FliesWay2Much

In case you haven't renewed a passport lately, it looks as if the TSA will spare no expense pitching ExtortionCheck. I renewed my blue passport this month (took only two weeks without paying for expedited service!) and look what was in the package with the passport.

The envelope containing my new passport had to be large enough to accommodate the ExtortionCheck blurb, which was the largest thing in the package. I wonder how much we taxpayers are paying for extra postage for oversized envelopes?

Keep trying for that 25 million, TSA, keep trying...

chollie

I suspect TSA is trying to find a way to justify denying PreCheck to GE members so that GE members will have to pay another $85 for a chance at PreCheck.

It's not just the extra-postage and larger envelope that cost the taxpayer. I wonder what former DHS honcho is profiting from the over-priced-especially-for-the-taxpayer blurbs?

petaluma1

TSA seems to be getting desperate to find those additional 20 million to enroll. Hence, they will be giving it away for years to come.

TSA doesn't seem to be able to realize that people who fly only once or twice a year aren't going to want to give up $85 plus biometrics when Pre is not guaranteed. In addition, since only 200 of the nation's 450 TSA-infested airports offer Pre, there's a good chance that many of those infrequent flyers fly out of or into one of the 250 airports that don't offer Pre. I think @ASKTSA has given up telling people that they can go to the regular line and get "Pre lite" - perhaps because travelers are finding that just isn't happening.

Further, if they read @TSA or @ASKTSA, they will read complaints galore about Pre being closed.

Yet another TSA fail.

Often1

The question isn't what percentage of airports offer Pre, it's what percentage of travelers have their initial boarding at an airport with Pre. I believe that that number was well over 90% about 6 months ago.

Given that most employers now seem to reimburse Pre (or GE), sticking the notice in the envelope isn't such a bad idea.

If you fly 2 round-trips / year, Pre works out to $8.50 per use over 5 years. Most people I know would gladly pay that. Time is money.

petaluma1

Not for the leisure traveler

chollie

petaluma1, I would respectfully disagree. Even when I'm travelling for leisure, I do value my time.

Unfortunately, PreCheck doesn't save me any time because I have no way of knowing before I go to the airport if PreCheck will be staffed or if I will have to wait in the regular lanes. I don't have lounge access, and hanging around an airport wasting time because I didn't know if I needed to allocate 15 minutes or 60+ minutes to get through security isn't my idea of a good time.

If PreCheck were run like GE, it would be a different story. Front-of-line privileges is critical if the kiosks are down and GE does reliably save time. I can book plane connections based on the time I will save by using GE.

I'm not paying $85 for a 'maybe' shot at keeping my shoes on in the regular lines. That doesn't save me anything, because I always remove my shoes before I approach the TDC, even if I have been granted 'free Pre'. I'm not scheduling my flights around when PreCheck lanes might be operational at the terminal I'm flying out of when I'm flying (like rush hour Fridays, great time to close PreCheck). For some seasoned FT business travelers, it's not a big deal to chase down the one checkpoint in a large airport where PreCheck might be available. it's not as convenient if you are a slow-moving senior, a wheelchair pax, or a family traveling with small children.

It's great for those whose schedules and budgets and travel habits mean they get their money's worth.

petaluma1

However, Chollie, TSA tells everyone to get to the airport 2 hours before their flight, Pre or not. Since one never knows what one is going to find when arriving at the airport, Pre is not a time saver.

chollie

I agree, that's the biggest reason it has no value for me. I would pay for GE because it is a reliable time-saver compared to the regular lines. PreCheck for someone in my situation, given the airports I frequent and the times I fly, is nothing more than a raffle ticket.

petaluma1

I am under the impression that GE is only for entry back into the states and doesn't do anything for you when flying out of a US airport. I thought it was CLEAR that gets one to the front of the line for PreCheck (and costs about $180 a year).

petaluma1

Along the same line as the OP:

chollie

It is. It's a CBP program under the DHS umbrella that actually gives people value for their money when re-entering the country. It is reliable and if there is a problem with the kiosks, GE member aren't forced to go to the back of the regular lines, they have front-of-line privileges - because GE members enroll to save time.

Sadly, instead of looking to CBP's GE for guidance on how to set up a well-functioning TT program, TSA re-invented the process in their own inimitable way. I think the top two concerns for most PreCheck customers is the same as for GE users: speed and reliability. TSA disregarded both of those concerns when they set PreCheck up.

People are buying both Clear and PreCheck precisely because PreCheck may not be offered, in which case Clear at least provides front-of-line privileges (time savings).

petaluma1

One article I read said GE got you Pre also and another didn't mention Pre at all. So which is it?

chollie

Someone posted recently on this forum, but you should know the answer without asking - we're talking TSA, after all.

GE members are 'eligible' for PreCheck, but that does not mean they are 'entitled' to PreCheck. At any time, TSA can stop offering PreCheck to GE members.

It's hard to imagine what excuse TSA will use to separate PreCheck from GE - after all, DHS is the parent organization for both, and I think it would be hard to argue that TSA's background check is more stringent. I guess they could out-source the program and justify it that way.

Of course, they'd be assuming that all GE members would then pony up for PreCheck. That's not necessarily true. One of the biggest annoyances with PreCheck is that pax returning from overseas and connecting to US flights have to go through TSA screening. but of course TSA rarely offers PreCheck at those checkpoints.

Collierkr

What's the big deal here? It is a simple advertisement. I think your thread label is way over the top.

FliesWay2Much

From Day One, the TSA has successfully framed the debate as "time savings" and we bought it hook, line and sinker. I'm certainly not criticizing anyone, but the example above come from people with a wide range of opinions on airport security and the TSA. Yet, everyone of them referred to minimizing time through the checkpoint.

We've completely lost sight of the big issue: the amount of intrusiveness and abuse up to & including sexual assault versus a reasonable response to validated threats. I've never lost sight of this fundamental issue and I encourage others to keep this front & center as well.