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I have held TSA PreCheck pretty much since the program was launched in 2013. It has saved me countless hours over hundreds of flights and made travel so much easier with me not having to take out my laptop, liquids, or take off my shoes. I’m not alone in my anecdotal assessment of time savings. The TSA reports that 89% of travelers waited less than five minutes to go through security.
Unfortunately, that time will likely get significantly longer this summer as the TSA has now granted a new demo access to PreCheck. Children 12 and under were always allowed to go through a PreCheck line with their parents. That group is now being expanded to include children under the age of 17. This will add a lot more people in the PreCheck lines this summer and guess what? A lot of these children and teenagers will never have gone through this line and will inevitably slow it down.
My recommendation is to add CLEAR membership. While these lines are also getting a bit longer than they used to be, I find CLEAR to move faster than PreCheck since I don’t have to take out my ID and use my eyes or fingerprints to go through security.
Anthony’s Take: It’s going to be a busy travel summer. Show up early and make sure you’re enrolled in TSA PreCheck and CLEAR for the best results and quickest way through security.
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104 comments
If only Clear had heard of my home airport…or most of the airports I fly through.
I agree! Someone recommended them. I signed up for the trial only to find they were in many of the airports I ended up traveling through.
*weren’t
I despise Clear. A private company shouldn’t get better access to tax payer funded services. Clear slows down other tax payers. Clear users do not consider the impact they have on others. We should make it uncomfortable for them. Pre-check speeds up the process for everyone. Children 13-17 who are flying with their parents are likely familiar with the process already, since they are the children of people who fly more frequently than average. We fly often enough that our offer children already have pre-check. They have been flying their whole lives.
TSA Pre-Check was originally touted as being for the business traveler who flys frequently. There shouldn’t be children or families with strollers in Pre-Check. I carry both pre-check and clear as I fly two to three days a week for work, and find the pre-check line 50 people deep with people removing their shoes and digging through their bags to pull out meds and toiletries. If you are not aware of what stays in your bag or on your person… get back in the general traveler line.
I completely agree I do despise Clair private company should not be able to profit off of taxpayer services. But I’m a hypocrite my company paid for it. I signed up and I love it but I still care of you.
Rachael,
I don’t know what “Tax Payer” dollars you are referring to. TSA Precheck is a service paid for by the traveler them selves or the airline as part of their frequent flyer program. It is not paid for by US taxpayers. Travers can purchase Pre Check for approx $65. The TSA security checkpoints themselves are paid for by air travers when they purchase an air ticket – check the details of ticket purchase and look for the security fee and the 911 fee etc.
“Clear” another identity authentication service paid for by the traveler for fee – I think it is around $190. I have Clear and Pre check and Global Entry (another service that I pay for to automate entry through customs and immigration). The Tax Payer doesn’t pay for any of this. These fees actually reduce what the “Tax Payer” would otherwise be responsible for paying. I hate Cleat because generally it only saves about 3-5 minutes , because, after I wait in line to get through Clear line, I then get to join the TSA Pre Check line. “Clear” is NOT worth the extra money. But in either case, there is no “Tax Payer” funds involved.
I think if you’ve ever had an international flight and advertise, scanned on return, should be able to go through clear like everybody else still paying a fee
Tsa lines are getting longer and longer. Recently signed up for clear and having both is great especially since Amex Platinum pays for it
Clear at 149/yr is obsurd, and isn’t offered at VPS OR ECP 2 airports by me, nor OAJ or ILM That I fly into. Otherwise I might consider it
Yeah that is a big problem with CLEAR They aren’t in my home Airport either. TSA should be doing just the opposite however. 1 non-Precheck member should be allowed per reservation. I was at MCO 05:00 AM Precheck line 2Mother 2Father 2 Grandparents 7 kids 1 person an Actual TSA Precheck but all on the same reservation. I know for a fact because one of the men was bragging about it. SMH
I have had clear since it started. The clear line is now longer than the TSA pre-check line.
I hate CLEAR! It’s rude that people in CLEAR lines are skipping the queue. CLEAR should have thier own TSA officers and line queues. Those of us that have went through the process for the official TSA Pre-check should not be skipped.
