Thank you! I just bookmarked this for my trip.
Isn’t this something? Pre-check to TSA pre-check. Thought that was why people bought the TSA pre-check to speed things up. Now apparently your can make a reservation to get ahead of he regular pre-check line.
You don’t need to have Pre-check to use this, right?
Right, this is free. You reserve a time slot 72 hours before your flight day.
I have precheck but my sister and niece do not. I just set a 72 hour reminder to try to sign them up for this my next trip.
This a service offered in about a dozen or so US airports. All passengers are eligible to use but it will take you through standard screening even if you are PreCheck. It’s a great fast pass option for busy checkpoints with long standard lines.
Does that mean you also have to do all the standard things, like take out laptops, remove shoes, etc? If so, I will happily stick to Precheck!
Yes, unless the lane feeds one of our newest technology x-rays where nothing is removed from a bag. Shoes would still have to be taken off. I haven’t been to MCO so can’t confirm which equipment is in use.
To offer some clarity, Reserve is not a TSA initiative. For those unaware, the queue is considered airport controlled space. Therefore TSA isn’t allowed to rearrange the order of passengers. An example is a passenger with a departure 30 minutes away is behind dozens of others with departures much later. We can’t allow the passenger to cut ahead….BUT….the airport can. Reserve uses airport personnel to escort passengers to the front of the line.
Right, this isn’t Precheck it’s a service through Clear (similar but different than Precheck) but you don’t need a Clear membership to use. We used it for our trip in November. I remembered that this existed the morning of our departure and was so glad I did! Super easy and way shorter than the mob of a regular line. Arrival slots when we used it were only available in the morning until noon or so, and in 15 min increments. I was able to rebook a couple of times even during our Uber ride to the airport to reflect our actual arrival and there was plenty of availability. Would not have worked for an afternoon departure but maybe that is changing too.
Good timing we are supposed to renew twic and knt numbers this month.
ok so if I am understanding you correctly-
this is separate from pre check? and does not include any of the pre-check expedited jacket laptop stuff right?
will these airports that offer this service still have separate pre-check? I know it sounds silly but the shoe thing is a hassle.
Is this necessary if you already have precheck?
Reserve is a fast pass to the front of a standard screening lane. Standard lane screening requires the removal of shoes unless you exempt due to age.
PreCheck lanes remain available.
Not necessary at all. It could save time even over a PreCheck lane but definitely saves time in a standard lane. The few airports who have piloted this concept have offered the feature during limited windows, mostly during the busier parts of the day when standard screening lines are busy. This is an excellent option for passengers who aren’t PreCheck or those in mixed parties of PreCheck/Non PreCheck who wish to stay together.
PreCheck passengers have to weigh trade off of less invasive screening vs time saved in line. I suppose there could be times when this decision would be more difficult to make but my personal choice would always default to waiting a bit longer for expedited screening.
Thanks! I think I prefer the less invasive screening.
How does precheck work with medication and devices? We have already applied for this trip, but thinking about paying for my mom & dad for next year. Both will have medication and dad will have his walker, use a wheelchair in the airport.
Airports can differ on how wheelchairs gain access. Some have dedicated entrances while others move through the normal queue. Wheelchairs are manually inspected regardless of which screening lane you enter. The walker will go through the x-ray, assuming it will fold and fit no matter which lane is used. Medications in pill form are treated the same. They do not have to be removed from the bag. Liquid medications have to be removed on a standard lane but can stay in the bag on a PreCheck lane.
The advantages of PreCheck is shorter lines in most instances, the ability to keep on your shoes, not empty your bag of electronics and LGAs and process through a metal detector. The wheelchair and walker would not be a factor.