No REAL ID? That'll be $18.

[kanne323]

O can sympathize....The Springfield MVC made me cry so much. Last time I was there you had to pay for parking, but there was a 2 hour limit. I had to go out to put more money in the meter. I had been waiting for 2 hours with 2 toddlers by that time. I was told that if they happened to call my name while I was out putting money in the meter, I would lose my spot. The choice was hold your spot or risk getting a ticket (and they did have parking enforcers). I ended up having to hire a babysitter and come back another day. Never again! Thank goodness I live in FL now. We have such a fast and efficient DMV here.

Uggggghhhhhhh I forgot they charge for parking there! That's right! And 2 hours would be a short experience there. I had a bad experience at the Rahway MCV when I first moved to NJ, and Springfield was technically the closest, so it was usually my go-to. But sometime about 4-5 years before I left NJ, I discovered the Randolph MVC was a better option, even if a further drive. I always heard that the Somerset (maybe? I'm blanking on towns near there now, one of the towns in that area) was amazing compared to all of the rest, but I never tried it. The BMV here in Maine has been a dream compared to NJ. No paying for parking, appointment times mean something, and the workers are nice.

 

[mjkacmom]

Uggggghhhhhhh I forgot they charge for parking there! That's right! And 2 hours would be a short experience there. I had a bad experience at the Rahway MCV when I first moved to NJ, and Springfield was technically the closest, so it was usually my go-to. But sometime about 4-5 years before I left NJ, I discovered the Randolph MVC was a better option, even if a further drive. I always heard that the Somerset (maybe? I'm blanking on towns near there now, one of the towns in that area) was amazing compared to all of the rest, but I never tried it. The BMV here in Maine has been a dream compared to NJ. No paying for parking, appointment times mean something, and the workers are nice.

We are Wayne, not pretty but close. My youngest got their licenses in January 2020, when it was really getting bad, took the test in Randolph because they couldn’t get into Wayne, passed at noon but couldn’t get their licenses that day because lines were too long and they were closing at 4. Went to wallington at 8 am the next day and were license holders by noon.

 

[bluezy]

Since we've gotten pre-check at least at airports where it's run in a functional manner we don't look at it so much as saving time but for not having to take things out of our bags.

At our home airport pre-check most of the time is about the same time or only a smidge less than normal line. But the security is, especially as the new terminal (de facto new airport) has had time to get the kinks out) is much less volume than other airports can be. With being able to not worry about liquids, laptops, kindles and majority of the year light jackets it's just an overall easier process in pre-check. The shoes is a relatively new thing but that was also good about pre-check. Clear customers at our home airport is minimal so it's not usually too many "cut to the front" that we see.

As time goes on especially if they get the machines to work better that allow people to not have to take things out of their bags pre-check will start to lose more value but it was always more than just not having to take your shoes off.

When we were flying out of Atlanta in September back to our home airport that is probably the single worst experience we've had thus far in pre-check (which we've had now for several years). They were the most incompetent I've seen even worse than Chicago was in the pre-check. They were using the newer and very slow machines which add on time but it was a big issue with line management and everyone was really starting to grumble about how they were doing it because it was clearly not efficient.

Back when pre-check was newer and before more credit cards covered it yes the amount of time it took you to get through could be a significant difference at more higher volume airports but it's been a while since that's been the case so I don't think it's the best to compare just wait times. Pre-check has evolved in number of people who have it, regular TSA has evolved in what security procedures are being used and eventually pre-check will need to figure out what perks will be over the years.

That said most of the stories you hear about really backed up security lines at the airport is that for those who didn't have pre-check it was almost assuredly they missed their flight.

I think that even not taking things out of the bag has become less of an advantage for pre check. I flew through PHL & SAN a few months ago and didn't need to take liquids out of my bags at either airport. My DIL flies numerous times a year and hasn't had to do that in ages. And even having to take her laptop out, she still sometimes gets through faster than her husband who has pre-check. I know a lot depends on the specific airport and the particular agents working at the time as well. And also how prepared the people ahead of you in line are.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think that even not taking things out of the bag has become less of an advantage for pre check. I flew through PHL & SAN a few months ago and didn't need to take liquids out of my bags at either airport. My DIL flies numerous times a year and hasn't had to do that in ages. And even having to take her laptop out, she still often gets through faster than her husband who has pre-check. I know a lot depends on the specific airport and the particular agents working at the time as well. And also how prepared the people ahead of you in line are.

It depends on the machines used and right now the machines that allow for nothing to be taken out of the bags were pulled back from more widespread usage because they significantly slowed down screening times so they are working on improving them. In Atlanta where they were using it it was causing multiple bags, including my husband, have to be rescanned with the agents having no idea why and saying it's not the bags themselves. The goal has been though for the tech to be there where people don't have to take much if anything out in normal lines as well as pre-check lines.

