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I am a casual traveler, but have pre-check as I am a government employee who opted for it (at no cost). So here is my question, if you have pre-check is it optional to use? The last time I flew, a couple of years ago, I had forgotten that I had signed up for pre-check, and was going through the "regular" line. When the TSA agent looked at my boarding pass, they told me I had to go to pre-check. Is that the norm?
I opted not to use Precheck when I was traveling with my mother (who doesn't have Precheck) because she needed assistance. No one batted an eye.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hertfordshire
Even with Precheck, you still stand a chance of getting behind clueless and inexperienced travelers. Hence why I don't support casual travelers getting Precheck.
Signed up for Pre a while back. I only fly about 4 times a year, and don't care about shoes on or having to pull my laptop out. I was just sick of getting pulled aside for secondary groping because their scanners were so sensitive that they didn't like something about my bra straps.
not as concerned about the groping - I worked for a very secure sensitive material type company a few years back. We had to be search when leaving the building. The ironic thing was the only time the office personnel were in the secure areas of the company was to leave the building.... there were a couple of security guards who were entirely too handsy. would slide a finger under the underwire in ladies bras to make sure "nothing fell out". On my last day there, I wore a camisole with fitted cups built in (I"m busty) and took off my bra before departing. When it came time for my last grope - I pulled the bra out of my tote bag and said loudly "here you don't have to feel me up to check the underwire today" and waved the bra in his face. then I kinda jiggled my boobs and said "nothing falling out here". and left with a huge smile on my face.
My main concern is timing and the consistent delay for people who just don't understand the process - don't wear thigh high boots don't wear shoes with laces, take off the belt, remove change - follow the guidelines and you can get through quicker. Put down your damn cellphones and watch whats going on - you'll see how to react and respond.
One thing I like about Pre-Check besides the fact that you can keep your shoes on (airport floors are really gross) is that you also go through the older-type scanners that put out less radiation. My doctor, for one, says the newer scanners at regular checkpoints emit a much higher level of radiation if they're getting such sharp images, more than one should be exposed to -- and uses Pre-Check for this reason alone.
That is the reason I would prefer to have Pre-Check if I ever fly again. I used to fly a lot before they started radiating everyone, except those that opt out and get groped instead. I stopped flying because of it. (I have had some serious health problems and have already received more than enough radiation from the medical field.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by hertfordshire
The newer scanners aren't getting "such sharp images." They use a generic body outline for everyone and small shapes (yellow squares, etc) highlight areas of concern. I think you're thinking of the older backscatter scanners that aren't being used anymore.
The current scanners are very very safe. If there were really concern about radiation, the TSA agents would be wearing lead vests.
I didn't realize they changed the machines, although I'm not completely confident they are as benign as they indicate. And I don't think the lack of vests means anything. Back when they were using the back-scatter radiation machines, the TSA employees didn't wear lead vests either... and they really should have been. I always felt sorry for them being exposed like that. They didn't even wear the badges that x-ray techs have to wear to measure their exposure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachmouse
Signed up for Pre a while back. I only fly about 4 times a year, and don't care about shoes on or having to pull my laptop out. I was just sick of getting pulled aside for secondary groping because their scanners were so sensitive that they didn't like something about my bra straps.
The public groping is very upsetting. I decided to just completely stop flying instead of having to put up with that. (After reading the other thread about all the crazy on-board animal nonsense... I feel better about forgoing air travel all these years.)
The other reason why I haven't flown is because of the toxic chemical fragrances people douse themselves with, especially men who are surrounded by a toxic perfume cloud from their aftershave and/or deodorant. (Axe is the worst, by the way, and should be banned... truly sickening stuff which gives me migraines, asthma and heart arrhythmias.) The last time I flew, a lady moved to the empty seat next to me at the start of the flight and proceeded to accidentally dump a bottle of very stinky perfumed lotion in her purse. It was very scary to be stuck in the air with sudden heart arrythmia and severe difficulty breathing. And I can't use an epi-pen because I have the opposite reaction to epinephrine, which could be fatal.
I do have Pre-Check. I didn't want to get it, but my wife is a very angry woman and she has it because she travels a lot more than I do and we have a trip this month. If the regular line is shorter than the Pre-Check ones, I'll use it just to annoy her.
As they say, "No one uses Pre-Check anymore, it's too crowded".
Sounds like a stellar marriage.
Where do you fly out of? I've found the Pre-Check lines to almost always be shorter/faster than the regular ones. Plus, I like keeping my shoes on, my belt on, not having to pull out liquids, not have to pull out my laptop, keeping my coat on, etc.
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