k374

Flying Turkish airlines from LAX-IST and I noted a few weeks ago that Turkish newly came on board the TSA Precheck program. Sure enough, I had TSA Precheck on my boarding pass.

First off, the agent checking me in told me Turkish does not have that program. Then I asked her to see my boarding pass as it was clearly indicated TSA Precheck LOL! Then she apologized and said she learned something new ...? Does Turkish even train their staff?

Now, I try to find a TSA Pre line and was told that there was none in the entire terminal. So, I asked them why they printed TSA Pre on my boarding pass they just said that's the airlines mistake and they don't have that program in Tom Bradley.

Why print TSA Pre on the boarding pass if there isn't even that type of facility in the terminal, makes no sense! Looks like no proper co-ordination between the airlines and the terminal whatsoever.

I know plenty of international carriers participate in TSA Pre, so is it just that Terminal B at LAX does not have it? Worst airport ever!!!

eeflyer

Unfortunately that is correct. While a number of international carriers now support TSA Pre, TBIT at LAX does not have a precheck lane. I've heard that some support "precheck-light" but do not have experience nor concrete knowledge with that.

If you really want Precheck, are flying on a supported carrier, and have it on your boarding pass, then your best bet is to walk over to T4 and use that screening lane before walking back to TBIT through the connector. Any same-day boarding pass gets you into any LAX terminal.

paperwastage

well, the general idea is that the airline can fly using other airports, and (hopefully) TSAPre is available at other airports as well

why have logic that says "verify passenger and print TSAPRE, except don't print it in TBIT... until TBIT gets TSAPre, then remove this logic"
yup, LAX TBIT doesn't have TSA Pre lines... unfortunate

use eeflyer's trick above via T4's TSAPre line, or the TBIT's connecting flight checkpoint (if it's open)

obscure2k

Please continue to follow this thread in the LAX Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

TWA884

That!

The TBIT security checkpoint does not have dedicated PreCheck lines, however, "PreCheck Light" (light coats and shoes on, liquids and computers out) screening is provided to passengers who have the TSA PreCheck designation on their boarding passes.

OskiBear

I think AA prints TSA PRECHECK on every one of my boarding passes, regardless of airport. I don't think that makes them the worst. airline. ever.

LAX TBIT - Worst airport ever!!! Hyperbole, much?

SFO777

There is a 2nd little known TBIT security checkpoint on the lower baggage claim level on the south side of TBIT towards T4.
No formal PreCheck but PreCheck lite is available and rarely any line.

TWA884

Yes, I've recently had TSA PRECHECK appear on my AA boarding passes for flights departing from LHR, CDG, MAD, MEX, CUN and BZE. None of those airports had TSA PreCheck lanes.

gr8pirate

flew LH out of LAX TBIT on July 2nd this year.
(kinda copy and paste of what I wrote in a similar thread on FT)

got TSA pre on my boarding card and was surprised to find a dedicated pre check line after walking up the southern stairs. Screener said they were testing it and it was temporary, so I don't know how long this will last or if it will stick at all.

Flying out of TBIT with TK tomorrow, let's see how it goes then!

eeflyer

Cool, that'd be great if they could get it up and running permanently!

Now, if only KE would get into the program :/

gr8pirate

just checked in with TK - they wouldn't enter my KTN at check-in, so no pre designation on boarding card.

there is no precheck line here at the moment, however, TSA said they did have one open at certain times throughout the day.

bzcat

Precheck lines are paid by airlines participation in the program. If enough airlines using TBIT agree to pay for it, TSA will staff it.

I'm guessing (I have no inside knowledge whatsoever) that the cost of a full precheck station at TBIT is too much for the few airlines that participate in the program to bear right now. Think about it from each individual airlines' perspective... most of them have a single or at best double daily departure at TBIT - vs. a domestic airline with hub operation that has 70 or 80 daily departures at its own terminal... the cost/benefit doesn't add up for TK or any other foreign airlines using TBIT. Until there is a critical mass of foreign airlines at TBIT that participate in Precheck so that cost is reasonable for each airline, the situation probably won't change.

According to TSA, these are the airlines that departs out of TBIT and participate in Precheck:

AA (access with T4)
DL (access via airside bus from T2/3)
EK
EY
LH
SQ
TK

Besides AA and DL, the 5 other airlines will have to agree to pay for the precheck stations. None of them probably have enough passengers at LAX to really make that a worthwhile investment. Notably absent from the list are KE, CX, BR, and BA, which have the most year-round daily departures out of TBIT. Get those guys on board and the math probably starts to make sense for each participating airlines.

Edit: Our best hope is probably that once MSC opens and some of the domestic airlines (Spirit or Jetblue?) move over and agree to pay for a big chunk of the cost for Precheck station.

CharlieA

Since the last post KE and CX have added TSA Precheck so I would like to know if TSA Precheck has been added at the Tom Bradley terminal since then. Or if there has been any new talk of Precheck lines.

NOLAnwGOLD

Now KLM and AF too!!

downinit

T4 has Clear and Precheck. There is also a lovely window along the airside walkway between T4 and TBIT where you can wave at all the people standing in the atrocious line at TBIT. Its a bit out of the way, but T4 actually has better dining options than TBIT and a little exercise is useful before a 10-16 hour flight. I have never been denied entry into T4 for any TBIT flight, although a few screeners seem a bit confused by my boarding pass. I even clarified with LAWA management that we are allowed to enter this way.

BTW, I used to say LAX was the worst airport in the world...until I went to MNL. LAX at its worst is still 100x better than MNL at its best, and LAX has actually improved quite a bit in the last decade. I actually really appreciate it as an airport now, and when you consider how many flights such a geographically minuscule airport can handle, it really is a marvel. They just need to get the people mover going so I can avoid the vehicle traffic in the CTA.