As a spokesperson for TSA, I’ve been talking about TSA Pre✓™, TSA’s risk-based, expedited checkpoint
screening initiative, for the past several months and decided it was
time to put my money where my mouth is.
I travel regularly for work and pleasure, but I am, shall we
say, “thrifty.” Since I purchase the cheapest ticket and am not loyal to only
one airline, I knew I would not be invited to opt into TSA Pre✓™ by one of the participating
airlines (US Airways, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines or
Alaska Airlines).
The only option available for me to receive expedited
screening through TSA Pre✓™ would
be to sign up for one of the Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Trusted
Traveler programs (Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI). So I did.
With my valid passport in hand, I visited www.globalentry.gov, and then clicked on the Global Online
Enrollment System link, where I provided some personal data on my application online and
typed in my credit card number. It cost me $100, but I figured that if I got
accepted, the “membership” would be good for five years, which comes to $20 a
year. As I mentioned, I’m “frugal,” so I
did the math. Nearly all of my travel is domestic, not international. Most of my travel is through the busiest
airports, and on the airlines participating in TSA Pre✓™, so that sounded good. I take about 20 trips a year for business and
another eight trips a year on my own. Multiply that by two (one flight
departing and one flight returning) and it means that I stand in about 56
checkpoint lines per year. My back-of-the-envelope math told me that for 36
cents per trip in an average year, I could leave my shoes on, keep my jacket
on, not have to bother to remove my
laptop from my knapsack, and allow my 3-1-1 liquids bag to remain tucked into
my carry-on. PLUS I wouldn’t have to wait in line for others to take off their
shoes and fill up the checkpoint bins. I had two words to describe that
outcome: Sweet deal!
After I signed up online and paid the fee, a few days later
I received an email that told me that my application had been processed and
that I should arrange for a visit to an airport where I would have to go
through an interview. The letter gave me a temporary Global Entry membership
number that I was permitted to start to use immediately for international
travel, but not right away for TSA Pre✓™ .
Fortunately for me, I
live only about 25 miles from an airport where an officer from CBP conducts
interviews. I realize that’s not the case for a lot of people. I browsed the
appointment times online, and scheduled the interview. On the day of my interview,
I brought my passport, driver’s license,
and conditional approval letter, which I had received from CBP shortly after I
applied. I watched a brief video about the Global Entry program. The video told
me that Global Entry was a privilege program that could be revoked if I
violated any customs laws or was arrested. I was handed a “Know Before You Go”
brochure. I answered a few questions, was photographed and fingerprinted and
got a solid handshake as I left. It took all of 15 minutes. My Global Entry ID
card will come in the mail within a few weeks. It’s not actually necessary for
me to carry around the card and cannot be used at the Global Entry kiosk, but
it will include my ID number and photo. My temporary ID number is now my
permanent number.
I’ve entered my new “Known Traveler” number in my airline
profiles. (Apparently people forget to do that, so please consider this a
reminder to do so.) The number is on the back of the card, upper left-hand
number next to the words PASS ID, which I suspect stands for “Passenger
Identification Number.” If you don’t have a card you can also find the number
in your GOES account online.
I’m amazed that it was so darn easy. If you see me in an airport, be sure to say
hi. I’ll be the one with my shoes on.
Lisa Farbstein
Guest Blogger & TSA Spokesperson
56 comments:
How does this help you at airports that don't participate in the Precheck process?
How does this help you with Agents who, in spite of your spiffy new pass, select you for the random enhanced security check?
And how does this do anything to improve security at the airport? I mean you could have lied on your application and really be a sleeper agent for some evil terrorist organization who can know smuggle who knows how many kinds of explosives in the souls of your shoes.
Bob, the idea that by paying $100 a citizen can have a shot at having one's Fourth Amendment rights better preserved at an airport -- notice that I say a shot, because as you have repeatedly told us, there is no guarantee of expedited screening -- is an insult to the meaning of this country.
Let me guess: I bet that yesterday, you were one of those flag-waving "patriots" squealing, "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free."
You know how people say, "Freedom isn't free"? The TSA brings new meaning to that saying.
