JimHenderson

You can get GE if you are a permanent resident(green card holder). So, through GE non citizens can participate in Pre-Check

Global_Hi_Flyer

I've said it before, this diminishes the value of the program. It's the same case at the DFW checkpoint - must stand in the (sometimes long) lines even if you're enrolled.

Yes, the faster screening is nice, and eliminating the strip-search machine helps, but it really doesn't save much time overall without special lines.

dmsdfw

I've had 100% success with pre-check on entirely domestic itineraries and 0% when connecting to or from an international segment. I did ask the BP checking TSA agent once whether international trips were explicitly excluded and she said that she honestly didn't know. However, my small sample of data suggests they may well be.

asya999

I fly SFO-LAX RTs pretty frequently so I'm going to compare next week to yesterday - I'm hoping your stats will hold up for me as I only connect internationally a few times/year on AA but I fly them domestically a lot (to JFK and LAX so when JFK gets it, it'll be awesome).

Sadly it seems unlikely that SFO will get it, for AA anyway... But if they did it would make SFO T2 the most ruling experience of all airport terminals for me!

gfunkdave

Thanks for the feedback, y'all. I applied for GE last night and got my interview invitation this morning. It's scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at JFK.

Of course, it occurs to me that, since I'll be going to BNA for the next 5 weeks, it probably won't help much. But it'll still be nice to have.

QueenOfCoach

Wow, that's fast. My interview invitation took a couple of weeks, however I got my final approval the day after the interview.

I'm with you. I went through the hassle, and now it's a done deal.

14940674

As far as I know, you are incorrect. The TSA implied that they are excluding non-citizen GE members.

JimHenderson

Actually what I stated was from experience. Do you really believe the TSA agent??

2millionquest

Had a somewhat annoying experience at LAX yesterday. All the lines were long, even the elite line. I went directly to precheck, which was, as others have reported, roped off. I called out to the screener and asked if it was closed. He said that the regular elite line *was* the precheck line. I pointed at the separate roped off line and said I thought that was the precheck line. He said, "No, we have no way of knowing if you're eligible or not until we scan your BP, so you have to get in this line and wait with everyone else to have your boarding pass scanned. Then we'll know if you're eligible and then you may be selected for that screening." I said that I knew I was precheck qualified, but he just shook his head and pointed at the line.

I knew this was completely bass-ackwards but also that it's pretty futile to argue with a TSA agent. So I got in the long elite line (about 40-50 people) and waited my turn. I saw two or three others go through the same routine at the roped-off entrance as I did and dejectedly join the longer line after being turned away.

I admit, I was a bit steamed about the whole thing. Earlier in the day at ORD, the same screener who had scanned my BP two weeks ago and told me I was his first LLL recognized me and said hello. He and I chatted briefly about the program and he said that if you get LLL once, you'll ALWAYS get LLL. The wild card is whether or not you'll get to go through the faster screening or be randomly selected for the traditional screening, NOT whether you'll get LLL.

So I knew this LAX guy was misinformed, but what could I do?

Of course when I finally got to the head of the line, the LAX guy was all "Oooooh, you're LLL. Do you know what this? Do you know what to do? Have you ever been through it before?" I was like, "Yes, yes, yes. May I go now?"
But he needed to drone on, telling me I could keep my shoes on, keep my jacket on (which I actually was carrying folded over my arm as it was a warm day), didn't need to take liquids or computer out of my bag, yadda, yadda, yadda. He wasted a good two minutes of everybody's time instructing me all about the "new" screening.

So I FINALLY got to go to the completely empty precheck screening area, where I actually got yelled at when I put my jacket in a bin with my purse. I was told to pick my jacket up and carry it through the metal detector with me!

I guess the most amusing part of the whole thing was that while I was waiting in line, there was a fellow with two very large, very heavy-looking bags (carryon size, but only just). Breathless and rushed, he explained to people that his flight was leaving in 20 minutes, could he cut in line? We let him. He had gone through the BP scanning about five or six people ahead of me. There was a big clot of people doing the usual half-strip at the nearer conveyor as I walked over to the empty one for precheck. The late guy was kind of in the middle of that pack, partially through unloading all his stuff. He started asking loud questions about what the other line was for and how could he get in it because he was going to miss his flight at the rate he was going. I don't know what happened because it took me approximately .5 seconds to clear security, and I wanted to make a call before boarding the plane, so walked away quickly; but he was not a happy character!

Definitely looks like LA needs some more training on how to handle the line and the BP process. The way they're doing it now isn't working well at all!

2millionquest

I specifically asked my new ORD TSA buddy about this. He confirmed that it is part of the current procedure that if any part of your itinerary contains an international segment, you will not qualify for precheck for that entire trip. He said they are still fine-tuning the process and there has been talk about allowing precheck for people who have returned from an international destination and are proceeding on to a domestic trip, but that's still something for the future. Definitely not happening right now, according to him.

wesmanz

It's this way at DFW as well. It would be nice if they had an actual "Pre-check" line that those that are enrolled in the program could utilize. I've been through the DFW C30 gate about 5 times and have qualified every time, but I've had to stand in the "Priority Access" line to get to the BP screener.

Each time I've been through, they've had at least 6-7 agents assigned to this line that literally gets 5% of the traffic that goes through. It would be a wise use of resources and a much better experience for those that qualify if one of those agents was at a kiosk that was dedicated to "Pre-check"

--wes

VeniceDre

I just went into pre-check lane at LAX and my boarding pass wasn't LLL for the first time.

Oh well... But what's the point to have the lane if it's going to be randomly assigned to boarding pass?

It's confusing.

sdsearch

It's the ORD screener who seems misinformed to me. Claiming once LLL, always LLL? Cleaiming it's not LLL vs CLR that determines which lane you go through for the same qualified person, but something else (what?)? Neither of things sounds right to me at all.

We have plenty of examples (admittedly scattered over many pages of a big thread) of people who got LLL before, but didn't get LLL another time (and far from all of them being explained by international iteneraries).

We also have no documented case of someone randomly being selected for regular (non-expeditted) screening while it showing LLL. Everyone who's reported on what it showed in that case reported CLR (including both people who got rejected because of international iteneraries and people rejected for unknown other reasons presumably randomness).

I'll take actual "security line trip reports" from FTers, collectively, over the claims of one TSA agent or another, any day.

Except that we have a counter-example of this also:

(But that post is from many pages back by now, and as yet it seems to be the only counter-example so far.)

gfunkdave

I got approved for Global Entry today...hopefully I"ll get a chance to try out PreCheck soon!

Robt760

I'm still pretty sure that this is the set up:

There may be two lanes, but the 'other' lane that's closed off is intended for VIP, 5 Star, and International/Transcon/Flagship passengers for when they are being escorted through to the TSA screener.

If you're not one of the above, the correct line is on the right (West) side.

Once you get to the TSA screener, they scan your documents and direct you to the designated area for security: Trusted Travler or Standard. There needs to be better signage.

I'm contemplating writing a note to one of the LAX Management Team members to get clarification about this.