Not gonna happen.
Keep in mind that CLEAR is nothing more than a way for the company and airports to monetize line cutting. The airports control the space before the TSA agents, not TSA.
TSA pays for the screeners and while they often should have more people working, they’re not going to open new lines unless, maybe, CLEAR pays for them. And that ain’t gonna happen. And there’s often no physical space anyway, so this would sometimes result in an existing line being CLEAR only; now people really will be screaming.
Idiot. What a conspiracy theorist
Yeah Bob….UNTIL it’s NOT! You weren’t married, until you were….someone with knowledge of your proposal, before it was announced to everyone, isn’t a conspiracy theorist…they just happened to be SMARTER and/or in a better position to obtain the info before the masses.
Comments like yours makes me VERY worried about the declining intelligence level of our society. You probably only watch one news outlet and blindly repeat absurd reports and positions without any basis or support.
Now go away BOB….
Nailed it on both comments. Keep fighting the good fight brother.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Point on 👍🏼
👍
Clear is the best! Expensive but worth it!
Get it!!!
🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Line Cutting is low life, rude & crude. No matter if you are Clear or PreCheck
Military nobody cut to the head of the line, but it’s what America has become a race to the bottom.
Anthony Losanno, thank you for your article. I see you’ve flown more than 3 million miles (probably more than most of the people who responded.) As a disabled vet, I’ve found it much easier during the (now) infrequent traveling I’m able to physically endure, to use the TSA pre-check (not familiar with CLEAR; probably because my frequent flying days are over.)
I am going to speak for my fellow human beings (don’t care how they feel about this; as the ones to whom I refer are rude,) and say, I’m sorry some people will use any platform to bash each other and argue like brats. I don’t believe you wrote your article to be a holy text that must be followed, but, simply posted some information and your opinion and I thank you for that 😊
Well said, Sir!
I’d like to express my appreciation to the author for the information and you for calling the out the b.s. before concluding with gratitude. I’m writing this reply with a huge smile and will take it with me offline.
Many blessings to all!
Here’s a thought. How about if the TSA stops treating ALL fliers like criminals twenty one years after 9/11?
I am glad that I’m still able to drive, because after my last flight in 2016, I vowed never to fly again.
I am retired now now and am not locked into a schedule. I find a drive across country to be relaxing and grants me the opportunity to see sights that I wouldn’t see from 30,000 feet.
They only cut in front of pre-check if they also have a separate pre-check membership, otherwise they will cut in front of the regular TSA line not pre-check.
Not true. At MIA every Clear lane places the pax at the head of the line, which usually adjacent to the Pre Check lane, if the checkpoint has a dedicated Pre Check lane. No matter how long you have been in the Pre Check lane, you will be passed up by a Clear passenger. The Clear employees are pretty much all rude and impatient if the officer at the podium makes their Clear passenger wait more than one or two minutes. Good old capitalism at it’s finest.
My observations two months ago at Concourse H of MIA. When both Clear and Precheck pax lined up, they let 3 Clear pax went through between me and someone in front of me in the precheck lane.
Exactly! It shouldn’t me the case…but that is the day I purchased CLEAR too! Now, I ridiculously have both!
You can’t do clear precheck if you don’t have precheck. They check every time and it’s a separate line. Think about it, there’s a verification process for the precheck line. Clear doesn’t verify you like that. The people cutting you in line have precheck and clear. So they have paid more than you. And therefore get to cut you in line. Simple.
Clear is expensive but worth it, especially when you have an ailment or a disability. Along with TSA pre-check you have VIP in the airport lines.
Thank you for your service. You are not forgotten.
I was traveling to Dubai a year ago and i was persuaded to join Clear. Skipped the line but it was not TSA precheck as the Clear agent assured me. I spent an hour going through security as they were having a bad day and took almost everybody’s bags through twice. No more Clear for me.
Then get CLEAR. It is a privilege.
