Departing Washington’s National airport on Friday, I passed by a family saying goodbye to each other at security. They hadn’t walked one family member into the airport for one last kiss. The family was simply parting ways at PreCheck. The dad had expedited security. His wife and kids did not. He made sure they had their boarding passes, and sent them along to the longer line.
I’d never seen this in person so dramatically before. He was right in front of me, and got out of my way at the PreCheck entrance so I could go through. But apparently it’s more common than I realized. People don’t want to wait in line at security more than they want to stay in solidarity with their family, it seems.
A man left his girlfriend behind as he went through PreCheck at the start of their trip to Paris together. She was fuming.
- He offered to “pay for the entire trip if she applied for Global Entry,” which would have gotten her PreCheck as well. He “even started the application for her, and all she had to do was finish it.”
- She never completed her Global Entry application. Even if she did, though, she probably would only have gotten her conditional approval – getting an appointment to finish it can be maddening and take months, though you can finish it (1) at Washington Dulles and (2) on arrival off an international flight… but that wouldn’t have helped them with PreCheck for that trip.
- He paid “for the whole trip anyway” which he’d planned to do regardless, he just wanted “to give her an incentive to apply for Global Entry.”
She resented him, which wasn’t how he wanted to start off their romantic Paris getaway. He asked whether he was a jerk for doing this on the ‘AITA’ Reddit forum. The simple answer is,
- He is not being a jerk. He tried to help her get PreCheck and she did not help herself.
- He is an idiot. Pick your reason why. Maybe her failure to get PreCheck is a flag that he shouldn’t be dating her? But since he’s choosing to… why antagonize at the start of a romantic vacation? That seems to work against his own interest here!
Getting through security faster than your family or your partner doesn’t really get you much. You are still waiting for them on the other side, right? Unless you work out that you’ll get through faster in order to get a head start picking up a Starbucks (and you’re getting one for your partner). That way leaving them behind at security is good for both of you. Then again, you can pre-order at many airport Starbucks now, so you don’t need to show up earlier and wait in line. Just order while you’re queued for TSA.
I resisted at first because I liked not having my fingerprints on record anywhere. But the clincher came in 2016 when I had a nightmarish wait at customs in Orlando. Customs, not immigration – you know, the part where you (used to) hand a card to an agent and breeze through with maybe 2 families in front of you. But it wasn’t 2, it was 200. And an agent yelling at us not to use our cell phones – like, F that, I’ve got to text my ride that they need to go back to the cell lot for an hour. I decided they could have my damn fingerprints after that.
Been there.
I just choose the same line as my wife.
As you pointed out, you are still waiting at the other end.
(and in deep s&*t if you make the plane and they don’t…)
My wife didn’t have it and I have had precheck for years. She is a permanent resident so we had to apply once she got here. Anyway, I just take her carry on bag through with my carry on and backpack and she goes with just her purse through regular security. I don’t want to take shoes, belt, laptop and other crap out (liquids). I might get through 5-10 mins faster, but my stress level is 100 times less and my wife never cared. We both win. Now she has precheck so shouldn’t be an issue (we take our first flight after her approval in two weeks).
Security theater has driven society to madness…..
My husband had both Global Entry and PreCheck before I did, as he traveled more for business, including trips to Canada.
I think for about a year or so I didn’t have it because I hadn’t been flying anywhere, so it wasn’t on our mutual radar. Then we took a personal trip and when we got to the airport, I sent him through the PreCheck line with our bags (so I didn’t have to unpack all the 3-1-1 stuff) and he waited for me while I went through standard security. Happily the time difference wasn’t too long, but it definitely gave me the incentive to sign up for myself. Now we both keep ourselves renewed and up-to-date. Makes flying a lot easier.
Though we have sworn to not return home from international flights at IAD – their Global Entry program is ridiculous. We arrived on a day where every single person was referred for an interview, even if they had nothing to declare. There was only one line available for those interviews, and the man staffing it was working at the speed of a DMV Sloth from Zootopia. Thanks, we’ll make our final leg home AMS to MSP next time.
Besides, we were both fingerprinted and thoroughly documented with the government anyway – the price of having security clearances. On the upside, it meant we got approved for PreCheck and Global Entry REALLY quickly once we got through our interviews.