Your employer is an insult too this country's very core. And by accepting a paycheck from said employer, you are a part of the problem.
I don't know whether you will post this comment, but maybe it will get you to start thinking about the disgusting government agency known as the TSA.
>> If you see me in an airport, be sure to say hi.
>> I’ll be the one with my shoes on.
Unless you're not chosen to play the game that flight.
As this blog has repeatedly said, "Random and unpredictable security measures are a part of everything we do. This is to ensure that terrorists and anyone with bad intentions will have a hard time gaming the system. To that end, no one who opts in should expect to get expedited screening every time they fly through a TSA Pre✓™ airport."
Then who will be the one laughing?
Paying $100 to keep our shoes on - how American. It (and we) used to be Free.
TSA Security is a sham. How much more can I pay to make you simply go back simple WTMD and focusing on cargo screening?
$100 to keep our shoes on? Lisa it used to be free.
How perfectly TSAmerican of you.
I applied on May 8, 2012, and my application is still pending. Don't know whether yours went through fast or if mine is slow.
I like the program, when I am selected. I am a Global Entry participant and find it easer to clear customers than to get selected to go through the PreCheck lately. In the last 10K miles I have flown, I have not been selected once.
"My back-of-the-envelope math told me that for 36 cents per trip in an average year, I could leave my shoes on, keep my jacket on, not have to bother to remove my laptop from my knapsack, and allow my 3-1-1 liquids bag to remain tucked into my carry-on. PLUS I wouldn’t have to wait in line for others to take off their shoes and fill up the checkpoint bins. I had two words to describe that outcome: Sweet deal!"
You know what? NOBODY should have to pay ANYTHING for these "privileges" at an airport. The TSA rubbed our noses in the Constitution and is selling it back to the American People, one sentence at a time.
The Communists were masters at selling "privileges" that they could withdraw at any time for any reason as a means of creating a privileged class and ensuring loyalty among this privileged class.
This is nothing more than extortion, and, you, as a TSA employee, are as guilty of extortion as Administrator Pistole.
How can you sleep at night?
Pre Check does nothing for the vast majority of travelers and should be scrapped.
If TSA has any desire for real Risked Based Screening TSA would develop a plan that worked for all travelers.
TSA Pre Check is just another TSA Failure.
How is Pre✓ any different than a mob racket?
"Pay us (the government) $100 and you may be able to do something (leave on shoes and jackets) that everyone used to do by default. But we have to keep it random so we cannot assure you that you will ever get these benefits, and we won't tell you until you actually get to the airport. We can also change the rules at any time."
If this were a private business, the attorney general would be investigating.
Please stop acting like this in any way helps the vast majority of travelers. In fact, at SLC, where I regularly fly out of, it makes my experience worse, because the dedicated lane for those willing to buy back their rights makes the wait times in all the other lanes longer. It's a bad system and you should feel bad about it.
In the criminal world such a scheme would be called a protection racket.
Please explain, Ms. Farbstein, why this government-run scheme is any different.
Thank you.
For my next trip I am keeping my shoes on as well. I'll also run my risk of a TSA groping down to zero.
Even though I qualify for Pre-check, I'm driving between DC and Atlanta. It's the ultimate opt-out, and it protects me from the TSA much better than Pre-check.
If someone is regularly exempted from the civil rights violations, he/she is less likely to be a vocal critic of TSA. That is the danger that programs like PreCheck present.
Lisa, that $100 you spent won't prevent a fellow employee of your agency from demanding at the gate that you hand over your drink -- purchased inside the so-called sterile area -- for testing.
http://www.kjct8.com/news/Passenger-could-be-asked-to-give-drink-samples-to-TSA/-/163152/15394098/-/2eprat/-/index.html
Your agency is a dysfunctional assault on all that was once good about this country.
Why should it cost $100 for this? 99.9999999999+% of all passengers are not a risk. We should all be able to keep our shoes on, just like almost every other country in the world. I can't say much about taking by baggie of liquids out since most airports don't care if it's taken out anymore. Laptops should be allowed to stay in their bags mostly so they aren't as likely to be stolen.