Like I said in my comment it isn't always about being the fastest. That is aside from the cases where there's such severe back ups some of which have been heavily publicized where pre-check was deemed a virtual necessity, think ones where the security lines stretched outside of the building. Flying out of JFK though not lines out the building pre-check has always been more advantageous for us there. Vegas is also another airport where pre-check has speedier on average for us.

Quicker at my home airport? No, not since they moved to a single terminal in 2023 with a single security checkpoint. However, when we had 2 terminals (used to be 3 but one stopped being operational years ago) the regular security was almost always 5-10mins at most with pre-check quicker than that. But that's because in the old terminals security was broken up covering multiple gates so it helped overall. Now they just have a lot of lanes available open at one checkpoint so it caused the normal lines to go down even further but creep up a bit on the pre-check side compared to before since it was previously spread out more. That said it's now takes an eternity to get to the gates especially SWA at my home airport whereas you used to step from the curb to the security to gate.

My husband flies all the time though primarily to west part of the U.S. (Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, multiple places in CA like San Jose, Sacramento, Oakland, etc) because of his job and when he's with coworkers that don't have pre-check he's almost always done quicker and has an easier time through security.

Security procedures have always varied by airport with that being the intent. One thing to note is that outside of the light jacket part where I've had to remove them sometimes because everyone had to in pre-check (my home airport did that in September for example but didn't the any other time) you know that having pre-check means you don't have to do xyz, whereas without it it's more a toss up between what tech is being used, what the agent feels like that day, what the airport's procedures at the moment are, etc so it's more that you aren't just playing "what's it going to be like today" and more consistent throughout.

Like I said as things evolve pre-check will need to evolve with it. Each person gets it for different reasons but it's not just for time savings, certain programs like touchless ID is only available to pre-check at the moment.

A notation for your son if he is seeing it often enough that pre-check isn't getting him faster and that's why he's using it there's really no reason why he is choosing to continue to go through the pre-check lane. It's not a requirement to go through there even though you have it. My husband had it before I did (because his work paid for it via global entry even though he himself doesn't really go international for it) and when I traveled with him he just went through the normal check out lanes with me until I got it via Global Entry. So if I were your son just go through the regular line in the future when he's with his wife.

 

[Debbie Jean]

We are Wayne, not pretty but close. My youngest got their licenses in January 2020, when it was really getting bad, took the test in Randolph because they couldn’t get into Wayne, passed at noon but couldn’t get their licenses that day because lines were too long and they were closing at 4. Went to wallington at 8 am the next day and were license holders by noon.

Ah, Wayne, I know it well… retired after 27 years at WPU… Toms River DMV is smaller but that doesn’t help the 3 hour waits… with an appointment! No appointment and they won’t let you in the door.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Ah, Wayne, I know it well… retired after 27 years at WPU… Toms River DMV is smaller but that doesn’t help the 3 hour waits… with an appointment! No appointment and they won’t let you in the door.

DMV = doesn’t move very (much)

 

[sam_gordon]

I think that even not taking things out of the bag has become less of an advantage for pre check. I flew through PHL & SAN a few months ago and didn't need to take liquids out of my bags at either airport. My DIL flies numerous times a year and hasn't had to do that in ages. And even having to take her laptop out, she still sometimes gets through faster than her husband who has pre-check. I know a lot depends on the specific airport and the particular agents working at the time as well. And also how prepared the people ahead of you in line are.

It definitely depends on the airport and the scanners they have on whether laptops/tablets/311 bag need to come out.

 

[mikehn]

Totally agree. The DMV I went to (20 minutes from home) to get my RID was tiny, dark, not super clean and the workers more like the ones at the DMV in Zootopia -- everyone moved slowly, they were not very organized, the person at the registration desk constantly had to refer to his notes to make sure every person had the proper paperwork with them (and I had been at that DMV several times over the years for kids to get learner's permits and DLs -- that guy had been there for years), and the registration desk was right inside the door so if a line formed, you were waiting outside. Fortunately I had done my research and had all the paperwork I needed (plus extra stuff just in case) and my transaction went smoothly, just very slowly. The next closest DMV location to us was even worse than this one (I went there once just to see if it was any better). But then they built a whole new facility for that location. It's a dream come true. Huge, plenty of space for a line to form inside the building; the person at the registration desk was highly knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. There are at least 15 "windows" to go to after registration and all clearly marked as to what transactions they did at those windows (name/address change, road test, learner's permit, etc.). Three photography set-ups. Large waiting area. Beautiful and clean bathrooms. This is the only DMV I will go to anymore. I don't care that its a 30 minute drive.

I had all my paperwork, except one of the papers had an i that was not dotted. So they told me to go get the missing dot on the i and then come back another day.