I have PreCheck, and my wife does not. We both have Clear, through the various credit card discounts we have. I have strongly suggested she apply for Pre-Check – she doesn’t want to do it as she sees it as an unnecessary cash grab from the TSA. Often I will do Pre-Check, while she does Clear (without PreCheck) when we travel together. She is fine with it. I am increasingly ignoring Clear myself as I use Digital ID at any airport that has it.
Like Katie I resisted for the same reasons. But I got tired of refusing to go through the scanner. That is not for fear of radiation but just because it is an obscenity that a population which sings about being “brave and free” should have laughed away the first day. Anyway, not everyone can get Precheck. Have one arrest years ago for a minor issue, even without a conviction, and you’re toast. (On the plus side I just renewed mine. Filled out the form, paid and it was approved in less than a day. Sometimes the system works.)
SOmetimes the line in TSA is longer… That’s happening more and more, at least to me.
Clear is certainly not “Clear of lines”, especially in Denver. It’s ridiculous. I am avoiding Denver entirely and my customers can meet me somewhere else and I will pay for them to get there!
And for this couple, maybe there are other issues going on? I never pretend to know another’s struggles and everyone, and I mean everyone, can have a bad day.
-Jon
Is it OK to leave (your partner) behind at security?
Absolutely! As long as you never expect to have sex again in your life.
@Chasmosaur you stated “Besides, we were both fingerprinted and thoroughly documented with the government anyway – the price of having security clearances. On the upside, it meant we got approved for PreCheck and Global Entry REALLY quickly once we got through our interviews.”
On both my initial application and my renewal last year for Global Entry I received approval notification within an hour of each interview. I assumed that was normal.
I did this many times when traveling with my wife. She didn’t want to get Precheck at first, and after waiting I general security with her our first trip or two, just gave up. Many times I’d go through security and wait for her at the admirals club. Only took her a few trips before she ended up getting pre check.
I sometimes travel in groups where either I am the only one with Precheck or most don’t have it. If I would go through the regular line I would just make that line incrementally slower for all, put up with stuff I don’t want to put up with and don’t need to put up with (I hate going through security and am not going to voluntarily spend extra time doing it), and accomplish nothing. If I go ahead of others through security, I can check out logistical details while waiting – where’s the restroom, the train, food, our gate, etc. Really, unless I would be with a small child, I consider the others to be competent enough to make it through security for themselves.
Absolutely. The person with pre check can go get in the 45 minute line for the lounge. By the time P2 arrives should only be a 20-30 minute wait for the lounge. Heck you might even get into the lounge before boarding begins.
I go through first in this situation for reasons alluded to at the end.
My help isn’t needed for my wife to get through, and there are various things I can help with or smooth out ahead of time in the other end. At minimum, I’m one less person clogging the already slow and clumsy process of pushing hordes of people through security the painful way. I tend to have the bulkiest luggage as well.
The net result of going through separately is better for all, fortunately my wife agrees.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure that parents with pre check are allowed to bring their kids with them in the pre-check line
Pre check is about 5 minutes from “jumping the shark”. This was evident When I saw mee maw from keerville in the pre check Line for her first and probably only flight of her life. It’s become ubiquitous and the longer-than-normal-lines are starting to show that.
And on the topic of the post. It’s 100% trash when a husband/father/partner breaks off from his traveling companions to speed his way through a line when he has to wait to the other end anyway. . Period. I said what I said . lol.
Had the reverse happen to me with a travel buddy. I had been registered with PreCheck for a few years, he was not registered. I purchased the tickets in advance as a means of convenience. When the boarding passes were printed, both were marked as PreCheck. Same with the airline app on my phone. No issues at security, no questions asked.
Understanding wife would not throw a temper tantrum. Each spouse is not so weak they they need moral support to get through. On the other hand, both spouses realize that if one person doesn’t have to remove shoes, that’s one pair of socks that won’t get so dirty walking on the dirty airport floor.
My wife and I have GE and we frequently travel with other “less traveled” couples. We don’t want to be rude so we just lie to them and tell them that since we have Pre we “have” to use that line. 🙂
The other thing that is usually common is if you have Pre and you book the flight, your travel mates on the same PNR will “usually” get Pre also but YMMV. That is actually dumb since they aren’t actually vetted and demonstrates how it’s all security theater anyway.
There was a period where my wife didn’t have pre-check, and I did. We would split off, and I would just text her where I was, and she would meet me when finished. (Usually having a beer someplace)
She has pre-check now, so we both go through. It really shouldn’t be such a big deal.
I’ve left behind my girlfriend, fiance, wife, brother and parents at regular security.