Everybody should get this type of treatment, unless something triggers additional screening. Imagine how much faster this process would be if most people didn't have to remove shoes, liquids, or laptops. They can go through the metal detectors and keep the scanners for secondary screening. You could even lessen the restrictions on liquids. There is no reason to prohibit water bottles when that same amount of liquid could be divided up into 3.4 oz containers and carried through.
Why are we still removing shoes in this country? I've flown internationally and did not remove my shoes. No planes fell from the sky while everyone's shoes stayed on.
I know a lot of people like to post “the sky is falling” and some impending police state is upon us, but this program is great. Congress keeps pushing for expansion, and I believe that this program will encompass most travelers someday. From someone who uses this program often, keep it up.
So, how does $100 and an interview make you any less dangerous than anyone else? Oh...sorry...I guess it is the pay off that makes you safe.
Lisa Farbstein said:
"If you see me in an airport, be sure to say hi. I’ll be the one with my shoes on."
I won't be seeing you at the airport because I avoid flying to avoid the TSA. I get to keep my shoes on too.
The Pre Check program is nothing but a Public Relations program for frequent fliers. No background check can find all possible terrorists. The program is based on lies.
Lisa, you have just experienced first-hand what it's like to hand over money in response to an act of extortion. And by the way, you spent a lot more than $100, if you apply any kind of value to your time and usage of your vehicle (50 miles round-trip!).
extortion |ikˈstôrSHən|
noun
the practice of obtaining something, esp. money, through force or threats.
From Wikipedia:
Extortion (also called blackmail, shakedown, outwresting, and exaction) is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person(s), entity, or institution, through coercion.
Lisa,
If I see you at the airport and know that you are a TSA employee I will not speak unless I am required by law. I reserve my "hellos" for persons who respect the dignity and privacy of their fellow Americans - unlike those employed at the TSA.
UPDATE: My Customs and Border Protection personal interview was conducted on Monday afternoon and my Global Entry identification card was in my mailbox on Thursday morning. From Monday to Thursday (with Wednesday being the July 4th holiday) is pretty good service from both CBP and the U.S. Postal Service!
UPDATE: My Customs and Border Protection personal interview was conducted on Monday afternoon and my Global Entry identification card was in my mailbox on Thursday morning. From Monday to Thursday (with Wednesday being the July 4th holiday) is pretty good service from both CBP and the U.S. Postal Service!
I for one think the TSA does a real good job, the safety of my family comes first and foremost, some people act like little kids crying all the time, would you prefer the alternative?
To all the Anonymi complaining above... do you have any constructive suggestions? The same way you're always looking over your shoulder in the "scary" parts of town and almost never in the not-so-scary parts doesn't mean you never double-check in the "safe" parts, does it? Sometimes, your Spidey Sense tingles and you look. And sometimes, common sense tells you to be generally aware. Similarly, TSA cannot not periodically look at even the well-dressed passengers. (Otherwise, it would be called profiling!) And god forbid, something bad happens, do you think TSA can say to Congress: "Anonymous told me to stop looking?!"
Get a grip folks! Freedom isn't cheap. Part of that freedom is not being singled out because of how you look... or don't look. And part of the cost of freedom is having security at airports so that we don't have another 9/11 occur. With that said... what are your constructive solutions?
Bravo. More people should do the same. The TSA is more of a deterrent to flying than any terrorism activity ever has been.
Everyone should get to keep their shoes on, not just a few privileged persons.
>> some people act like little kids crying
>> all the time, would you prefer the alternative?
You mean baggage x-rays and walk-through metal detectors as the only screening, the way checkpoints operated for decades, without having to pay an extortion fee of $100?
Absolutely, sign me up.
To those who are whining about all the serious complaints posted here and on other threads:
A true patriot is one who questions his government at every turn, and does not just take at face value what he is told.
Being a patriot is hard work. It entails a lot more than just waving the flag and wearing red, white and blue, and singing songs such as, "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free."
"...what are your constructive solutions?"
