There is nothing like a good dose of standard security to make you appreciate TSA PreCheck. I have to admit it, I knew that I would not get PreCheck when departing Colorado Springs this morning, but I did not expect my first non PreCheck experience in a long time to be so, well… annoying. Don’t get me wrong, the TSA personnel I interacted with were nothing but polite and professional. It’s just that I have gotten a little out of shape, if you will, with the standard security process.
What do I mean? I was packed like a guy who wasn’t going to need to take any laptops (I was traveling with two this weekend) out of his bag, remove his belt, shoes, or 3-1-1 bag, all of which, of course, needed to be done. At least I remembered not to wear lace-up shoes. 🙂 Once I got through the metal detector without alarming, I was sent to secondary for a hand swab because I wear an insulin pump, another thing I’ve gotten used to living without. I never really minded the hand swab, but I had definitely become accustomed to not getting the extra treatment when using PreCheck.
In the end, I got through security just fine, but it certainly took a lot longer than I was used to. This experience served as a good reminder of how much I appreciate the time savings and convenience offered by TSA PreCheck. You can learn more about PreCheck here.
-MJ, May 13, 2013
Yes as a United 1K, I haven’t got around to Global Entry yet, as I have to provide additional documentation.
@Nick, Global Entry was a pretty simple process for me. Posted about the experience here. http://mjontravel.boardingarea.com/2012/10/04/global-entry-update/
Really a good investment of my time. Might be worth checking into.
I too find it extremely annoying when I don’t get those 3 beeps, is there anyway you can translate them from one airline to another?
@Nick, are you getting PreCheck as an elite with a particular airline? If so, I’ll tell you what I did. I applied for Global Entry and now have a known traveler number. I’ve entered it into every one of my airline profiles. It worked like a charm when I flew AA a couple months back.
TSA pre-check rocks. Only wish they’d offer it at my regional airport.
That is a lot like saying that you really appreciate not being punched in the face repeatedly any more -just to keep things in perspective 😉
@sendaiben,
The beatings will continue until morale improves. 🙂 Thanks for the laugh!