A woman warned travelers not to assume they will always have access to expedited airport security, even if they’ve paid for and been approved for TSA PreCheck.
In a TikTok video posted by @blakehealey1, she said TSA directed her to the regular security line even though TSA PreCheck was printed on her boarding pass.
TSA PreCheck is a U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program that allows eligible low-risk travelers to use expedited security screening at airports where TSA PreCheck is offered. Members don’t have to remove shoes, belts, light jackets or laptops from their bags during screening, which makes it quicker and easier.
But active membership doesn’t mean expedited screening on every trip. The TSA says it uses unpredictable security measures, and all travelers are screened; no one is guaranteed expedited screening.
Woman Said She Was Denied TSA PreCheck Despite Having It on Her Ticket
“I was on a recent trip and I showed up at the airport with my ticket showing TSA PreCheck,” she said. “But when I got to security, an employee told me that the system wasn’t showing me as eligible for expedited screening.”
“I do. I have PreCheck. It says so on my ticket,” Healey said.
The staff member told her to go back to the United Airlines counter and ask them to resolve it with the airline.
The woman said she went back to the United Airlines counter and an employee looked at her booking and confirmed that her reservation showed TSA PreCheck.
The airline representative also gave her a physical boarding pass and said that if she showed it at the security checkpoint, the problem should go away.
However, when she went back to the same security employee, she was still told she could not use the expedited screening lane.
The woman said the employee then told her, “TSA PreCheck doesn’t get you in line first on every trip.” She was apparently chosen at random to do standard security screening instead.
The explanation surprised the traveler, who said she had never come across that situation before.
Why TSA PreCheck Does Not Guarantee Expedited Screening
The TSA relies on unpredictable security measures to maintain airport security. So even people enrolled in its expedited screening program may be directed to standard screening on a particular trip.
Note that this does not necessarily mean that a traveller’s TSA PreCheck membership has been revoked or cancelled. It means they may not get expedited screening for that particular journey.
The TSA also requires travelers to have a valid boarding pass with the TSA PreCheck indicator to use the dedicated screening lane. The indicator is printed when that passenger qualifies for PreCheck on that flight.
The woman said she later looked up the information and found travelers with TSA PreCheck may still be sent to regular security screening.
She used the experience as a lesson: “Passengers shouldn’t assume they can save time at the airport because their boarding pass says PreCheck.”
“I just wanted to tell you, guys, because sometimes when I’m leaving for the airport I’m like, oh, like I can leave an extra 10 or 15 minutes later because I have PreCheck,” she said.
She said travelers should allow plenty of time to go through standard security even if they have enrolled in the expedited screening program.
While TSA PreCheck can make airport security easier, travelers should still plan for the regular screening process.