I do have one constructive solution to offer the TSA...Start Over. The TSA can not repair their well-earned disgraced reputation by simply "tweaking" their current failed system (people, process and technology). I, like many other Americans, have come to associate TSA employees with repeated deviant behavior - that unfortunate association can't be fixed until the entire organization is overhauled.
Anonymous said...
"And part of the cost of freedom is having security at airports so that we don't have another 9/11 occur."
No, airport security is not the price of freedom, it's the loss of freedom.
The price of freedom is accepting personal risk to make sure freedom is protected. You want to give away freedom to try and protect yourself.
If there are indeed any "bad guys" out there with a plot to use liquids in a harmful way, these tactics to prevent such an incident will work 0% of the time. Here's why:
I would guess you're testing beverages that are out in the open -- in someone's hands, or maybe in a mesh compartment on the side of luggage. You don't mention that you'll be opening luggage and going through all compartments in search of containers. Even if you did, luggage could have some hidden compartments with no zippers to store containers of liquid. These containers would be found with x-ray equipment but not with a hand-search.
You'll be testing the innocent, traveling public with their water and other consumable liquids because they were visible. The dangerous liquids, IF THEY EXIST (they don't really), won't be found.
"...what are your constructive solutions?"
That's easy!
Walk-through Metal Detectors.
Better quality baggage x-ray/imaging machines and better trained operators on those machines next to the WTMD.
Better quality x-ray/imaging machines, and more of them, scanning all the checked baggage.
In this post-9/11 world there is almost nothing that could get through a metal detector that could be dangerous enough to take over or take down an aircraft.
And the stuff in my carry-on... x-ray it so much that it glows in the dark if that is what it takes to make sure there's nothing bad in there. Same with my checked baggage.
That is my first suggestion.
My second suggestion, go back to private companies. A private company is going to find the most efficient and effective balance between customer service and protecting the aircraft and traveler. The airlines who hire the companies are going to hire only the best because those hired are going to be protecting the airlines primary method of doing business (the airplane).
That is my second suggestion.
My third, and last, suggestion is to disband the TSA and divert the 8 billion dollars annually to the other Agencies that actually do something to keep this Country safe, like the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard.
Is that a specific enough set of suggestions for you?
Get a grip folks! Freedom isn't cheap. Part of that freedom is not being singled out because of how you look... or don't look. And part of the cost of freedom is having security at airports so that we don't have another 9/11 occur. With that said... what are your constructive solutions?
July 6, 2012 3:23 AM
...........................
Giving away you freedom is even more expensive.
TSA offers nothing of value.
People who work for TSA offer nothing of value.
Anonymous said...
"I for one think the TSA does a real good job, the safety of my family comes first and foremost, some people act like little kids crying all the time, would you prefer the alternative?"
Yes, please. Also, no need for insults.
Anonymous said...
"Get a grip folks! Freedom isn't cheap. Part of that freedom is not being singled out because of how you look... or don't look. And part of the cost of freedom is having security at airports so that we don't have another 9/11 occur. With that said... what are your constructive solutions?"
However, you do not pay for freedom by giving up freedom. That makes no sense at all.
Construction solutions? Already implemented. Hardened cockpit doors and passenger awareness ensure the safety of air travel more than the TSA does (given their 70% failure rate and all). We could easily go back to pre-9/11 screening levels and be as safe, if not more so, than we are under the TSA, as all they do is provide a false sense of security to those who know nothing about security to begin with.
Why do TSA propaganda posts have to be condescending to their readers? This one is definitely demeaning to the 99.999+% of passengers who are neither interested in nor eligible for the Pre Check program.
It appears that contempt for the traveling public so thoroughly permeates all layers of the TSA that even a PR writer intent on selling a "beneficial" program can't avoid spotlighting that contempt.
And to the Anonymous poster of the July 6, 2012 3:23 AM comment: Many people have posted many constructive suggestions for improvement as comments to this blog over the years. Except for the few times that TSA representatives have explicitly dismissed both the suggestion and the person who submitted it, all of them have been ignored. This consistent behavior shows that the TSA doesn't care what anyone outside their agency has to say.
To Anyonymous at July 6, 2012 3:23 AM, who said...
To all the Anonymi complaining above... do you have any constructive suggestions?
