Especially since opting out may no longer be permitted. So I'll always do Pre.

Even that's no guarantee. Twice in December (I think both times were at SFO) I had the WTMD beep at me and they wanted to send me through a nude-o-scope. I had nothing on me that I haven't gone through with before. They claimed it was random selection.

Good point. I had that happen a couple of times last year, and then I had to wait to opt out. One of the main reasons I originally got Pre as soon as it was available was so I wouldn't have to hear "Male Assist" screamed for 10-15 mins while they try to track down the one male worker that's not a manager.

They had something like that a few years ago, a separate line for "experienced travelers" or something like that. But they didn't have cattle prods for people who got in that line, didn't know what to do, and took too long so the experiment failed.

I forget where it was, but I saw the ropes dividing lanes with the old experienced/ families etc. designations somewhere recently. My guess is that it might have been in the terminal that DL uses at MIA.

This rings a bell, didn't it use signs with green circle, blue square, and black diamond like ski trail levels?

One of them was a picture of a family.

Funny, I traveled so infrequently those days that when I encountered the setup I would steer clear of the expert lane so I didn't annoy anyone in a hurry. Now the equivalent (Pre) is often filled with clueless people in no hurry. I don't blame them at all, though. They're just trying to carefully follow instructions and do what's right. It can just be irksome to those of us who paid to be there.

That's what I remember: a black and white rectangular sign with silhouettes of the people who are presumably meant to depict a family.

(after Googling "tsa security lanes ski slope") I was thinking of this:

http://blog.tsa.gov/2008/02/what-is-...-own-pace.html

In MEM the pre check and SP lines end up at the same agent checking IDs. He or She waves the non pre check people to the regular lines to the right, and the pre check folks to the left. So you get the best of both worlds. Pretty sweet. ^

I led a parade this Monday over to the Dark Side Pre. Everyone was glad to have done it. The South line stretched over to the regular line, but it was walk-up service on the North Side. The TSA agents were happy to have us. It broke up the boredom. It was early afternoon. The woman in front of me was doubtful, but she followed me over there and was giggling like a teenager when we so quickly went through the line, although they did pull her carry-on for additional screening.

While it may seem like a long walk over there, remember, the Pre screening point is farther down the hallway, resulting in a shorter walk after you go through the screening. I flew out of T on Monday, so I would have had to have walked down the hallway after security anyway.

Every time I fly out of EWR the Pre-Check lane in the Delta terminal is never open. I've flown out at all different hours and its still the same, never open. Glad its not my home airport.

......for this and many other reasons!

I think that is only because the Delta Sky Priority Desk is right there. They used to allow you to go through if you were not PreCheck. That is not the case. I was shot down two weeks ago. No big deal hit the other Sky Priority gate and flew through.