I didn't catch this until recently, after I had flown at least a dozen DL segments. I went back to my old tickets to confirm and they did indeed show my misspelled name, yet I still got Pre 100% of the time.

I've had GE for about four years now and am 100% Pre on AS, DL, WN, and AA. Not a single one missed.

Tracer_SEA

Agree -- this makes no sense. Alaska makes things worse by forcing you to go to another airline website to find your KTN, and giving you no way of validating if it is correct in your profile

Reason #462 not to book via the "award winning Alaska app"...

cblaisd

While I too wish that AS still displayed one's full KTN in one's online profile, I'm curious as to why folks have to go to another airline's website to fetch their KTN number; mine is on my Global Entry card which is in my wallet.

Serious question. Thanks.

CDKing

They stopped giving cards out. I think one can still request one for a cost

UAPremierExec

Really? That's the only way to use the Trusted Traveler lines in Canada (for US Citizens)

dmodemd

That of course was my first thought but I don't keep my GE card in my wallet. I keep it with my passport [the only time I have ever needed it was when coming back on the road from Canada in the NEXUS lane. Turns out you MUST have the card, not just your passport and GE subscription]. I thought about maybe bringing it along but 1) it is yet one more card I have to fatten my wallet with and 2) one more thing to worry about getting stolen when I don't need it routinely. So I just emailed the KTN# to myself so I could search it again in the future.

Of course the app could try to be smart by populating the KTN field from your profile when you [re-]check-in, but that would be too helpful.

CDKing

Same for Mexico by foot. Maybe what i read was wrong because the GE site still mentions card in 6-8 weeks.

RaginPlainsman

You are referring to TSA Pre cards, I presume? Because I just renewed my Global Entry last month and got a new card (with the same awful photo that was on the last one.)