kwguy77

I have a coworker (EXP) who claims that when she flies, her son's ticket (he's 32), has Pre-check on it and he is labeled as EXP. His info is not loaded into her profile, so she has to enter it each time she buys a ticket. I keep telling her she is incorrect and she must be seeing things.

I just want to make sure I am not missing anything.

JDiver

This is purely error on her part, unless I'm not understanding properly. Her son, if not EP, will certainly not reflect her EP status nor show EP on his boarding pass or e-ticket. If he has no status, his ticket d BP will reflect that. If she requests an upgrade for him, he can "borrow" her status for that purpose alone.

If I'm wrong, all she has to do is present one of his tickets or boarding passes to you as proof, of course - I'll be very surprised. But if I buy tickets for Lady JDiver, who is AA Platinum, that's what shows on her ticket and boarding pass, not my EP.

If he has PreCheck on his BP, it is because he has PreCheck, or his KTN in his record, or he could be randomly selected or somehow gets associated "credit" for being her traveling companion (but I'm not familiar with how this latter issue might work). Her KTN can not be "lent" to anyone.

ashill

Is she putting her frequent flyer number in for him? If so, maybe there's some sort of system glitch that doesn't reject the frequent flyer number and shows her status on the boarding pass. (Do they have very similar names?) She isn't/doesn't think that she's getting frequent flyer credit for his flights, does she?

Now, my partner has gotten pre-check every single time we travel on the same PNR for the last year or so on AA, US, AS (whether I fly with my AA/Platinum or AS/no status frequent flyer number in the record), and DL. I have Global Entry and a known traveler number; she does not. We've also always had a lap infant in this period (always with my ticket, not hers). So for your coworker's son getting pre-check, that's consistent with my experience, but has nothing to do with elite status (or even AA, it appears).

In our case, it could be that pre-check carries over to companions or could be the lap infant; I've never pushed it and found out how to not get her pre-check! But if your coworker's companion is always getting pre-check when on the same reservation, that suggests that pre-check is consistently carrying over to companions.

lightbulbs

Same experience here in terms of companions without a KTN on same record locator also getting pre-check. Curious if anyone knows whether there is an official TSA policy on this.

JonNYC

Me too, on 2 occasions pretty recently, on DL.

wrp96

When I book tickets for friends, even when not on the PNR, they get my Precheck. None of them has ever gotten my measly gold status though.

akarneboge

Here as well. Twice recently on both AA and AS with both parents on same PNR. They have no status and no KTN. I had pre as part of EXP and then GE,

ashill

How does the airline/TSA know that you booked the ticket when it's on a separate PNR? Your Known Traveler Number wouldn't be in the reservation. This indicates that at least part of what's going on is the TSA's general policy of giving pre check to many travelers. (I see pre check on a large fraction of boarding passes at the gate these days, including too many travelers with no status printed on the boarding pass for it to be companions etc.) But my partner's success rate when on a PNR with me is too high (probably 20 straight times we've checked in, at least) to be random.

Krysia

In the midst of the cutover and final merger I think there was some sort of glitch, as husband used his miles to book my daughters tickets to ORD, she got a boarding pass with her name but his Ff# and his executive platinum status. Needless to say she was thrilled just to be able to board early. He was not flying with her.

brodielayne

I have booked my mother, no status and no KNT, on several flights when she tagged along with me and she has always received precheck.