Totally agree! There was legitimately only ONE TSA agent or whoever is the agent just before the security line who checks your ID at *Orlando* yesterday, ONE. And there was sooo many CLEAR people who just kept jumping the line in front of 100’s of passengers. There should absolutely be a separate line, paid for with CLEAR’s profits.
I on hundred and one percent agree, they shouldn’t have to cut the line of people who also pay for TSA pre check, who are they more superior people just cut us on the line.
You’re dumb. I could that same argument against you. Why does pre-check get a special line, why do you get to board the plane first, why do they have a better seat or more leg room, why do you, etc… Cause they paid for it. You want it, pay for it, you don’t, shut the F up and wait in line like everyone else that made the same choice your dumb a#$ made.
Yes!! If you can’t beat ‘em join em!! Why complain?? Everyone has the same damn opportunity to pay for it, not like some secret society lol
I hope that you have not been upset about that because that is not how Clear works. People who have not gone through the Pre-check process may only use Clear to move in front of pax using the regular security line. Pax cleared for Pre-check may enroll in Clear and move in front of those with Pre-check clearance. There are often 2 Clear lines. One will be marked for Pre-check and they attendant will verify that your boarding pass says Pre-check before you are allowed to pass through.
And they’re expensive
You know that the advantage of CLEAR has nothing to do with not taking out your ID. It’s all about paying, or not, depending on a number of factors, to get to the head of the line.
I think it’s bs ..I traveled with 2 of my military kids and I had to go through long line while they went through pre check…got separated …
Sooooo you couldn’t just meet at the gate?
Only way to do it is to have both. Clear to skip the line and ID part then Pre Check to speed up the “search” process. Having both is the only true way.
The notion that Pre check allows faster security check is a joke. I still have to take out my computer, remove my shoes (on my last flight) and go through the full body scan because of my titanium hip. On My last flight I was body searched and was told it was because I had my dog with me. Pre.check has not saved me any time, only adds to the stress of hustling through security.
This article is so blatantly an ad for Clear, lol
Please tell them to compensate me for the endorsement 🙂 CLEAR is great (my unpaid opinion).
Yes I love clear also I have precheck but noticed some clear jumping line so I asked and got 5 free months of clear to sign up send I had tsa precheck also I think if you fly through busy terminals it’s well worth the extra 60 bucks I absolutely loved it and the fact people get upset you have the same options or be cheap and don’t but don’t complain it takes 5 mins to sign up and if lines are long it’s a dream come true wait in line be cheap or pay to move faster your choice it’s not the pax fault or clear or tsa it’s a monetized world now if you didn’t realize that maybe ya need to pay more attention to the store cost flight costs hell water power costs lol good luck I’ll be one in front for sure because few bucks is well worth my time not standing next to someone bitching about the people in clear line cutting…good luck all
Yep!!
Checking your bags, like it used to be, would make things faster. Everybody taking their luggage on the airplanes just slows things down.
Do you know how much it costs to check a bag? It’s often more than my flight to check a bag
It literally costs $30 to check a bag. Or free on Southwest. I don’t “often” see $29 (or less) flights, what a ridiculous thing to say it “often costs more than my flight.” Must be flying Frontier, Allegiant or Spirit.
Saving 2 minutes boarding and deboarding to spend half an hour at the luggage carousel for a carryon. Yeah that’s a great idea
Complain enough and airport authorities will do what IAH (Houston) did: (1) use the plane arrival gates farthest out from the luggage pickup area or (2) redirect passengers to a lengthier walking route inside the terminal. Complain excessively and they’ll do both.
What happened to Global entry which became Trusted traveler? I travel internationally and it saves me hours on reentry. The amount of time I don’t spend at immigration is worth every penny.
As a tsa precheck enrollment agent. I assure global entry is still very alive and well. But thanks to lack of enrollment centers for interviews, the wait for an interview within the country is a minimum of 4-6 months depending on your location. I suggest all inquirers of global entry to request on the spot interviews upon return to the states.
Global entry is great! But when traveling with others who don’t have it… I make them download the Mobile Passport app and it works the same…for FREE! I’m fortunate that it’s accepted in my home airport.
