TSAPressSec

Many travelers are consistently asking why they haven't received TSA Pre✓™ if they have a Known Traveler Number (KTN). The answer is...they should. I recently posted on the TSA Blog about this issue. I recommend you read this to understand where we have seen confusion occurring. (We just identified a third-party booking system that was submitting the KTN in the Redress field for their customers.)

A traveler who has a KTN in their PNR should receive TSA Pre✓™ consistently. I know many of you on FlyerTalk, who travel all the time and have a KTN, always receive it. Travelers opted-in via an airline-specific invitation won't receive TSA Pre✓™ as often as a traveler who has been issued a KTN.

We will always say, "TSA continues to incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport and no individual will be guaranteed expedited screening." For example, since we vet passengers for each flight, we can scale back TSA Pre✓™ if needed. If we are concerned about a certain flight, we have the ability to scale back TSA Pre✓™ for that one flight.

The issue that I see -- and I have helped many passengers troubleshoot via twitter -- is that the KTN was wrong, KTN was not in the PNR, DOB was off by a day (or year) and/or the name didn't match.

The airline can quickly update this information, and resubmit it to TSA. For example, if you checked in online, and didn't receive TSA Pre✓™, you can reach out to your airline to update your "Secure Flight" info. If they update it, and everything matches, you should receive TSA Pre✓™.

AA/UA/DL and some of the other TSA Pre✓™ participating carriers allow you to pull the PNR, and verify your name matches how you applied for your KTN and that your KTN is in the record.

I know you all have many questions, but hope this clears up some of the misconceptions about TSA Pre✓™. Yes, it is "random," but it won't be so random if you have a KTN.

goalie

This is on behalf of goalie-sis.

She is retired Coast Guard and now a civilian employee for the Navy Dept with top secret clearance for her current position and has yet to receive PreCcheck with her Common Access Card (CAC) number* stored in her airline profile (both Delta & United) when traveling using her government (vs personal) passport (and I have checked and double checked that there is not a name [full first, middle and last names are correct] or b.o.b mismatch with any of the data)


*which as best she and I can tell, according to the information provied on the TSA's website, a CAC can be used by both active duty and civilian military

TSAPressSec

Did she opt-in via MilConnect? Civilians have to follow this opt-in process first. Additional details: http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/military-members

This is the info. is via DoD:

"It’s important to note, officials said, that once their eligibility takes effect April 15, DOD and Coast Guard civilian employees first must “opt in” to the TSA Pre-check program by visiting the “milConnect” website at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect. After selecting the “My Profile” menu tab after logging into the website, users will be guided through the opt-in process. Civilian employees need to opt in only once, officials said. Military members already are eligible and do not need to opt in, they added."

Did she opt-in?

goalie

Thanks so much for the follow-up ^ and I'm not sure. I did ask her if she had to do anything similar to what I did as non-military when I opted in with United and she said she had "taken care of the airline side" but I will send her a copy & paste of what you wrote, have her double check and get back to you

TSAPressSec

Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including those serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Reserves and National Guard are already eligible and do not need to opt-in. The opt-in process is only for the civilian side of DoD.

TSAPressSec

Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including those serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Reserves and National Guard are already eligible and do not need to opt-in. The opt-in process is only for the civilian side of DoD.

If the problem still exists after their next flight, and they did opt-in, please PM me. I can then send something over to DoD to have them verify the record. Our data pulls from the milConnect/DMDC system.

GUWonder

Opting in via the airline side won't do as much unless opting in/registering via milconnect.

1P

I received GE in May 2012. I have had a KTN since the same date, and the KTN is in my frequent flyer profile and is thus always in my PNR. As soon as I received these, I applied for TSA Pre✓™ via the link provided by my airline.

Two years on, I currently receive TSA Pre✓™ about 2 times out of 5. There seems no rhyme or reason to it.

For the first year, I never received it at all. Then it started to happen domestically about 1 time in 10, but I was sure that if I took a domestic flight in connection with an international itinerary I would never have TSA Pre✓™, and I was right. I assumed that this was because I hold a non-US passport and a Permanent Resident Card. However, in the last few months that has changed and I have occasionally had luck with domestic legs of international itineraries.

What has not changed is the complete unpredictability of regular domestic itineraries. 2 times out of 5 is the average, but I never know until I get to an airport whether it will be one of the lucky 2 or one of the unlucky 3.

It seems to me that holding a KTN is no guarantee of getting TSA Pre✓™, and conversations with other frequent flyers confirm this. If TSAPressSec can come up with another reason for the random operation of the scheme, I'd be very interested to know how I can improve my chances.

CDKing

Permanent resident with a known traveler number were excluded from pre-check until very recently which is why you had so many fails

1P

If LPRs with KTNs were excluded until this week (according to the other thread), I should have had 100% fails instead of 60% fails. Still think something else has been going on.

Anyway, I now look forward to 100% success, and will report back when it doesn't happen.

Himeno

How does someone get a KTN without a US passport and not US resident?

CDKing

People who were LPR who did not include their KTN in their reservations were getting it through airline elite opt-in. Did you fit that scenario?

I hope you are lucky as some of the latest posters in the last few posts of this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trust...bal-entry.html

flyme2theriver

I've been flying UA as a 1K and get pre check on almost every flight, but I don't have a KTN, how can I get this information without re-applying? I'd like to ensure pre-check on other airlines as well..

747FC

Re-applying for what?

dustman81

Precheck obtained through status only applies on that airline. To get Pre on other airlines, you need a KTN, which can be obtained via a Trusted Traveler program (either GE, NEXUS or TSA Pre). As you're a 1K, you should be able to get Global Entry comped by United.

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/app.../default.aspx?