Mrs Danvers

I'm assuming folks on the board travel by air a lot more than I do. I rack up about one or two return flights a year.

Yesterday I traveled through Flint, MI and I got a boarding pass with TSA pre check on it. This meant I didn't have to take off my shoes or coat. As I understand now looking at the TSA website this is something people apply for and isn't given at random. Is that right? I think someone made a mistake

sir_eccles

The TSA don't make mistakes ma'am!

Married2abrit

My parents are over a certain age and get that on their boarding pass. Like you, they don't have to remove coat/shoes. Maybe you are thinking of global visa that is a fee based thing?

robin1234

There was a lengthy thread on this very topic a few months ago. My experience is they give this out at random, as well as it being something that people apply for or qualify for. Flying out of Chicago last year, I was whisked through with no checks but my wife had to go through the usual rigmarole. They do it just to surprise people, I think...

Mrs Danvers

Ah ok. Flint is hardly a busy airport in any case and I almost wondered if they did it to try it out as looking at the TSA web page Flint only just got the capability. I'm in my early forties so don't qualify for the over seventy program.

My boyfriend didn't get the prescreen thing either so we just went in the separate lines and I hung around waiting for him to tie his shoes anyway so no time saved for me.

Pulaski

There appears to be a pre-screening process in place because four months ago when I flew with Mrs P and little Miss P, we were directed to the TSA pre-check line too, along with various other low risk passengers and given a mich more cursory examination without having to remove our belts, watches, shoes, etc., or empty our pockets. Like it or not, in 2014 "profiling" is reality.

ChocolateBabz

The dude (15) got it when we went to Hawaii this summer, thinks he's bloody special now!

SultanOfSwing

I think Chicago does 'fast track' people through at random to help speed up the line. Only terminal 3 though (and probably T1 and 2 as well); of the three flights I took out of O'Hare this year, two were on AA out of T3 and both times I got to go through the fast line where I didn't have to take stuff off. I thought the first time it was because we had our daughter with us but I went through by myself the second time.

In the international terminal, T5, where we flew BA to London last month though, we all had to go through the longer line where belts and shoes were removed. There didn't seem to be a fast track line, except one marked for uniformed military personnel and then the one pilots and flight attendants get to zip through.

thinbrit

I recently flew from Dallas to Austin and had pre check stamped on my tickets, both ways.
I'm not a frequently flyer, in fact my previous flight was over 5 years ago.

I'm not sure what the criteria is for receiving a pre check, but it seems I met it in both directions that time.

Pulaski

I bet you could hazard a guess!

Mrs Danvers

Anglo, no criminal history, sits up straight and behaves themselves on airplanes?

Pulaski

I didn't know you worked for the TSA.

rpjs

I'm all of those and I've never had the TSA pre-check. Mind you, I don't fly much...

GeoffM

I flew from Midway last week and at a left/right decision point I was asked if flying alone. I was and was ushered to the right. Boots on, belt on, oversized liquids (meds) and laptop in bag, no trays supplied anyway. I expected alarms to go off. I was dazed and confused when they didn't. Boarding Southwest jolted me back to reality.

sir_eccles

Talking of behaving yourself on an airplane.

Ebola joke gets passenger kicked off plane, leads to latest no-fly word - Bad Latitude