CLEAR pisses me off. They cut in front of the TSApre line. I’ve seen this happen so much the TSApre line stopped and was slower than the general security line and caused a huge argument between passangers and the CLEAR staff at IAD. They should have their own TSA agent or they should not exist.
That’s because they have both CLEAR and Precheck.
That’s an awesome improvement. How some evah have a station set up for those passengers. The cueing line as we all know is lengthy, then once we step up to be validated, we’re told to stop and let the others through.
Adding a few kids to the Pre-check line is unlikely to be the vast wait apocalypse that the author thinks. Adding one of two minutes of wait time, if that, doesn’t justify paying into the CLEAR racket.
I’ve recently experienced Clear line to be longer than TSA pre. Go figure…
I call BS. I’ve used Pre-Check w/CLEAR on13 airports and flown the day before Thanksgiving (total chaos) and NEVER seen a line for CLEAR
The Clear line at DEN was ridiculously long a few months ago as was TSA Precheck. Looked over at regular screening, took off my shoes and got through in half the time. Go figure but it happens, especially at DEN. I let my Clear expire.
Clear is not worth the price, I’ve been in the preckeck line and other people on the clear line, I always end up going before them, UT takes time for them to do the check eye check out
So everybody else had to pay but this summer you’re allowing non paying people and their children FREE ACCESS WHAT A BUNCH OF BS. Refund the paying customers their money. This country is just a money pit and frauds.
I’m actually kinda of confused by the article. Is the author saying anyone under 17 yrs old get free pretsa and the unpaid parents get to tag along, or is free for the kids if the parents have paid pretsa? But yeah I agreed with your sentiment.
Children 12 and under always had it free assuming the parents had TSA Pre. Now Children that are 17 and under will be eligible to join their parents. So I’m assuming they don’t automatically get a membership they have to actually be with a parent that has TSA Pre on a boarding pass to qualify. It would be to save families $85 per child. It kinda makes sense but at the same time we all pay $85 for each person so it’s a additional cost for convenience depending on who you ask.
As an officer that’s been in since 2010, “Children 12 and under were always allowed to go through a PreCheck line with their parents”, this never existed. It may have at some of the airports you’ve encountered but I was in the pilot program for PreCheck before any of you had access to it and it was mandatory that all PAX of any age including infants needed PreCheck to enter the PreCheck lane.
Regarding Clear, Clear is the worst program you could include in an airport. Like an above commenter stated, it’s there to make money. If TSA is considered “security theater” then Clear should be considered an “illusion of progress”. The illusion being you cut the line. Sure, you don’t need an ID (sometimes) and yeah maybe there’s Biometric features (they don’t always work) but in the grand scheme, especially for travelers that have to pay the $179/ yr Clear membership, it’s not great. Also, I like to tag people that use Clear for additional screening. It’s always a reminder that the entitlement can pipe down a few botches from those PAX that use Clear.
As an officer that’s been in since 2010, “Children 12 and under were always allowed to go through a PreCheck line with their parents”, this never existed. It may have at some of the airports you’ve encountered but I was in the pilot program for PreCheck before any of you had access to it and it was mandatory that all PAX of any age including infants needed PreCheck to enter the PreCheck lane.
Regarding Clear, Clear is the worst program you could include in an airport. Like an above commenter stated, it’s there to make money. If TSA is considered “security theater” then Clear should be considered an “illusion of progress”. The illusion being you cut the line. Sure, you don’t need an ID (sometimes) and yeah maybe there’s Biometric features (they don’t always work) but in the grand scheme, especially for travelers that have to pay the $179/ yr Clear membership, it’s not great. Also, I like to tag people that use Clear for additional screening. It’s always a reminder that the entitlement can pipe down a few botches from those PAX that use Clear.
Yeah, you’re wrong. Since you say you’re an “officer” I’m assuming you mean you’re TSA and now we see first hand why enforcement of published rules is so inconsistent at the checkpoint – people like you who assume they know everything
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/i-am-traveling-my-family-can-they-also-use-tsa-precheckr-lane
And I used the way back machine to find that the 12 and under language was there all the way back to 2020, so it’s not recent (the new version already includes the up to 17 language)
Problem is not all PRE-TSA lines has access to a scanner, so if you are a bionic (medical implants) person, it means having to be searched manually. Aside from the pat down, you may have to wait for them to find an agent to do it.
