WhiteOut

I accidentally posted this in the Delta group, so posting here:

Been all over the TSA site, and also the Borders forum and the UA Pre-check threads here on FT...several search strings, etc. Can someone please just answer this simply:

--I have *never* been selected (based in IND - fly rt out of IND at least 1-2 trips per month--so in 30+ flights this year, I'm 0 for freaking 30!
--I opted in thru the UA website long time ago when it first came out.
--Never been out of the country, all flights domestic.
--The site says no need to do GE.
--I have checked and re-checked my profile numerous times in the UA website -- box is indeed checked to opt-in

What gives? Never been convicted of anything, pay all taxes, etc and etc...

I asked some TSA folks (supervisors) once if they knew anything (they dont)...so what's the magic bullet?

TIA

mersk862

Does your name in your FF profile exactly match the name on your tickets?

WhiteOut

Yes.

jkhuggins

There is none. TSA will not give a simple, definitive answer regarding how one qualifies for PreCheck.

WhiteOut

What about UA? (or any airline for that matter)... Can they at least check my profile against something on their interface to TSA info pertaining to this name-matching stuff? My profile name and ticketed name each have a 'MR' added to the firstname...so they are identical, but no place for me to change that on the profile editor to simply output Lastname/Firstname...

0 for 30+ attempts just sucks out loud.

saulblum

Don't we live in a great nation, where citizens can be put on a travel blacklist for no reason, and where a computer program uses secret parameters to determine whether a citizen is a threat on a given day?

Ah, gotta love risk-based screening lots of layers America in the year 2012.

JoeBas

Simple, definitive answers help turrists kill kittens.

Gotta stay unpredictable. SERPENTINE!!!

MAMOHT

Do you use UA web site to book tickets or some third party? Check that what is on your boarding pass in fact matches your profile on UA.

WhiteOut

Always UA site, never 3rd party.

I just noticed the 'trusted traveler' screen on the UA site had my middle name entered, which does not exactly match the profile name on the UA site (FN/LN only), BUT...I never got a PASS ID or any of the trusted traveler programs b/c I have never flown Int'l...so i just deleted the Mid name...flying again soon and maybe that'll work but i doubt it, since my profile name and ticket name have always matched.

Freaking TSA/Homeland Security...goodness...

jackonferry

I'm beginning to suspect the problem is with UA's implementation. I can get it to work on AA and on US. I cannot, however, get it to work on US with my UA MP number (ie, I'm flying on US and claiming the miles with UA). I have not flown directly on UA since May, so I don't know if a straight UA flight/mileage claim would work. I have GE, by the way, and the name match is exact on all 3 airlines.

So, check the name match. Set up with some other airlines if you can and see if you can get it to work. Decode your boarding passes in advance (so at least you're not getting frustrated at the airport). Also, if you are printing your BPs at home, there's some chance that the problem is with the printing. If you decode them and you see the magic 3 (indicating PreCheck for the trip), you should try re-printing the BP at the airport.

Otherwise, the best I can advise is report each time to UA's IT department to see if they can help.

WhiteOut

All good points, thanks. BTW I almost exclusively use the BP via the mobile app...dunno if that means anything, and it also wouldnt surpise me if somehow the UA sys is the culprit...just about every other function w/ UA has been a rough ride this year w/ the transition...

Thanks.

abaheti

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9930; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.755 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

Splurge on global entry? On the UA forums the feeling is that it helps. Maybe that gets you around UA's glitches. The name discrepancy on the trusted traveler screen also stands out. As a side benefit, Global Entry always works and may also serve as motivation to use all the miles to go abroad on vacation.

WhiteOut

Well I got declined again on my trip this week. Today I called UA to see if there is any discrepancy they can see from their end with how my name appears on my profile and the Trusted Traveler box (which, again, is irrelevant since I am not GE and all domestic travel). The rep I spoke with and I see the same thing...

So anyway I'm still 0 for 30+ attempts this year since it opened at IND. At this point, I dont think there *is* a Pre-Check program! I think TSA set it up and people post success with it here just to mess with me.

nrr

I am in pre-check (and have GE). When I look at my "profile" on aa.com (I fly AA exclusively), I see that I am in the PC system (my GE number is also listed).
Several months ago I had booked a flight through a travel agent, while my name appeared to be correct on my bp, it wasn't--I'm xxx y zzz, they had listed my (fn) and (mi) in the name field, the mi was blank and my last name was in the name field. Even though my profile had not changed, my reservation details for that flight did not have me as PC eligible.
Double check your individual reservations and see if a similar glitch occurred.

RichardKenner

I'm GE and have been 100% on Pre-Check on eligible airports and itineraries. However, I know that my TT number is in the record because I put it there myself. Based on that and what I read here, I'm guessing that most people's problem have to do with the assumption that the profile information is being properly copied to their record. In the case of many airlines, it apparently isn't.