MikeyZBT

Getting Global Entry was incredibly easy to do. 1 week from start to finish. $100 for 5 years is a good price too.

knit-in

+1 for GE!

When I joined I was told that getting Pre check would be random, and not a certainty with Global Entry. Lately, however, it seems I get pre check for all domestic destinations.

Often1

This was never a perk for FF's or for those with status. It is simply that it is a cohort which definitionally flies a lot and on whom the carriers have pretty good data. With the carriers' approval and then each consumer's opt-in, those lists were screened by DHS and that was that.

The downside is that some people took this to be a FF perk.

Jump

Resulting in the frequent traveler now having to deal with the kettles who paid to play but have no idea how to go through the security process slowing everyone down. Pretty similar to those who bought up to FC through FCM.

GUWonder

Non-members of DHS "trusted traveler" programs who got/get PreCheck as a benefit by way of their U.S. frequent flyer program status/history have been subject to a background check. It was why the FFP elites who wanted this at the initial stages were required to opt-in. Different kind of background checks, but background checks still.

GUWonder

Everyone flying on a revenue ticket within/to/from the US has been paying DHS, so PreCheck is not -- and never has been -- free for anyone flying on a revenue ticket from a PreCheck airport/terminal on a PreCheck eligible airline.

MojaveFlyer

I'm a bit astounded, though I'm sure I shouldn't be, at the entitlement I hear coming from those who paid for pre one way or another. It is so much the "American way" to buy privilege, and screw those who can't afford it. Put up this security theater, then allow the wealthy to bypass it, so once again they can feel better than the "kettles" and other sorts of pond scum.

And as for the program needing to fund itself - I pay the 9/11 "security fee" every time I fly. Enough is enough.

DemonDeacon

I hope so. I assume that they do some kind of background check on everyone who receives PreCheck, because if they letting anyone do it, it would destroy the narrative that the body scanners, shoe carnival, liquids out etc. are necessary for security.

Again, this isn't supposed to be about paying to get a less intense security treatment. It's supposed to be about reimbursing the government for the expense of determining that you are a low threat passenger.

RandomBaritone

"Entitlement"? "Buy privilege"? "Pond scum"?

It's the polar opposite of an entitlement. It's a simple fee-for-service model, allowing those who fly frequently enough to care about such matters to have a predictable experience. That's all. Nothing nefarious.

I seriously doubt those who only fly occasionally would welcome a $17 annual tax increase (the amortized cost of Pre-Check) for a service they'll rarely use, while I think it's a great idea. Vive la difference.

DemonDeacon

I'm completely ok with the TSA no longer accepting new free FF opt-ins. But it is complete BS that people who are already screened and cleared now have to pay to continue to get the privilege. They are already cleared, that's what the money is supposed to be for!

You're not paying for expedited secruity, you are paying for the work that needs to be done to determine that you are eligible for expedited security.

DemonDeacon

It's not a fee for service though. It doesn't cost the TSA anything more to send already cleared pax through the metal detector rather than the body scanner. In fact, I imagine it's considerably cheaper because it means they have to purchase fewer expensive body scanners. The only higher cost is the background checks, which have already been performed on the people currently receiving PreCheck.

And philosophically, our government of the people should not be charging passengers anything more than is necessary to cover their costs. Remember, this isn't (or at least shouldn't be) like a private company looking to monetize and make a profit off of a privilege like early boarding or some other convenience.

The goal of the government should be to get all passengers through the least intrusive security screening necessary to declare them as safe to board a flight. Not to make money off of passengers by charging more than their real costs of expedited screening.

CDKing

IIRC all it was sharing was flight history with the airline you are opting in through. I know TSA follows no logic but if it was truly a background check, why was approval only when flying the carrier opted in on and not all carriers? I also recall people getting pre via opt-in and later on getting denied for global entry, which in turn caused pre via opt-in to stop.

mattr12

Well that's an interesting topic. I have Global Entry and I flew with a Mexican citizen from SAN to SFO last week with VX. It was the first time in his life he got on an airplane and he's 28 years old, he's never been even close to an airport before that day. He's the 0.0001% that VX talks about in their video when it comes to using a seat belt.

When we checked in I expected to get the pre-check, but I was very surprised when he too got the pre-check!! He has a visa that allow him to go 100 miles from the MX/USA border, and a I94 that allow him to go anywhere in the US for 6 months. It seems to me that pre-check includes people who have visas but that was unexpected!

ronin308

While some certainly have an entitled attitude about it, the purpose of the fees have nothing to do with "allowing the wealthy to bypass" anything and more about providing appropriate levels of screening to individuals identified as low risk.

Both Global Entry and Precheck users have their fingerprints and other information run through the FBI database (Which the FBI bills the TSA for) and a security threat analysis performed on them. That is an added cost that is not incorporated into the 9/11 "security fees".

Would you rather have the "security fees" raised higher and make the process free?

BTW, I went through the same process(that uses the same contractor to conduct the "interview" and obtain the biometric information.) to get my $128 TWIC card, with the only thing to show for the extra $43 is a $10 plastic ID card.

ronin308

You're not entirely correct. The only background check the TSA performed on the frequent flyer opt ins was to match them against the various terrorist watch lists. There was no comprehensive background check or STA performed.

FFs were allowed preCheck (at much lower rates of success than those with GE) because the theoretical risk of an FF passenger committing an act of terror is much lower and it allowed for a large number of participants very quickly.

Both the PreCheck and Global Entry programs require collection of biometrics and that data to be run through the FBI database (which the FBI charges for) and a security threat analysis (STA) to be performed. There is a cost to perform the background check/STA and a cost to actually collect that data (PreCheck enrollment centers are managed by a contractor). In the end there's very little if any extra money made via this program. (As I pointed out, the TWIC program uses the same process and charges more money)

The real issue here is the TSA made a decision to exclude FFs, not because of a change in risk but for administrative reasons (ie to keep PreCheck lines shorter)