It is going on at a number of airports across the country.

Pilot Program at BOS TSA Checkpoint
 

The agents I spoke with said that this was completely DL's idea and the people on the TSA side were generally unhappy as well. They asked me to complain to Delta.

If this was Delta's idea, then I hope Delta gets the idea that Pre-Check should be the rule, not the exception, for all passengers at all times.

The only problem with this is that neither TSA nor Pre Check are the purvey of DL. The government has to permit this to occur, which, presumably links back to the TSA worker at IND who told me that they, "just do what they're told to do."

This is a TSA program. One TSA officer I overheard is not happy about it because they are worried they will be blamed for any security failures.

With all due respect to the job that these TSA agents do (I say that seriously and am not at all a TSA-hater), I suspect that the agents manning the checkpoints are not always terribly clued into how such decisions are made nor who makes them.

While TSA employees' mantra is CYA, I could not care less about such "concerns".

Just went through the junkshow that is this "beta".

Is it too much to ask for consistency? Things would be much clearer for passengers and much easier for the TSA employees if they put up a few extra signs isntead of just snake the guardrails all willy-nilly to put people in certain places and then randomly pull some out to go through a different version of security.

I'm with Spiff though, they may as well hurry up and have Pre be the way that everyone goes through.

I had a similar experience in AUS this AM. There were 12 people in the PreCheck credentials line. All but 2 were diverted to the regular screening. Only myself and the guy in front of me were sent to the PC magnetometer.

I have heard it is slated to be tried at DEN, though don't know if has begun yet.

But this is precisely the lack of clarity I think TSA is going for here. Someone who plans on hijacking an airplane will be more successful if they can game the security system. If there is inherent unpredictability to security, i.e. "snake the guardrails all willy-nilly to put people in certain places and then randomly pull some out to go through a different version of security" it becomes more difficult plan for in advance. Personally, I have absolutely no problem with the unpredictability of TSA, I just wish they'd leave the Pre Check lanes alone. The reason I do Pre to begin with is that I can avoid the mobs of infrequent travelers who are still trying to figure out that they need to collapse their strollers, take out their liquids, remove their computers, take off their belts and shoes, etc., etc., etc. If you want to experiment, don't do it by slowing down the lane set aside for frequent travelers who have been vetted and are more efficient and the whole security process!

It should be noted that, in its current incarnation, those that access the lanes via being a frequent traveler are not actually vetted. Personally, I think that Pre should be open only to those that are Global Entry or are otherwise cleared by the TSA. That someone flew 25k miles (or less) without incident does not seem like a particularly rigorous vetting process.

I have a huge problem with so-called "unpredicitability", since it's a huge waste of time and of my resources. There's no need for such idiocy if simple, non-intrusive, effective screening for guns and bombs is done the first time.

All should receive Pre-Check. There's no need for "vetting" either. The overwhelming number of people are not terrorists. I like this new program and hope that either it will become the norm as it should, or private security will replace TSA and implement it. Delta, if you're reading this, please remember that improving the current "security" experience for all will improve your bottom line.

Spiff, I absolutely agree with you. Unfortunately, our government seems to be unable to implement such a system whether due to expenses, brain power, or a combination of the two. As such, we are left with them hanging their hat on the idea of unpredictability in the system. My point, however, is that if this is the best they can do, don't do it at the expense of the one TSA lane in the few airports that have Pre for DL pax where people are generally more efficient than the average 1-2 trips per year traveler who holds up everyone else!

I just zipped right thru at Logan. That said, there was one French family that used the same metal detector but had been made to remove their shoes etc at an adjacent X-ray machine.