In fact they encourage it.
The reason is quite simple, I just take all their carry on with me through regular security. So they just have to walk through.
If I could not, then I’d wait in solidarity.
It’s a win-win for all of us.
Both my wife and I have pre-check & global entry, and I travel enough to also have Clear.
That said, not in 100 years would I pop over to the shorter Clear lane and leave my wife in the regular pre-check line….as the fellow who was attempting to wisk that young lady over to Paris for a fling and then somehow remarkably decided to leave her standing alone in that horribly long line most certainly hasn’t yet learned the incredibly true wisdom of….’happy wife, happy LIFE…!’
You can leave them behind but you have to wait for them when they are out of TSA, like right there at the end of the screening. One also needs to be verbally sympathetic to what they just went through.
You also need to ask yourself why are you traveling with someone who doesn’t have PreCheck, professionally or personally? I mean that’s a tranche of society I just don’t interact with much.
I would not date someone who did not have or was willing to promptly get Global Entry.
If the traveling to Paris roles were reversed I doubt that there would have been an objection to the woman going through PreCheck.
Go all the way fly premium cabin and leave her in coach
Just cut your privates off as you will never utilize them again in this relationship
Literally the day my husband got his green card, I sat down and forced him to apply for GE. As Gary points out, a family can only get through the airport as fast as its slowest member. The only time I’ve been faced with the decision to separate from family was when traveling with my sister. I took my niece and nephew with me through precheck, and we met back up at the gate. When the agent asked my nephew if his parents had given permission for us to fly, he bluntly said, “oh, they’re here… they’re just in the slow lane.” Agent laughed, and off we went.
For family, I would go through regular security for them, but usually not for others. However, returning from overseas, I will do GE and tell them I’ll meet them at baggage claim. Though I’ve also made sure my wife and kids all have pre- and GE. For my sake.
Even one person with Global Entry can be of service to the rest of their family or fellow travelers who do not have GE. On re-entry to the USA, the person with GE can get to the luggage carousel first and gather everyone’s bags before a third party has the chance to intentionally or accidentally walk away with a bag which is not their own.
Hi Gary.. nobody mentioned and you haven’t written about Delta Airlines ‘Digital ID’ at least in-use at LaQuardia so far. NBC Today’s Al Roker whizzed through security using the new system and was enamored about it. I believe I encountered a variation of it in a test at T4 at FJK. This is from a tiny company (as best I understand private until recently) called Pangiam, which is now part of BigBear.ai (BBAI on the NYSE). I’m not trying to promote the stock (though I did buy a bit); but note that its new President Kevin McLeenan (you may know him) was head of Customs & Border and for awhile Director of DHS. His goal appears to be a multilayered ‘facical rec. & biometric’ system that expedites getting through TSA security ‘and’ an algorithm that speeds baggage through x-ray too. I would think people would get excited about this and mitigate the boondoggle you’re referring too. If you do follow-up on leaning where this stands in-terms of Delta or others embracing it ‘fully’, please let us know. I understand its first pilot program was AMS (Shiphol/Amsterdam) and that Cairo Airport (yes Egypt) contracted with BigBear to build-out their entire new ‘smart concourse’. So could you update us on Ai as relates to speeding processing at airports? thanks!
My passport renewal was delayed so GE expired and my wife’s got extended. My wife got the carry-on bag with the electronics and liquids and went thru PreCheck and I went through the commoner line with no bag just taking off the belt suspenders and shoes.
Worked fine I didn’t have to pull everything out of the bag or forget something that sent it to inspection.
My kids get it through me. My wife cant be bothered to go to CVS or Staples for a 10 minute process. So i take her bag and the kids and meet her on the other side. It never occurred to me to do otherwise.
I had a great experience when my contract gave me international Business Class but the Corporate guy that I “reported to” didn’t get that benefit. I went through FC expedited check-in and security but told him I would meet him in the lounge. Turns out he could not get in there either.
Until my wife finally got PreCheck, our strategy was to split up BEFORE security. I’d drop her off at the terminal, then go and park or drop off the rental car, then catch up with her past security. Most of the time, it took her as long to go through regular security as it took me to drive to the remote parking, park, ride the shuttle back to the airport, and go through PreCheck.
It always worked at DEN. It was inconsistent when dealing with rental cars at different airports.
Since I have artificial knees I would always go through pre-check regardless of my flying companions pre-check status. Fortunately, my wife also has GE.