PreCheck or SkyPriority
 

ATL flyers, do you use the PreCheck or Sky Priority security line on Monday mornings? The PreCheck line has gotten maddeningly long lately and it makes me wonder if Sky Priority could be faster. Thoughts?

I usually go Sky Priority on Mondays. But I wonder why ATL PreCheck is so much worse than any other major airport? I notice it not just on Mondays, but all the time

Sky Priority has been a shorter line the last three times I started a trip in ATL. I check both lines before committing.

It's not just ATL. I check both line length/wait time at IAD as well.

MSP has a line that is only for those who have both PreCheck and SkyPriority. Is that unique to MSP?

There are definitely other airpots with worse PreCheck situations. Last time I flew out of ORD I almost missed my flight, and I show up to airports much earlier than most.

It's the only place I've ever seen it -- and it's wonderful.

There is no absolute formula, but Pre-Check seems to move 5-6 times faster than a standard line. That may be due to the shoes, 3-1-1 bag, scanning device and general traveler sophistication.

Thus, I don't care about the length of the line, I care about the time it takes to get through the checkpoint.

My unscientific estimation is that Pre-Check is almost uniformly significantly faster than any non Pre-Check line unless there is a real screwup and those happen in all lines randomly.

Have the random pre-check passes come to an end yet? What's guaranteed to F' it up is a whole bunch of passengers who have no clue who need to be taught how to proceed thru. We had an entire family in front of us who last month who had no clue about pre-check and it literally took them 10 minutes get past the TSA agent checking IDs & boarding passes.

That would be a definite negative on the random selection ending. I have not signed up for Pre-Check and def got selected three weeks ago when I flew (I make the same RT 2x a month and airports at both ends have super fast security no matter what line).

I wish they had a line for knows pre-check rules and one for doesn't have a f-ing clue about pre-check or just a knows how to get through security line and a no f-ing clue line. I had my 22 month-old with me (and I'm 7 months pregnant) and we sped through the pre-check faster than many who appeared to be single travelers or two adults on vacation (and I had a stroller, diaper bags with bottles of milk and a small backpack).

I agree with your thoughts on the lines. However, they wouldn't police it and people would still get in whatever line they wanted. At MCO they tried 3 lines and had one labeled experience, one families (I think) and I forget the other. People just routinely got in the shortest line and they eventually got rid of the joke.

I suspect the SkyPriority PreCheck line was initiated at MSP because many elites were insisting on using SkyPriority rather than the PreCheck line there, which always seemed to be a big mess ever since that security checkpoint ceased to be SkyPriority only.

I dread what will happen when MSP goes to their planned centralized security setup.

Some airports have the self select lines for expert travelers, families, etc. but everyone seems to consider themselves experts, even if they've obviously never traveled or have a bunch of kids, granny, etc.

I feel kind of stupid for asking this, but at ATL is there a pre-check over on the dark side (North terminal, WN-land)?

If so, might be reasonable to check it out on Mon mornings.

Of course if that looks bad, then circling back to the DL side takes a few minutes, but at least it is walking, not waiting.

It is a bit of a haul from one side to the other if you're already late. At times, TSA North is supposed to be for AA/UA only, and sometimes they will make announcements and enforce that. I've used it for DL, however, and I've seen passengers there from various airlines including WN. Pre North does close two hours earlier than Pre Central. Last time I went through there (on a Sat morning in January), Pre was inexplicably closed all day. No explanation or signage; the agent just said that was all she knew, so I hoofed over to Central.

That said, it's a YMMV situation. Sometimes I've been one of only a few non-wheelchair people in the line. Wheelchairs are supposed to use Central, but sometimes I guess they get backed up and send the whole crew over to North.

Always Pre-Check, as having to opt out would negate any benefit of a shorter SkyPriority line.