Flying is the worst. Not only is there the last-minute packing of essentials like a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner and, of course, the extra clothes that are packed that but don’t really need to be packed, but then there’s the security check.
Seeing that long line just sends a rush of despair through the body.
While taking the shoes off and going through pat-downs can be inconvenient, especially when time is running out before that flight leaves, TSA PreCheck might be the best way to cut through the crowd and start lounging before boarding.
This week, Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) is offering TSA PreCheck Enrollment in the baggage claim of Terminal B. The enrollment center will run Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Admittedly, going to the airport when you’re not even traveling is a depressing thought. But for $85, enrollees will get a five-year membership that allows travelers to go through security without having to remove their shoes, belts, jackets, laptops or liquids.
Travelers can apply online at the TSA website within five minutes and schedule a 10-minute in-person appointment at the enrollment center, which will include a background check as well as fingerprint scanning.
Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest are some of the 37 major airlines that participate in TSA PreCheck. The program is also currently available at 200 airports.
Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer at Resilient Systems, Inc. wrote (in 2015) that the seven billion dollars we spend on airport security is mostly wasted. He believes that there isn’t much of a threat of terrorism. “If there were lots of terrorists just waiting for us to let our guard down to destroy American planes, we would have seen attacks — attempted or successful — after all these years of screening failures. No one has hijacked a plane with a knife or a gun since 9/11. Not a single plane has blown up due to terrorism.” He also believes that some security is necessary to stop the stupid or the impulsive person. However, the smarter terrorists are only going to be stopped by intelligence and investigation. That’s where we should be spending our money.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/05/opinions/schneier-tsa-security/index.html
Why should I pay $85.00 to support the TSA’s scam?
so you get through the “security” checkpoint in ~10 mins instead of an ~ hour ….
Of the eight people that commented, Miller, Hough, Empty Gun and Galt oppose the $85.00 fee on principle. Tyler is in favorite of it because he will get through the line faster. Is this a microcosm of why our society is in decline?
Sorry, I meant to say, Tyler is in favor………….
Great, another money-making scam. They make the “security theater” experience mega-unpleasant, they ask us to pay another fee to make the experience almost bearable. It is not like we don;’t pay, look at all those taxes and fees tacked onto your plane ticket.
TSA PreCheck is good for those who only fly domestic. Anyone who flies internationally even infrequently should consider Global Entry instead, which allows for expedited processing through customs. It’s only another $15 for a full five years.
How Much More “White Supremacist” can you get than buying your way through the security line?
Perfect, next we’ll need to buy an Iphone to put those credentials on.
Now please tell me how that will keep Nazi’s and Fashist’s from blowing up air planes?
Norm Mineta, even in the wake of 9/11 couldn’t prevent a teenage kid from hopping the fence of Norm’s airport and stowing away in the wheel well of a Hawai’i bound airliner. The kid evidently infiltrated Norm Mineta’s tarmac (that’s a “runway” in American) “under cover of darkness” according to Norm Mineta’s spokesperson.
Why should we have ANY confidence that Norman Mineta has the competence to distinguish the difference between a wealthy, innocent, white privileged frequent flyer, and a clever, determined, murderous terrorist?
Norman Mineta sucked then and he sucks now.
This is just another government scam that both rips us off and segregates us from one another.
ah you do know that Norm doesnt Actually manage SJC right ?
Have you ever read a book?
I fly with my family so we don’t wait in line. The shoes and belt thing is not an issue. I’ll use my $85 on something else.