Toan

My home airport (Austin) is getting Pre-check by the end of March. It was also announced by TSA that WN will be getting into the program later this year. It is by invite only based on how often you fly.

That probably means I qualify since I fly each week. Yay me.

[Ed: See post #207 and following for the post-arrival discussion.]

ursine1

Where did you see TSA say that WN would be participating?

qwertyasdfghzxcvbn

The closest I could find was this: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/b...-and-tr/nWTwP/

tusphotog

I'll believe it when I see it....and it actually works...

sdsearch

Where does it say that ("by invite only")?

Other airlines have invite to elite-enough members (perhaps the top 2 of 3 elite categories), but then anyone else who has a Trusted Traveler number (from Global Entry, NEXUS, or Sentri) can enter it and sign themselves up. (But if you don't have GE/NEXUS/Sentri, then only those invitted by the airline can sign up.)

So do you have any evidence that it will truly be invite only, or could it be invite-plus-TT like at other airlines?

longhorn11

Thanks for posting this but I have a hard time believing the wonderful TSA agents at AUS will have any idea on how to make use of this. I hate flying through AUS now, ever since they got rid of the side checkpoint with a WTMD. Without A-list I don't know how many flights I would've missed due to a lack of knowledge and efficiency in security.

InkUnderNails

Cool.

I noticed today that my home AP, BNA, is now PreCheck.

Now, let's get WN on board......

ExCrew

If WN wants to earn and keep Biz flyers, Pre-Check is a great way to do just that. Sad that the US's largest domestic airline (in number of dom. US pax served) will be last in line for this program. I inquired about this with WN, and this is the response:

Dear ExCrew,

Thank you for your inquiry about the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Pre-Check program. Southwest Airlines supports the Pre-Check program, and we are looking forward to participating in the program in the future as it expands its operations to additional airlines. Currently, we are in the process of analyzing the Pre-Check program and what it will take to implement. Please visit the TSA's web site for a list of airlines and airports who participate in the Pre-Check concept and for updates on the program.

We appreciate your loyal patronage and look forward to welcome you onboard for your next flight with Southwest!

Very noncommittal. My guess is Pre-Check would be just another nightmare for the WN IT department.

robbert

Let's all submit our inquiries about this. I just recently started using TSA Pre and it is a world of difference. Instead of the potential terrorist you become 'one of us'. I have a choice of using BWI or DCA and this is really going to influence my choice. This together with lounges in both airports that Southwest has no equivalent for. I just emailed WN about participation in TSA Pre.

ILovetheReds

Precheck is great!

Something people need to remember is that even if WN becomes a part of the precheck program, there are going to be airports that have precheck where you probably still won't be able to use it.

It is available at a couple terminals at LAX but I would be very surprised if they put a precheck lane in at Terminal 1. It is available at MSP and DTW for Delta flyers, but not at the terminal WN flies out of and again I don't see precheck ever coming to those terminals. If precheck does come to WN, plan on using the American and Delta security point at BNA and walking to the WN gates because I don't see TSA putting in another precheck point there (I would just scan my boarding pass if I was flying out of WN before getting to BNA to make sure I was getting the three beeps to avoid a long walk).

At an airport like ATL or DEN with one checkpoint it would work great.

qwertyasdfghzxcvbn

I could see it being added to MSP Terminal 2 if WN gets on board. They did just add a second checkpoint to the terminal in October and are currently renovating the original checkpoint. On the other hand, they did just add a second checkpoint in October, so the short wait that exists at the checkpoint is now going to be even shorter once the other checkpoint opens back up

sdsearch

Down the coast a bit from LAX is SNA (John Wayne Airport in Irvine in Orange County), which is a relatively small airport, with I think only one cheakpoint, and PreCheck was recently started there. So because of the shared checkpoint, Southwest could theoritcally get PreCheck there before LAX T1 (which they're going to have all to themselves and AirTran soon, and thus they that checkpoint would have to work for them and them alone).

I do hope, whether they get PreCheck there or not, that in the refurbish they're doing of LAX T1, they find a way to lessen the lines for security. It seems to me that PreCheck wouldn't always help that much there, if you had to wait in the main line before they determined whether you clear for PreCheck that day. The line to get to the first security person is generally the longest one in my experience (though that's possibly because of inadequate throughput behind there?).

alan19

Yes, SNA has precheck, but only at Checkpoint A for now. With the recent expansion, there are now three terminals and three checkpoints. The Southwest terminal C is unfortunately the furthest from A.

InkUnderNails

My response from this weekend. You would not think they use form letters, would you?

Obviously, they do not appreciate my loyal patronage and look forward to welcoming me onboard for my next flight with Southwest! like they did for ExCrew.

ExCrew

They probably just couldn't be bothered with cutting/pasting the additional text. Would've taken them an extra 7 seconds. Time is money, you know.