The line for TSA PreCheck has become longer than general security in some cases. It's annoying. I find myself just going through regular security about 1/3 of the time because it's quicker than waiting in the PreCheck line. Unless you're Clear.

Clear now has the upper hand and is acting like a FastPass to the front of the TSA Pre line. It's what TSA Pre used to be. But I'm indignant about it and (for now) refuse to pay for another service. Obviously, that will change if my credit card pays for Clear. I don't have an AmEx. At $189/year, I just don't think it's worth it.


As a related note, I raced my coworker through security yesterday at SLC. He stayed in TSA Pre and I went through regular security. Even though my stuff had to run through twice because I forgot to take my laptop out of the bag (Ok, that part of regular security is annoying), I still beat him by about 4 minutes.

They also had some new screening tech in regular security that took a real-time picture of you and compared it to your scanned ID that TSA was using. I'd never seen it before and they weren't using it in the TSA Pre area. https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2023/03/09/tsa-using-state-art-identity-verification-technology-accepting

Aggie_Boomin 21 said:

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Eh, depends what airport you're in. There are many where this is the exact opposite.

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I mean, that was the original idea and should be the case. Hobby is actually the worst with this, it's usually 50/50 for me. Admittedly, I do tend to be on the first flights out of the airports in the morning, so that might play into it too. Although my SLC experience yesterday was at 4PM flight.

They were doing the face thing instead of checking passports when I was boarding for my SFO-LHR a few months ago. I wonder if that's the same tech that they're now using for security screening now.
My problem with clear are the machines are too damn short and it's a pain in the ass to get the damn thing to recognize my face/eyes.

I had Clear for 5 months on free trial and did not hesitate for a second when it came time to cancel before it auto renewed. It absolutely not worth anything at any of my regular airports, and I travel frequently often (~40 flights a year).

In the last year I can think of 1 time that precheck took more than 5 minutes. Theres not usually more than 5-10 people in line. My regular airports are: Baltimore, Hobby, Pittsburgh, Miami, Fort Myers, DCA, LAX, and Boston.

There was also a couple instances when I got through Clear slower than someone walking into Precheck at the same time because of all the clear hand holding, the machine, waiting on being called over etc.

Also, I did find it funny that multiple times I had people in the Clear line with me that had Clear, but not precheck. So they cut the line but then had to go over to the regular people like and take shoes off etc. Bizarre.

We've had Clear for ~5 yrs now, DEN is usually a cluster so it's worth it IMO.

The Milkman said:

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I had Clear for 5 months on free trial and did not hesitate for a second when it came time to cancel before it auto renewed. It absolutely not worth anything at any of my regular airports, and I travel frequently often (~40 flights a year).

In the last year I can think of 1 time that precheck took more than 5 minutes. Theres not usually more than 5-10 people in line. My regular airports are: Baltimore, Hobby, Pittsburgh, Miami, Fort Myers, DCA, LAX, and Boston.

There was also a couple instances when I got through Clear slower than someone walking into Precheck at the same time because of all the clear hand holding, the machine, waiting on being called over etc.

Also, I did find it funny that multiple times I had people in the Clear line with me that had Clear, but not precheck. So they cut the line but then had to go over to the regular people like and take shoes off etc. Bizarre.

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Very similar experience for me. I just canceled last week after my one year free trial. It has been error-plagued and frustrating - IAH, AUS, LAS, LAX are the primary airports where I (tried to) use it.

TIL that Global Entry Program is different than TSA Precheck

I signed up for Global Entry $100 right before the pandemic started - now I just an appointed confirmed for June for TSA Pre-check. Have a feeling they're going to try and tell me that $100 isn't good towards my Pre-check, aren't they?

Fml

The Pilot said:

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We've had Clear for ~5 yrs now, DEN is usually a cluster so it's worth it IMO.

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Concur, this is by far where I get the most bang for the buck

cr0wbar said:

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TIL that Global Entry Program is different than TSA Precheck

I signed up for Global Entry $100 right before the pandemic started - now I just an appointed confirmed for June for TSA Pre-check. Have a feeling they're going to try and tell me that $100 isn't good towards my Pre-check, aren't they?

Fml

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When did they start requiring interviews for pre check?

And honestly if it weren't for the discounted rate with the UAL discount and my credit card covering the cost I probably wouldn't be a user. I mainly use it cause with the UAL discount it only costs like $20 bucks for my wife and me.

Clear is only at Terminal E at DFW so it's really not an option here unless you only fly non-AA flights.

cr0wbar said:

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TIL that Global Entry Program is different than TSA Precheck

I signed up for Global Entry $100 right before the pandemic started - now I just an appointed confirmed for June for TSA Pre-check. Have a feeling they're going to try and tell me that $100 isn't good towards my Pre-check, aren't they?

Fml

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You sure you have to do this? I though you just used whatever global entry ID number you have as your KTN for precheck through your boarding pass.

I don't have global entry but I'm like 75% sure this was the case up to about 6 months ago.

Yea - I'm going to have to put some more brain power to this. I haven't scheduled my Global Entry because that's only in the airport - or down in Brownsville or San Antonio. I knew I had to do an interview - but once I logged in to check my status it asked me to set an appointment for somewhere closer to my office next month.

