sdsearch

Think about it. When you fly MIA-DFW-int'l outbound, you're screenly only at MIA, and never again at DFW! So obviously the screening you get at MIA, because you're eventually going to fly internationally without ever getting screened again, has to be international screening. And PreCheck LLL screening is only available if that after the screening you will only fly domestic flights before you do an international flight.

Of course, I see a complication here, and at the risk of shutting down the whole PreCheck system, I'll point it out. What if you have a domestic flight on one airilne on one ticket, and then on a completely separate unlinked ticket on another unrelated airline you have an international onward flight? Is the TSA able to figure this out (correlate it) because of the info that all the airlines gave 72 hours before the flight, and deny you LLL because of that? That sounds tricky if the info is really in your boarding pass, because while perhaps the TSA may know all the other flights (on other unrelated airlines) you're on that day, I'm not sure that AA, who printed the boarding pass, does.

So until we figure this out, I think all we know is that if you have onward international flights on the same ticket, you cannot get LLL. But will need more (harder to get) data to see if separate ticket (but same airline), and separate airilne (and separate ticket). With no malevolance toward anyone other than perhaps bena counters intended, there are surely sometimes people who buy two tickets separately purely for pricing or mileage reasons (or because it's hard to buy the whole itenerary as one ticket because of the specific airliines involved), and may not link them (or depending on the airlines may not even be able to link them).

sdsearch

Really? Their only official purpose is to help with customs and immigration when cmoing into the US from another country (well, both ways in the case of NEXUS if you got the iris scan), and that action itself requires a passport (or passport card), since a couple years ago, no?

I'm not sure how long NEXUS and SENTRI have been around. Could they predate the requirement for passports for travel to/from Canada and Mexico, and if so, could you be remembering back to then?

I applied for NEXUS last summer, and I certainly seemed to need to put my passport info in there.

Furthermore, GE comes free with NEXUS now, so an application for NEXUS really an application for CE in disguise!

So how can you not need a passport when applying for GE by applying for NEXUS, yet need a passport when applying for CE directly?

869

This made me laugh.

Special scrutiny of liquids and shoes resulted from terrorists attempting to use both liquids and shoes avoid detection during airport security checks. Quite silly, isn't it?

Your 2nd point on standard terrorist operating procedure really drives home your point well, buddy. Yawn.

meballard

For air travel a passport is always required. For travel by land or sea, a passport or an enhanced ID is required (NEXUS may issue an ID that meets that requirement as well, but not sure on that). For example Washington state residents that get an enhanced ID do not need a passport to enter Canada. I believe the same is true for Canadian residents.You need some form of verification that you are here legally and allowed to enter other countries. I don't know the specific requirements, but the easiest way to show that is if you have a passport.Yes, as long as you have a passport (if you get NEXUS without an active passport, you wouldn't get GE benefits).See above.

QueenOfCoach

Thanks for catching my back. I really did not know how to respond politely to the message calling scrutiny of shoes and liquids "silly" in light of PROVEN terrorist attempts using shoes and liquids.

canyonleo

Man, I HATE when people support TSA's focus on shoes and liquids. Just because it's a proven method of past terrorists attempts, doesn't mean TSA's actions are doing any good!

Case in point - TSA won't allow liquid (say drinking water) in a 0.5L bottle to pass through the checkpoint (please don't call it Security). But, that doesn't mean TSA doesn't allow 0.5L of liquid to pass through, it just can't be in a single container! TSA would (does) allow 0.5L of liquid to pass through if it's put into separate 100ml containers and all placed in a Ziplock bag (supposedly a qt size bag, but I have never used anything but a gallon size bag, of course mine is never stuffed full) and removed from the suitcase for pass through!

So, the result of the TSA rule/action is not to keep the liquid from going airside, but only to make it more complicated for someone to accomplish it. That's not security, that's inconvenience (like locking a car door). Kind of silly, some of us think.

BrewerSEA

meballard covered this pretty well, but I'll expand. To travel by land/sea within much of North America you only need some form of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative compliant identification. Before getting NEXUS I had applied for and received a Washington State Enhanced Driver License so as to not need to take my passport on frequent trips to Vancouver. Only a handful of states offer these, and they are WHTI and RealID compliant. They also are considered a primary document proving United States citizenship, like a Passport. At my NEXUS interview I provided my EDL as identification and only had my passport linked (activating GE) months later in Miami.

A number of my friends in Seattle only have EDL or NEXUS because they don't plan on flying internationally in the short term so have no reason to waste $120+ on a passport.

MileHigh

So an Enhanced Drivers License proves citizenship? I doubt that.

FlyMeToTheLooneyBin

I don't know about "proves," but you should read this page. It "denotes" citizenship.
WHTI

vrbaba

The agent at ORD was marking down the # of LLLs, although sarcastically commenting that the TSA has nothing better to do. When asked, she said that they were told the expedited screening will start around March 20 at the airport.

meballard

One of the requirements of getting an enhanced id is proof of citizenship, without being a citizen, you cannot get one, so it is considered proof, at least for purposes of land and sea crossing to the United States.

MileHigh

No more doubts: http://www.dhs.gov/files/crossingbor...575704846.shtm

dayone

This thread is becoming unwieldy and contains several off-topic posts.

Also, shouldn't general (i.e., non-AA-specific) PreCheck comments be located elsewhere? This will only become more of an issue as the program expands.

anabolism

As far as I'm aware, there is no evidence that the liquid thing had any chance of proceeding; IIRC, it was merely intent and some wishful planning. From what I've read, it's quite difficult to achieve. The shoe thing was real, but was thwarted (as was the underwear attempt) by fellow passengers when it didn't immediately succeed, because it's not so easy to pull off. So yes, special screening for liquids and shoes is silly.

boerne

+1 here ya go
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/check...r-program.html