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TSA's Precheck Registration Program Causing Longer Security Lines (usatoday.com)
McGruber writes: The Associated Press is reporting that TSA's PreCheck program is causing maddening long security lines at U.S. airports. TSA's PreCheck security lanes can screen 300 passengers an hour, twice that of its standard security lanes. Based on that and other increased efficiencies, the TSA's front-line screeners were cut from 47,147 three years ago to 42,525 currently. At the same time, the number of annual fliers passing through checkpoints has grown from 643 million to more than 700 million. The TSA told Congress its goal was to have 25 million fliers enrolled in the PreCheck registration program, but as of March 1, only 9.3 million people had registered for PreCheck. TSA first tried to make up for that shortfall by randomly placing passengers into the express Precheck lanes, but scaled back that effort for fear dangerous passengers were being let through. That's when the regular security lines started growing -- up to 90 minutes in some cases. The TSA is now shifting some resources to tackle lines at the nation's biggest airports, but it claims there is no easy solution to the problem with a record number of fliers expected this summer. To enroll in TSA's Precheck registration program, travelers must pay $85 to $100 every five years, then submit to a background check, in-person interview at an airport, and to being fingerprinted. Unsurprisingly, getting once-a-year fliers to spend the time or the money to register has been a challenge. While 250,000 to 300,000 people are registering for Precheck every month, it will take more than four years at that pace to reach the TSA's target enrollment.
Just a small correction: the interviews don't have to happen at the airport. I was able to go through the interview process about a half our away from the airport, about 5 minutes away from my house. The interview process was painless. The entire thing is handled online, and then in person you just say "yes"/"confirm" to all the information on the form, that's it. The fingerprints are also taken electronically, so nothing messy there. They do the whole hand at once. I was in and out of the place in maybe 10 minutes? I can understand why infrequent travelers wouldn't want to pay the fee, but if you travel regularly it is more than worth it! (especially in airports with super wonky security, like San Diego where you have to leave and re-enter security to switch between gates sometimes)
If you travel overseas, go for Global Entry. It costs the same ($100), and it includes PreCheck as a perk. As an added bonus, you get to use kiosks for passport control (never a wait) and the crew line for customs.
I routinely take 8-10 minutes total from deplaning at LAX (Bradley Terminal) to the terminal exit. A bit longer if I have to wait for checked luggage. Worth every cent.
I tried every decent and legal way I could think of to resolve the issue w/the business before I rented the chicken suit
Active duty military are automatically enrolled in TSA pre-check without any additional effort or payment on the member's part. That is probably a good percentage of the claimed 9.3 million registered persons.
I fly a lot, and routinely notice that the body scanners take about 5x as long as the metal detectors (and probably cause cancer). I regularly watch the TSA agents clear their backed-up lines by opening the metal detector for 30 seconds, sending 10 people through, and then closing it again (making the value of the scanner clearly questionable).
the real reason for TSA is to increase airline profits.
It does not increase airline profits. I think airlines are suffering with us (and $85 over 5 years is trivial money)
The profits are for the contractors, most notably the ones who sold the scanner machines to TSA. First they sold the "unsafe" (1st generation) machines. Then they admitted (after years!) that there may be actual bad radiation and again sold the "safe" (2nd generation) machines.
I am waiting for sudden realization that the 2nd generation machines can give people cancer as well so that they can be phased out and replaced by 3rd generation machines at a great profit.
Notably, 1st generation are "officially" recognized as unsafe (you can get a lecture from a friendly TSA officer, when opting out from a scan, on how the "new" machines are the "safe" kind of radiation), but no one went to jail for imposing the "bad" radiation on so many people.
That's definitely not true, this image shows that healthcare costs have been rising in Europe, too.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Water/Soda bottles are now at least $3.5-$4 each,
I've seen many airports that have free filtered water sources so you can refill your own water bottle at no cost. Those are the ones with special taps with enough clearance to hold a bottle under. There are always water fountains you can fill from. Even so, I see $2.50 bottles of water, but not as high as you say.
but I think almost all are bought in the airport and not on the plane.
I have yet to find an airline that charges anyone for water. And I don't recall ever having to pay for soda there. I think there is a requirement that they provide fluids to help prevent dehydration or thrombosis issues in passengers, but it may just be a self-defense mechanism.
Let's get a similar image which includes the US, shall we?
http://fm.cnbc.com/application...
No, I do work with Airlines everyday. The airlines HATE TSA. HATE them. They lower customer experience and survey scores and make customers angry at the airlines despite the airlines and the airport having ZERO control over TSA.
You do know that the two planes which crashed into the WTC were within a couple miles of 2 airports, one of which is international, as well as a few dozen miles away from another. Right? A larger no-fly zone would not have been meaningless.