I had http://www.clearme.com until Monday of this week I was flying out of Vegas and my phone would not scan nor would my wife’s (Android and iPhone) the lady was super rude told me to go to the ticket counter get a paper boring pass. I no longer have clear.
I applied for a TSA card two months ago and still haven’t received it. How long should it take to get it?
You need to be approved first. Check at least once a week. Mine took two weeks for approval and then I waited to get back from over seas to get the interview, which took 5 minutes for me and my wife.
I applied for TSA enrollment in San Diego on Tuesday, got a verification appointment on Wednesday, and received my TSA # on Thursday (yesterday). I am very pleased with the process.
I used to have a pre-check membership, but I can count in one há do the times I spent less than 10 minutes in line. Now it has expired, and I have received some e-mails asking me to renew it. Thank you TSA, but I will keep my money in my account, since you guys didn’t give me the service I bought!!
I purchased precheck for my now 17 year old, several years ago because of the rule that 12 and over needed their own precheck. My younger child also traveled with us without her own ktn, through precheck. Now that this rule is in place, I won’t be needing to purchase her own ktn when we would have, next year. Overall, the net addition this rule adds to the precheck line is zero, for our family. Perhaps the exaggeration was to encourage comments or clicks and I am sure it will add a few individuals but hardly a “significant” time. It is a band of time of 4 years (13-17) and I am doubtful of a high number of frequent flyers having precheck only for parents and sending thier teens through the regular line. I wouldn’t do that to my 13 year old. Plus, credit cards give away the precheck fee to the point that no one should be paying out of pocket for it.
An easy and quick way through security is to use the free wheelchair service to your gate. I am past 80 and I cannot walk very far, but I get Precheck gratis, and wheelchair gratis. Hmmm now that I think about it, may be the secret is to be old.
Clear should not be encouraged. It’s simply ridiculous to be able to pay to get to the front of line with no merit.
Merit? What the hell are you talking about. You pay for TSA to get in front of those without. You are daft. People with money, like me, don’t wait. We breeze through TSA, we relax in a club lounge and then sit first class. The goal is to stay as far away from the commoners, like you, as possible.
🗣️ say it louder for the people in the back Please!!!
Shows you’ve never visited any Disney Parks before because this is NOTHING NEW!!!
Pre check USED to be great. Then they started giving seniors free memberships. They slow things down far more than kids. Funny thing is you know they are in no rush and have arrived 4 hours before their flight. Yes I am a business flying jerk. I would pay more for exclusive lines, lounges, heck give me and my biz travelers our own airline so we don’t have to deal with you rubes who can’t figure out letters and numbers when identifying their seats. But kids aren’t the problem it’s the parents who think the world should bend over backyards because you chose to procreate. Sit down shut your kids up and wait like everyone else. See told you I was a jerk.
Spot on!!!
Y’all are complaining about CLEAR agents being rude and CLEAR participants skipping lines…. It’s 2023, get OVER YOURSELVES! People pay for convenience, Dog the Pandemic not teach you anything?? I pay for TSA Pre-Check, CLEAR, Annual Access to my preferred Airline’s lounge and first class tickets because it’s convenient. With a nationwide shortage of workers in many industries why would you want to start your travel adventures off miserably, waiting in line or being mad because somebody paid to cut you in line? Get a clue or continue to enjoy your time in line as others breeze on through
Ahhh, you’re one of those people. Get over yourself. You are making yourself look like a damn fool right now and I’m enjoying every minute of it.
The simple thing is to just get to the airport at a decent time and you don’t have to wait long at all.
It literally costs $30 to check a bag. Or free on Southwest. I don’t “often” see $29 (or less) flights, what a ridiculous thing to say it “often costs more than my flight.” Must be flying Frontier, Allegiant or Spirit.
