eyevision

Any idea what the "return to counter" message means on the precheck scanner? I got that in Cincy this morning. The TSA guy waived me through to the regular line rather than send me back to the check in counter, but suggested I call the airline to find out what it meant. He had no idea.

My global entry card came this week after an interview last Saturday. I wondered if that was the issue?

Ari

They could, but there is little value to CLEAR at 'proper' PreCheck airports, unless you are not PreCheck eligible or do a lot of international travel.

At the majority of hubs, the TSA PreCheck is separate up to the ID checker and guarded by a contract employee with a scanner, so CLEAR isn't necessary there. At non-hubs, it can be a problem. But CLEAR hasn't proliferated very much anyway.

This should be fixed sometime this week; it is supposed to become a guarded line at the center checkpoint, moving out of the 5N corner checkpoint.

Probably the same as "invalid boarding pass signature". It means that the barcode was not of proper quality, or it was a poor read for some reason. Using a good laser printer, a working airport kiosk or an electronic boarding pass can prevent this problem.

Unrelated.

xxdboixx

I flew out of SEA this morning.. and was hoping for my triple beep since I went through my GE interview on Friday and approved...

Here's what the setup looked like at SEA. They moved PreCheck from the North security checkpoint to Checkpoint 3 closer to the middle of the terminal. I guess it's good for all the AS flyers out of SEA.

Checkpoint 3 was divided in to 2 lines. One was for all flyers and the other was for PreCheck / Elites. The line was about 15 people long at 7:30AM to get to the first scanner. The TSA agent will take your BP and scan it and if you qualify for PreCheck, they'll direct you to the left line. If you're just a premier or do not qualify for PreCheck, you join the right line.

The left line goes to a dedicated xray machine with a walk through metal detector.

The right line joins the regular line and you get your ID checked and go through the xray machine.

I was flying AS this morning. I had my TT# in my AS profile, made sure that the Secure Flight info matched as FIRST MIDDLE LAST all spelled out... but I didn't get the triple beep.

Is it because my AS Mileage Plan Account has FIRST initial LAST and the ticket was issued as FIRST initial LAST ??

I have a flight with UA next Monday out of SEA. My MP account profile says FIRST initial LAST... but this time, I bought the ticket as FIRST MIDDLE LAST... and made sure my Traveler ID in my ticket showed FIRST MIDDLE LAST and my TT#.

Ever since I opted in with UA like 3-4 months ago, I have never ever been selected for PreCheck.

mnmag

The problem w/signing up for PreCheck is that one is never 'confirmed' for participation w/the carrier, so it's hard to tell if you are truly in the PreCheck program. Even if you are eligible for PreCheck, -- it can be 'random' (ie. you won't necessarily get the 'three beeps, every time, every flt.

Dan-

That's for sure. After 150k miles this year, it's still hit or miss.

Ari

So it looks like they made the change today!

What do you mean, "the first scanner"? Was your boarding boarding pass scanned a second time? Traditionally, PreCheck lines at hubs are setup so that a contract employee from the airline guards the entrance to the line and scans the first time; then you are directed to a 'bypass' line which gets you straight to the TSA where they then scan your BP. Your post implies that there are two (or more) scans of the boarding pass, yet you indicate that a "TSA agent" did the first scan. Are you sure it was a TSA agent? And was there one scans or two scans. If only one scan (by the TSA), they didn't set it up properly. Also, how long did you have to wait for your boarding pass to be scanned "the first time" when you were in back of the ~15 people? Where was the line guarded?

Not so; AA confirms that you are eligible with a green check mark under the Known Traveler Field in reservations. The icon denotes eligibility through the carrier (as opposed to CBP).

jackal

It shouldn't matter what your name in the reservation record itself is; you have to actually edit the Secure Flight information in your reservation to ensure the name exactly matches the GOES profile. For new reservations, Secure Flight information can be entered during the reservation process; for existing ones, it can be added in the regular view itinerary screen on united.com.

There is no (apparent) correlation between the name the airline has on file for you and the name on file in your Secure Flight information; I don't see any way the system would prevent you from booking a ticket for John Q. Doe but listing Jack William Smith in the Secure Flight information screen, although that obviously doesn't help you get PreCheck.

smn

Does anyone know if you could use QRAFTER to create a new QR code based on the decoded information but simply changing the '0' to a '3'? You could then edit the boarding pass image to include the new QR code. I'd like to think the program is more secure than just this and involves some more of a check... Then again, if that's all you have to do, what stops someone from simply changing the name on the pass and doing the same thing?

UPDATE: A quick search found this - https://puckinflight.wordpress.com/2...-check-system/

MrMarket

Pre-check at the LAX UA check-in is the best thing to happen to my travel experience since lay-flat international C. Being on the other side of security within five minutes of arrival without have to dis-robe puts me in the best mood possible to cope the inevitable line at the UC with some indignant Amex Platinum holder holding up the line. Success all around.

busyexec331

Flying UA, I used TSA PreCheck at IAD on Friday (10/19) in the early afternoon -- absolutely no lines. IIRC, my paper OLCI BP was scanned twice -- by what appeared to be a contract employee as I entered the PreCheck area, and then a second time by a TSA agent right before the x-ray belt.

Used PreCheck at DEN on Sunday evening (10/21). Again deserted. My paper OLCI BP was scanned only once -- by a TSA agent as I entered the area.

For these flighs, I noticed that my UA OLCI BPs included a special statement addressed to "TSA Pre-Screening Participants," giving me directions to the PreCheck area. Coincidence?

FriendlySkies

No coincidence. If you're going through a Pre-Check airport, it'll tell you where to find the checkpoint. This is not limited to people who will get Pre-Check on that itin.

exerda

I'm glad we've got this at last at IAD. I made it through tonight in ~1 minute. Now, how long before more people enroll, and the checkpoint gets crowded?

busyexec331

Then I was a very lucky guy, because I took it as a divine sign from above, and just waltzed in to the PreCheck area and got the three beeps. (I do have Global Entry, so at least it was a somewhat educated hope.)

PreCheck was indeed a blessing at IAD. I have learned never to go there when I'm in a hurry. I may finally be able to un-learn that lesson.

eleeut

pre-check has worked every time for me where it's been available since opting in. i got GE this last June and realized that the GE credentials was all i needed to opt in through UA. as for this morning, i was through C-3 at EWR at 5:30 am in under 2 or 3 min, max. having the scanner at the outside instead of at the TDC makes a tremendous difference.

Ari

The discussion you are looking for is right here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/check...s-qr-code.html

In short, the answer to your question is that each boarding pass barcode has a signature that incorporates the barcode's data elements, and changing the barcode data without changing the signature will create a mismatch between the two. In the case of a mismatch, PreCheck isn't going to work. The screen will say "INVALID BP SIGNATURE", or something like that when TSA scans it.

Only if you check your boarding pass in advance, though!