Steve_

So when I was on a US domestic flight the other day I noticed that nearly half the passengers were using the TSA pre-check line...

Owen778

I get TSA pre-check through being a United frequent flyer, though since moving to the US, my miles have gone down a lot.

Noorah101

I don't know. Sometimes I'm pre-cleared and other times not. Seems pretty random to me. Most recently, I was pre-cleared for the outbound flight, but not for the return portion.

Rene

Steve_

Well surely you know if you've signed up for a specific govt. program?

Steve_

You have to have a "known traveler number": TSA Pre✓™ Application Program | Transportation Security Administration to be in TSA pre-check, which means you're enrolled in a TTP. Not sure how it works with United, but I've noticed that there are other shorter security lines, but I'm talking about the TTPs specifically.

Bit more info: http://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/fil...access_tpc.pdf

AdobePinon

I'm not in any of them, but I often get put in the precheck line, especially when I'm late to the airport. :-)

Steve_

I thought Santa was Finnish?

Owen778

That page is about how to apply directly. You can also be added to the program by a participating airline. United added me automatically in July 2013. I did nothing, beyond being in their frequent flyer program.

The others are also correct, in that TSA pre-check is allocated on a flight-by-flight basis, and there's no guarantee you will get it every time.

dunroving

No you don't - sometimes they randomly send people through the rapid screening line. It's happened to me several times and I have read several others on BE say the same thing.

Pulaski

It's happened to me, when travelling with Mrs P and little Miss P. It also happened once when travelling on business, which I attributed (guess, not certain) that it was because the ticket was booked through my employer.

Noorah101

I didn't even realize you could sign up for something like that until I googled it after my response here. No, I've never signed up for anything like that, but I still get pre-cleared fairly often.

Rene

Noorah101

Good point. This last trip when I got pre-clearance, it was booked through my employer. It was also a United flight, and I am a United air miles member, which goes along with what the other poster was saying about United.

Rene

Steve_

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...-precheck.aspx

Which isn't very enlightening. Doesn't say whether it's automatic or not.

Steve_

Yes but my point was that if you've got a "known traveler number" you're always going to go through TSA pre-check unless they've got some very specific reason to search you further.

Anyway I find it odd because at one end there were only two people other than me who got to use the line (and security was busy) but on the way back half the people lining up got to use it. So this random selection appears to be very random indeed. Which is why I posted the poll because the only logical thing I could think of was that at the other end TSA were doing a better job of getting people to sign up.

Owen778

I'm not a US citizen, and at the time they enrolled me, I wasn't even a permanent resident. Apparently though, that wasn't a mistake, and the United link you found is itself wrong.