------
My constructive solution? Go back to the security that existed on September 10, 2001. It worked. It worked well. It was not breached on September 11th (as boxcutters were allowed onto planes). Incidents that did occur (like Pan Am 103), similarly to the failed "underwear" and "shoe" bombings, occurred inbound to the US from foreign airports. Additionally, security holes that remained pre-9/11 still exist post-9/11 (the security hole that resulted in PSA flight 1771 could occur again today)
Nothing that TSA has done has made us measurably safer. Most things they have done have degraded us and have violated our rights.
Anonymous at July 6, 2012 3:23 AM said: "...part of the cost of freedom is having security at airports so that we don't have another 9/11 occur"
So let me get this straight - the cost of freedom is to give up our freedom. Sounds like a fair trade to me (/sarcasm). Benjamin Franklin where are you when we need you, I fear for the future of this country. Sigh.
Anonymous asks: what are your constructive solutions?
We've been offering them on this blog for years. Mostly, they're ignored. Go back and read many of them, especially from the early days of the blog.
Anonymous said...
To all the Anonymi complaining above... do you have any constructive suggestions? [...]
Get a grip folks! Freedom isn't cheap. Part of that freedom is not being singled out because of how you look... or don't look. And part of the cost of freedom is having security at airports so that we don't have another 9/11 occur. With that said... what are your constructive solutions?
----
The cost of freedom is surrendering your freedom? That makes no sense. Constructive solutions? Anything that doesn't violate the 4th amendment would be a good start. I'll assume you're new here. If you aren't new, you haven't been paying attention to the myriad of of better ideas people have been suggesting from the start of this blog. I know bomb-sniffing dogs have been thrown out there many times. It is not for lack of people making suggestions.
"You can pay me now, or pay me later!!!'
"Pay the $100 for your 'freedom,' or if you don't, we will just take some out of your wallet while it goes through the x-ray screening."
Harharharharharhar!
GOTCHA
Sincerely, really!
Your "protectors"
"And part of the cost of freedom is having security at airports so that we don't have another 9/11 occur. With that said... what are your constructive solutions?"
Fortify cockpit doors and educate passengers to fight back in the event of an attempted hijacking. (Both of which were done in 2001.)
There. No need for any special screening beyond normal metal detectors.
Anonymous said...
To all the Anonymi complaining above... do you have any constructive suggestions?
Sure. We've mentioned them over and over and over, for years and years and years... only to be ignored.
Freedom isn't cheap. Part of that freedom is not being singled out because of how you look... or don't look.
No- that Freedom is not being detained and electronically strip-searched.
And part of the cost of freedom is having security at airports so that we don't have another 9/11 occur.
And, as has been pointed out many, Many, MANY times, another 9/11 cannot happen, for several reasons. Passengers will not just sit there anymore, like they did before 9/11. And there are more Federal Air Marshals on planes. And cockpit doors are reinforced and locked.
Those things alone would stop another 9/11. The TSA is unneeded.
With that said... what are your constructive solutions?
Get rid of the TSA. Yes, we need security, but no more that we had before 9/11. Walk-through metal detector and carry-on baggage scan to make sure there are no guns/bombs brought on board, and an explosive scanner for checked baggage. That's it. No more taking off shoes, no more confiscating water bottles. No more nudie-scans. No more making women drink their breast milk, or handing them pliers to remove their nipple rings. No more squeezing urine out of ostomy bags, or putting your hands down little kids pants.
There you go. A 'constructive solution'. Ball's in your court.
TSA Pre Check: The real truth!
TSA can hype Pre Check all they want but the simple truth is the program is flawed from the start.
"I for one think the TSA does a real good job"
Prove it.
"A few days later"?!?!?!
Apparently you have to know someone to get this process expedited. I applied over a month ago and my application is still "pending review".
Thanks for letting us know that TSA employees get special treatment. Regular people who try to play by DHS's ever-changing rules still get screwed.
