Loved the pre-TSA notification on my SW boarding pass.

[helenk]

I just flew from PHL to MCO and back this past week, I flew Southwest. I noticed that my boarding pass had Pre-TSA on it but I had no idea what it meant.
When I was directed to a really short line at security I thought I was being chosen for extra screening or something, but no I went through the line and did not have to take my shoes off, my computer stayed in my carry on bag and I did not have to take off my light jacket. I did not have any liquids in my carryon but if I did I would not have had to take them out.
It was really nice to be able to avoid the long security lines, especially at MCO.
I did not sign up for this, so I am not sure why I was eligible. I will say, I am nearly 60 and I fly SW twice a year so it's not like I fly a lot, but basically the people that were in the line with me, we all older people like myself.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

People who are not eligible for TSA Pre Check are randomly getting it if their airline participates. TSA wants to have something like 85% of flyers eventually use this program.

If you see this on your boarding pass, do take the time to read the rules before your flight; many clueless people are now going through these lines and holding them up because they are taking off shoes, removing liquids, etc. I went through TSA Pre last week and it was as slow as the regular lines due to these people who didn't bother to read the rules.

 

[boBQuincy]

I did not sign up for this, so I am not sure why I was eligible. I will say, I am nearly 60 and I fly SW twice a year so it's not like I fly a lot, but basically the people that were in the line with me, we all older people like myself.

We had Pre-TSA on our SW flights last week. It was great, less than 2 minutes total through security at RDU and MCO! At $85 for 5 years it seems worthwhile.
And 60 is not "older"!

 

[Muhlenberg]

We had it, as well. We didn't see it on our BP before we got to the line. We had my mother with us, but because she's in a wheelchair, she always goes through that line. They didn't tell us about the computers staying in the bag. Otherwise, we would have been faster yet.

On the way back, we flew through TPA. No pre-TSA on our BP. My MOTHER (89 yo) gets stopped because they "detected" explosives. Well, that was (obviously) a false positive. I was not a happy camper. I won't go into details, but it took us MUCH longer to be "released" when they decided my mother wasn't a threat.

 

[CPT Tripss]

People who are not eligible for TSA Pre Check are randomly getting it if their airline participates. TSA wants to have something like 85% of flyers eventually use this program.

If you see this on your boarding pass, do take the time to read the rules before your flight; many clueless people are now going through these lines and holding them up because they are taking off shoes, removing liquids, etc. I went through TSA Pre last week and it was as slow as the regular lines due to these people who didn't bother to read the rules.

Sadly, almost a decade of "anything for safety" has conditioned most infrequent and leisure flyers to automatically divest, unpack and disrobe. I suspect that such behavior will continue until PreCheck rules become the default and the Airport Security Screening managers publicize this old procedure.

 

[Brian Noble]

many clueless people are now going through these lines and holding them up because they are taking off shoes, removing liquids, etc.

Yes, I'm seeing this as well. When it first rolled out, the TSA agents were quick to offer verbal instruction; they probably need to get back to doing that.

 

[helenk]

If you see this on your boarding pass, do take the time to read the rules before your flight; many clueless people are now going through these lines and holding them up because they are taking off shoes, removing liquids, etc. I went through TSA Pre last week and it was as slow as the regular lines due to these people who didn't bother to read the rules.

I guess we were lucky, while in the line I did read the sign which indicated that you did not have to take your shoes off etc. The other 2 or 3 people in line either read the sign or were aware of the procedures because the line moved quickly.
I did not see it on my boarding pass, my main concern was my boarding letter and number. The TSA agent at the beginning of the security line directed me over to the pre-tsa line when she looked at my boarding pass. On my return trip I did check the boarding pass for the notification. In the future I will make sure I check as well.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We got this over Thanksgiving because our kids were selected for it by SW and we got to accompany them through the lines. I posted about it, and based on what some other people posted with their experiences, I suspect that SW is pre-selecting low risk passengers based on age. Way back in the summer we also got selected to go through PreCheck, but in that case, the TSA actually physically pulled us out of the regular line...there was no indicator on our boarding passes that time. At the time, they said it was a "pilot program." Over Thanksgiving, the TSA agent who we worked with at the PreCheck line said that SW was "letting all "their" kids" into PreCheck. I'm not sure what that meant, exactly, but everyone who was going through at the same time we were all had little kids, and when we walked up to the line, the TSA agent said, "Give me the boarding passes of the kids who got you into this line first." LOL.

 

[DebbieB]

We had it, as well. We didn't see it on our BP before we got to the line. We had my mother with us, but because she's in a wheelchair, she always goes through that line. They didn't tell us about the computers staying in the bag. Otherwise, we would have been faster yet.

