Checkout at US airports: what you need to know so that you don't miss your flight

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Increasingly, passengers are faced with what is on the line Precheck the check is much slower than on the regular line, although the TSA program Precheck designed to save a lot of time for people who travel frequently. And they wonder why.

Merinda Edmonds, a photographer from St. Louis, recently flew with her mother from Sacramento to St. Louis. Edmonds has status Precheck, her mother doesn't have it. “She actually got through security faster than I did,” Edmonds says.

According to the agency, almost all passengers wait less than 30 minutes at standard checkpoints, and 99,6% TSA members Precheck wait less than 10 minutes in the queue. In other words, the speed lane is almost always faster, and the situation with Edmonds is an exception.

Author of the publication USA Today also turned out to be an exception when he decided to fly to Anchorage. He was confronted with the fact that there were 4-5 people on the regular security line, and Precheck - at least 20 passengers.

Program Precheck it is more comfortable that they don’t take off their shoes for testing, they don’t ask for a laptop and there are no scanners that irradiate your body. However, some travelers will be happy to give up these amenities if they can pass the test faster.

What is the problem?

TSA has different requirements for passengers on each line. For example, you can get the status PreCheck being a member of another proven travel program, such as Global Entry, or you can get it randomly on the day of your departure. “Normal Line Check” is for everyone else.

“When passengers arrive at the airport, this line will be imbalanced from time to time,” explains Edial Pinker, a queue expert who teaches at the Yale School of Management. -You can't give them another line because you don't-Precheck getting very flawed. As a result Precheck may have more delays than nonPrecheck».

Andra Watkins, a professional speaker and writer, noticed longer lines on the line Precheck from the middle of summer. This is frustrating for her, as those who did not pay the TSA membership fee, go faster than those who paid.

“TSA needs to allocate more resources and staff to the bands PreCheck, - she says.

This is unlikely to happen. The TSA's goal is not necessarily to make the process faster, but safer. To do this, he needs to collect as much information as possible about travelers. So it will likely continue to enroll more passengers in its programs like Precheck, because it receives the data he needs. Meanwhile, travelers will continue to pay Precheck, because there is a chance that they will have less problematic and faster verification.

The agency plays by its own rules when it comes to your personal information. It collects more information about you and invests in biometric technologies that scan your face before you board the flight. The members TSA PreCheck just financed the collection of more data from travelers by paying membership fees.

Is PreCheck worth it?

• What is this? Precheck is the TSA's "trusted" traveler program. Benefits include a five-minute wait at the security check line and no need to remove and present certain items for screening, such as a laptop, liquids, belt, shoes and jackets, according to the TSA. You pay $85 for a 5-year membership (tsa.gov/precheck). Already more than 5 million people have access to the lines Precheck at 200 airports of the country.
• Who benefits? The consensus among travel experts is that if you fly more than twice a year, then it’s profitable to sign up for a program. However, if you plan to travel around the world, consider another “trusted” program for travelers. Global Entrywhich includes benefits Precheck TSA (cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/globalentry).
• What if the queue Precheck longer than usual? You can do nothing but complain. A TSA agent cannot transfer you to a shorter queue, even if you ask to move from Precheck to normal. Make a brief, polite TSA complaint. Here's how to do it: tsa.gov/contact-center/form/complaints.

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