HI - I have my Known Traveler number in my Delta Airlines record. Yesterday, when I went to screening at Salt Lake City, I was told that I was not qualified to use the TSA pre line for screening - even though I was on Delta, and my Known Traveler number was in my record for the flight. The curious thing is that prior to getting my number, I always had the TSA pre clearance when it was available. Do I need to carry my passport with me on domestic travel or my Global Entry card in order to use the TSA Pre line? Thanks for your response.
I'm in Global Entry and still don't get to go through the Pre Check line! My number is saved in my Delta profile and I still don't clear. I can't find any way to contact TSA on their website. So note, being in Global Entry does NOT guarantee you will get pre check!
I'm in the same situation....Global Entry, Known Traveler number in profile, Delta Gold and still no Pre-Check! I can't find any way to contact TSA to inquire, thus my post on this blog.
Just tried to add my pass id from global entry in the known traveler field on my delta skymiles account, but it wouldn't accept it. It seems the format requires 2 letters before the numbers, and 2 letters after (based on the example on the form). My pass id has no letters; my login for global entry does, but the directions are specific about it using your pass id... any one else encounter this?
Just tried to add my pass id from global entry in the known traveler field on my delta skymiles account, but it wouldn't accept it. It seems the format requires 2 letters before the numbers, and 2 letters after (based on the example on the form). My pass id has no letters; my login for global entry does, but the directions are specific about it using your pass id... any one else encounter this?
Lisa,
If I see you at the airport and know that you are a TSA employee I will not speak unless I am required by law. I reserve my "hellos" for persons who respect the dignity and privacy of their fellow Americans - unlike those employed at the TSA.
Oh Yes we see your such a respectful person by ignoring others that say hi.
This is great, but since you've written about this I would like to draw your attention to a major issue with the system. I too had the same great idea as you, to be able to use TSA Pre anywhere, not just where I can use it as an American Airlines Platinum customer, by applying for Global Entry.
So I went to the web site and applied, and just to make sure I didn't miss out on anything, I clicked the "Nexus" box too. I should have guessed something was up when it only asked me for $50. However I learned the hard way when I got to choose my interview location and I could only pick places along the US/Canada border, I live near DC.
You'd think that considering Nexus and Global Entry systems are linked (they were able to tell me the status of my application at the Dulles Airport office before I got to schedule) they would be able to do a Nexus interview there too. You'd think that having been an INSPass customer for years, they could have used that information to clear me. You'd think that having gone through the Green Card and Naturalization process, and having worked as a DHS contractor for 2 years (even having a DHS badge) that this would be sufficient to clear me! You'd think that it would be simple to pay the extra $50 to "upgrade" (which is really downgrading) to Global Entry only so that I could interview anywhere! No such luck. It's either travel to the border or throw away the $50 and pay $100.
I have used TSA Pre and it was great, so I am prepared to travel to Buffalo just for an interview, but it seems a shame that we live in an age where a service provider, especially one run by the guardians of our country, doesn't feel any remorse or shame making people fork out extra money because of bad processes.
Disappointment is the only word which describes my experience with TSA PreCheck.
I travel for business on a weekly basis, so I figured that spending the $100.00 for the Trusted Traveler program was a great deal.
So I went to the airport, did my interview and got my Trusted Traveler ID. I added my Known Travaler number to my airline profile. At this point I was all excited to go thru the TSA PreCheck line.
The first 2 trips after I got my Number, I got selected for the PreCheck line. It was a wonderful experience. Reminded me of the old days...before 2001.
However, after those first 2 trips which i got selected for PreCheck, I have completed 8 round trips and have not been selected a single time for the pre-checks.
It feels as if being selected for PreCheck is the exception and not the rule. Even if you are a known traveler.
I love to stand at JFK in the Regular screening line. Watching the empty TSA PreCheck where an occasional lucky traveler is allowed to go thru. This TSA line employs 3 TSA offices which sit there with nothing to do. Simply waiting for the TSA random selection algorithms to send someone their way. As I watch them, I envy those lucky few while my Known Traveler Number and ID gather dust in my briefcase.
I have taken 10 round trips since receiving my Global Entry card AND noting that in my United profile. I have been selected for TSA Pre check once. That's right, once. I feel like I got jobbed.
What a joke
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