3262 S Loop W Houston 77025

I fly out of IAH at least once a month and I've never had to wait in line for CLEAR. It's usually straight to the front of the line. It's been a life saver at super crowded airports and I will definitely renew again.

The Clear line has to be significantly shortly than the TSA Precheck line to make it worthwhile as the Clear process is usually very understaffed and inefficient. This last weekend I went through ATL and got in the Clear line since there were only about 15 people in front of me and the Precheck line was probably 75+. The Clear line was so slow that the Precheck line completely cleared out even with many new people getting in the Precheck line before I got through the Clear line. Incredibly frustrating.

OilManAg91 said:

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The Clear line has to be significantly shortly than the TSA Precheck line to make it worthwhile as the Clear process is usually very understaffed and inefficient. This last weekend I went through ATL and got in the Clear line since there were only about 15 people in front of me and the Precheck line was probably 75+. The Clear line was so slow that the Precheck line completely cleared out even with many new people getting in the Precheck line before I got through the Clear line. Incredibly frustrating.

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I've never had issues with clear not having enough staff, maybe I've been lucky. The issue is usually not enough airports with clear.

Aggie_Boomin 21 said:

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Eh, depends what airport you're in. There are many where this is the exact opposite.

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Clear is GREAT in MCO...

Both security lines are miles deep and Clear just walks you past all of them...

We have gotten through security in <10 mins, at AUS, since we got Clear.

The Pilot said:

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We've had Clear for ~5 yrs now, DEN is usually a cluster so it's worth it IMO.

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DEN has been a joke since I moved there in 2000. HTH

The Pilot said:

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OilManAg91 said:

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The Clear line has to be significantly shortly than the TSA Precheck line to make it worthwhile as the Clear process is usually very understaffed and inefficient. This last weekend I went through ATL and got in the Clear line since there were only about 15 people in front of me and the Precheck line was probably 75+. The Clear line was so slow that the Precheck line completely cleared out even with many new people getting in the Precheck line before I got through the Clear line. Incredibly frustrating.

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I've never had issues with clear not having enough staff, maybe I've been lucky. The issue is usually not enough airports with clear.

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This. If anything CLEAR is always over staffed for the amount of people using the service lol. I always see like 5 CLEAR employees hanging around doing nothing while dealing with one person.

Agreed about not enough airports using CLEAR. None use it overseas.

Jock 07 said:

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They were doing the face thing instead of checking passports when I was boarding for my SFO-LHR a few months ago. I wonder if that's the same tech that they're now using for security screening now.
My problem with clear are the machines are too damn short and it's a pain in the ass to get the damn thing to recognize my face/eyes.

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I flew to YYZ (Toronto) out of DFW earlier this year and instead of scanning my boarding pass at the gate they used facial recognition software to match my face back to my boarding pass. That was a first.

Upon landing in Toronto, Customs was completely automated. You arrive and walk into a room with probably 100 kiosks where you again do facial recognition and then you walk right out.

While it was the easiest customs process I've ever done, it was 1984 creepy because that's where we are headed with all of this.

They're also annoying when bored. I see you - if I want info, I'll ask. No I didn't come to Best Buy to purchase DirectTV from some BB employee walking around the store. Get your soap out of my face, no matter how much you yell as I walk by your store, I don't want any F'ing samples.

Clear saved me about a month ago. I flew from Mexico to Denver and needed to catch another flight in Denver. The mexico flight was late and I got the random SSSS on the boarding pass (extra security check and no TSA Precheck).

In Denver there's no behind security international to domestic transfer. Customs dumps you out in the main lobby and you have to go through security again. Non precheck gets huge at DEN and I had like 25 minutes to clear customs, go through security and get back to the terminal.

Customs was fast with Global entry but security was a disaster. I was able to go through the non precheck Clear line and made my flight. United pays for both global entry and clear but just that time made always having them totally worth it to me.

Quote:

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because it's quicker than waiting in the PreCheck line.

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have never seen this to be the case.

I've seen precheck lines over twice as long as precheck, precheck still much faster.

(not saying not to get clear, everyone I know that has it loves it)

ea1060 said:

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Garrelli 5000 said:

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They're also annoying when bored. I see you - if I want info, I'll ask. No I didn't come to Best Buy to purchase DirectTV from some BB employee walking around the store. Get your soap out of my face, no matter how much you yell as I walk by your store, I don't want any F'ing samples.

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Ive tried reading this a few times and still not sure what youre trying to say.

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I think he's saying they are hounding people walking by into subscribing to Clear. At least at DEN, they are typically pretty busy that they don't have a ton of downtime to seek people. The ones I see are typically just confirming if people have Clear so that they are directed in the right line.

Sorry it made more sense in my head. Pilot is correct. They hound like BB employees used to hound for directv, vendors in mall kiosks or streets in touristy areas hound as you pass, etc.

I am not sure where people are finding lines at Pre-check. I have been through IAH, HOU, MSY, GEG, AUS, DEN, MTJ, BOI, GPT, and TPA within the last year or so and can't remember having more than 3-4 people in line ahead of me for pre-check in any of those airports. In a couple of them (like GEG yesterday), you fed back into the main line for xray, but even then, we still never took more than about 10 mins to get through security anywhere.

Clear is regularly longer than TSA preckeck at IAH due to their absolute inefficiency at moving people through their kiosks.