Nice try at a sneaky plug for Clear… I hope they pay you well! The idea that the 13-17s whose parents have PreCheck will have never used it before is ludicrous… it was free for all of them them until they were 12, so I’d say most of the 13-15s at least will be as familiar with it as anyone else in the lane.
Officially any parents with Pre-Check could bring their kids ages 12 and under through the line for free/without getting them Pre-Check, but kids ages 13-17 already were hit-or-miss to have it added to their tickets for free as well, so I doubt the lines will differ much. I have Pre-Check and Clear, and Clear lets you bring your kids for free up to age 17, so I never got my daughter Pre-Check after turning 13, because I figured if she didn’t get it I’d just take her to the (non-Pre-check) Clear line with me. However, as a teen she has always gotten Pre-Check on her boarding pass as well (Southwest, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit, American; ORD, JFK, LGA, MKE, RSW, TPA, MCO, ATL, LAX). I know many others with teens who have had their parents’ Pre-Check added to their boarding passes, but I also know people who only had it happen one leg of a trip or who’ve never had it happen with one of their kids but have for another, so I don’t know how/why it worked, but applying it evenly seems more fair to me since it’s already been happening. 🤷🏻♀️
Active military get precheck for free but not retired military. Why after someone that has served our Country for over twenty years can’t amazes me.
All the illegals can come in with no security checks but they don’t trust retired military members! Nothing says thank you for your service more than this. They need to correct this and soon.
Why should I pay for 2 services at the airport when it’s already expensive enough to travel. I went through the arduous process of filling out all the forms, making an appt for from where I lived, and then getting my fingerprints taken. But sure, open it up for free and inconvenience the people who actually went through the whole process.
I’ve gone to the airport a few times in the past couple of years and noticed they haven’t opened the pre-check line. If my credit card didn’t pay for the application fee, I would start to feel like it wasn’t worth it.
17 year olds are the ones with guns and need higher security
They should still let TSA precheck line through 1st. then when it’s clear, let other travelers utilize secondarily. I paid for a reason, do they charge them a fee? I think not!
Clear in Austin is incredibly slower than Pre-Check. I’ve regretted every time I’ve used it.
Clear is horrible. They flat out lie to their customers saying they can get to the front of all the lines. What they DON’T tell you is that you can forgo the basic general boarding line and use the Clear line, but that’s it. Once documentation is checked, you go to the BACK of the security screening line.
If US Immigration and Security, for foreigners particularly those in what would be transit anywhere else in the world, was even remotely civilised there would be no need to pay through the nose to queue jump.
I remember when Pre check used to be free. Years ago I used to fly quite often, and then one day I noticed that it said Pre check on my ticket. It was a hit-or-miss situation at first, however, it got to the point where it was every time. Then one day that all ended and passengers had to apply and pay for it. We never did. Several months ago I received an email inviting me to try Clear free of charge, but I just ignored it because we don’t travel as much any longer. Pre check was definitely a nice “gift” in the past because not many passengers received it. TSA should’ve kept it as a free perk for frequent fliers, regardless of airline flown
I have four kids and they always received pre-check on their boarding pass when traveling with me until they turned 18, so I don’t think this is “new” and therefore you won’t see much change.
Once the government gets your money, its screw you time.
We have purchased TSA Precheck, Global entry at hundreds of dollars and now they ate allowing freebies for teens! This was billed as a “pay for “ quick seamless pass
For frequent travelers. Just another govt game.
Who needs Clear when you have a handicap…
My 31 year old daughter has cerebral palsy and in a wheelchair that we must push. She can speak but very hard to understand other than yes or no. My husband and I have Global Entry with TSA PreCheck. However, when we fly agents will not allow us to use it with her. I have to wait in the long line to go through and they treat me as if I do not have TSA PreCheck because I am not in the TSA PreCheck line. I had to take off my shoes, etc. I showed them my TSA PreCheck and I was told that if I wanted to use it, go in that line. Really? My daughter can not get through unless I push her. The TSA PreCheck was a long way away where my husband and 2 typically daughters cleared and waited 20 minutes for her disabled sister and me.