On the way back, we flew through TPA. No pre-TSA on our BP. My MOTHER (89 yo) gets stopped because they "detected" explosives. Well, that was (obviously) a false positive. I was not a happy camper. I won't go into details, but it took us MUCH longer to be "released" when they decided my mother wasn't a threat.

I got chosen for pre-check when leaving Orlando and then again 2 days later at Pittsburgh going on a business trip. Both times I was picked to do explosive swabs on my hands twice, once after the ID check and once after the metal detector. They said it's a random check, I was just lucky. All 4 times I tested negative.

 

[tjmw2727]

We got this over Thanksgiving because our kids were selected for it by SW and we got to accompany them through the lines. I posted about it, and based on what some other people posted with their experiences, I suspect that SW is pre-selecting low risk passengers based on age. Way back in the summer we also got selected to go through PreCheck, but in that case, the TSA actually physically pulled us out of the regular line...there was no indicator on our boarding passes that time. At the time, they said it was a "pilot program." Over Thanksgiving, the TSA agent who we worked with at the PreCheck line said that SW was "letting all "their" kids" into PreCheck. I'm not sure what that meant, exactly, but everyone who was going through at the same time we were all had little kids, and when we walked up to the line, the TSA agent said, "Give me the boarding passes of the kids who got you into this line first." LOL.

I think its more about the airport and TSA than the airline as we flew SWA out of Phil to Detroit and I got the pre check but my kids did not. I just went through the regular line with them. On the way back one of the two kids and and I got the pre check but the other didn't so again we all went through the regular line.

Flying US Air from Baltimore next week I am curious to see who gets it this time

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Despite the topic name of this thread, it's TSA PreCheck or TSA Pre✓ -- not pre-TSA.

 

[Capt_BJ]

http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/faqs

Current info about TSA pre ....

If parent gets pre, kids can come with

With some airlines, if you are a member of their freq-flyer program you are elig'. .. On my recent SW flight from Orlando I got it on my SW boarding pass

 

[tjmw2727]

http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/faqs

Current info about TSA pre ....

If parent gets pre, kids can come with

With some airlines, if you are a member of their freq-flyer program you are elig'. .. On my recent SW flight from Orlando I got it on my SW boarding pass

Good to know but IMHO if I am directed back to the regular line again by the TSA Agent because my kids don't have pre check I am not going to argue the point!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/faqs

Current info about TSA pre ....

Only children ages 12 and under.

 

[bumbershoot]

Good to know but IMHO if I am directed back to the regular line again by the TSA Agent because my kids don't have pre check I am not going to argue the point!

Does this mean that when you went through the normal line despite having Pre on your boarding pass, it was because you were *made to* do that? That's not how your other post read to me.

I think that now TSA agents are getting confused. Before, if the parent had it then the younger child could go through. Now they've added in if a child has it, a parent gets it too. Confusing.

 

[dreamalittledream]

Both our kids, 12 and under were selected for this at MCO and we went thru the line with them. It was great and fast. The regular line looked crazy busy. The agents were doing a good job of explaining it though.

 

[helenk]

Despite the topic name of this thread, it's TSA PreCheck or TSA Pre✓ -- not pre-TSA.

Fine, but since we all know what we are discussing, I think we will be okay.

 

[tjmw2727]

Does this mean that when you went through the normal line despite having Pre on your boarding pass, it was because you were *made to* do that? That's not how your other post read to me.

I think that now TSA agents are getting confused. Before, if the parent had it then the younger child could go through. Now they've added in if a child has it, a parent gets it too. Confusing.

No- when they were directed into the normal line I chose to accompany them rather than let them go alone. But they were definitely not allowed in the pre check line despite my having it.

 

[CoffeeCup]

We left from MCO today to fly home, and the lines for security were ridiculous. I had pre-check, but since DH didn't, I went through the regular line with him. They were announcing that everyone in your group must have pre-check and that parents without it could not go through pre-check with their children if they had it and that children without it could not go through with parents who had it. Everyone in the group had to have pre-check to use it, or everyone in the group went through the regular line as I chose to do to stay with DH.
I think some of the insanity today might have been because many flights going north were canceled yesterday and today because of weather, but people in line were extremely rude and aggressive. A woman pushed her stroller into me and separated me from DH so that she and her family could get into our line. I already had experienced a rolling carry on rolled across my foot by a child in line on the other side of us. Agents were trying to organize lines, but it didn't work well. They created a separate line for people who had only one bag, including a purse. People were kneeling in the floor trying to stuff bags and purses inside a larger bag so they could move to that line, and it soon became as crazy as the other lines.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Fine, but since we all know what we are discussing, I think we will be okay.

I wasn't scolding scolding you or anyone else for using the wrong the term.

But readers of this thread, who might want to search for it with Google or ask at the airport, need to know it's PreCheck, not pre-TSA.