I don’t spend a lot of weekends at the airport, and today I got a good lesson in why I like it that way. I’ve gotten a little spoiled by the no muss, and mostly no fuss beat of the Monday through Friday biz traveler grind. And then….I flew somewhere on Saturday morning. There was barely a queue for PreCheck in Atlanta this morning, but that didn’t stop the entertainment. One retired couple spinning in circles, one person who did not know that she could not walk through the metal detector while carrying her cell phone in her hand, and don’t even get me started on the laptops. To TSA’s credit, they had a jovial gentleman working the queue whose answer to every question was almost always NO because everyone….and I do mean everyone (except me, and one other person) was asking about shoes, laptops, jackets, and hair pieces…..OK, hats too.
To all PreCheck newbies, I say WELCOME!!!! Glad to have you! But let’s review a few basics per the TSA website.
Yes, I know that says “could.” If you have metal shanks in your shoes, you’re probably gonna set off the metal detector and need to remove your shoes. If you are traveling with two laptops, go ahead and take one of them out. If you are heading towards frigid weather and wearing a big overcoat, take the overcoat off. A light jacket or blazer/suit jacket are just fine. You can review all the details on PreCheck here. Relax, follow instructions if offered or asked for, and enjoy your flight!
-MJ, November 16, 2013
It’s possible that most of the people you were seeing aren’t actually PreCheck. When I had my Global Entry interview a couple weeks ago, the TSA agent said that they’re starting to let other “low threat” passengers through the PreCheck line on a normal basis: i.e., elderly folks, parents with small children, etc.
While I can understand this in the context of PreCheck being a “threat level” system, for those of us who are used to it as a “speed” system, an unfortunate development!
I have been through pre-check at MSP twice lately. They wanted baggie & laptop out and in a bin before the wmd! The rules are inconsistent. Why am I not surprised…
I’ve only been called on having 2 laptops in my bag once. It was in ATL and on my next trip through there the same person said nothing.
TSA Precheck line at LGA this morning was longer than the Sky Priority line. The agents were allowing several people who were not PreCheck to use the precheck scanners for some reason. They really need to add more PC lines and scanners with the expansion of the program