petaluma1

The debacle you describe seems to be in place at several airports. Did the passengers have to circle the dog so it could smell each side? I don't understand why they send PreCheck people through this dance - aren't the supposed to be trusted travelers?

ETA: Now it seems as if you need to have Clear also if you want to be semi-assured of a fast trip through security. $179 a year for Clear plus $85 for 5 years of PreCheck.

nrgiii

I don't know. The line was so long I never got close enough to see the dog before I bailed.

Exactly what I said yesterday at HNL, minus several 4 letter words.

How does having Clear avoid the line-up-for-the-K9 fiasco?

nrg

petaluma1

It doesn't. But since this thread is why pay for PreCheck, I was simply musing. First it was only PreCheck, now it's Clear plus PreCheck - what's next?

petaluma1

As an aside, there was a tweet on the TSA's twitter account this morning advising travelers through SAT, post-Final Four, to allow EXTRA time because the dogs were in use.

Boggie Dog

Thought TSA claimed that using pooches sped up the screening process not slowed it down. Does TSA decide how screening works based on which side of the bed the TSA Administrator gets up on each day?

JamesBigglesworth

I'm having trouble understanding why there was a problem. Do TSA dogs not have legs or do TSA agents not understand how to use theirs?

How can they so consistently get implementation of *everything* (including best practice for use of dogs) wrong? Is it actual policy to be as inept as possible?

petaluma1

Quite possibly.

Boggie Dog

Having observed the physical condition of a large number of TSA employees I would suggest that many TSA screeners have no idea what their legs are meant to do.

chollie

TSA never guaranteed that the dogs would speed the process up.

petaluma1

If you want to nit-pick, no they never guaranteed it (TSA guarantees nothing as a way of avoiding responsibility) but always said the dogs would speed up screening:

"Speedier screening is one of the benefits of the TSA's dog detection program, a relief to travelers in the past year."

“We have seen a noticeable difference in how quickly the lines move when the dogs are working.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ity/669316001/

"Neffenger said replacing the current security screening procedure used by most passengers with bomb-sniffing dogs would speed up lines at airports."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKCN0X5273

Boggie Dog

TSA doesn't guarantee anything.

iluv2fly

Incorrect. They guarantee a miserable airport experience.

Boggie Dog

I've had some TSA experiences that were almost normal and some that have been horrible. Sadly TSA seems to have no conduct or professionalism standardization for screeners making each screening event a total crap shoot. I know what TSA claims to have but in practice those claims just don't materialize.

guflyer

My understanding was that dogs are used to give everyone pre-check style screening which is what makes the line move faster. Is this not the case?

Following one of the New York snow storms, I flew out of EWR. There was a really long line and I was at first disappointed that they did not separate pre-check at all, having everyone go through the dogs. However, everyone was given the pre-check type treatment after going through the dogs, so the line moved really quickly (and I did not notice anyone get the random beep).

At MDW last Thursday morning, the pre-check line was not open when I arrived (before 4 am). The ID checker told me that everyone would get pre-check style screening because we went through the dogs. After getting closer to the front of the line, I noticed that people started taking off their shoes and going through body scanners. I then moved to the next line where I heard a TSO yell at the line to disregard everything that they were just told and that they needed to take their shoes and belt off, take out all electronics larger than a phone, etc. I then noticed that the precheck line had opened and left to make use of it.

Upon going back to the entrance of the checkpoint, everyone (including those going to the pre-check line) was forced to go past the dogs. I could not understand why people in the regular lines were no longer receiving the pre-check type screening even though dogs were still being used.

Is it typical for dogs to be used but for passengers to still receive regular (not pre-check style) screening? Is it normal for the TSA to change the screening to this from pre-check style screening and to tell everyone to disregard everything that they were just told?

petaluma1

This is how AskTSA would probably respond to your question:

A good deal of horse-hockey is included in that statement.