If you have TSA PreCheck (and apparently, 20 million of us do now), you know how wonderful it is. (Except for this lady. Her reasoning for not wanting it is 100% legit.) It’s both a convenience (well, save for the aforementioned lady) and a time saver.
However, just like commercial U.S. airports aren’t open 24/7 (here’s why), neither is TSA PreCheck. In fact, depending on the airport, the hours for PreCheck are generally even less than those of the airport as a whole. And some airports still don’t even OFFER TSA PreCheck.
What to do if PreCheck isn’t open
So what happens if you arrive at your airport and have PreCheck status, but the TSA PreCheck lanes aren’t open? Do you say, “Oh, well” and go into the “regular” line, with your shoes off, bag o’ liquids extracted and all?
Nope.
Even if the PreCheck lane isn’t open yet (or has closed for the day), your boarding pass will still show that you have TSA PreCheck status.
When you get to the “regular” lane, show the PreCheck indicator on your boarding pass to a TSA officer; they should be able to arrange for you to have expedited screening, even if the PreCheck lane is closed.
What to do if there is no PreCheck lane
TSA PreCheck is currently available at more than 200 airports across the country. However, many commercial airports don’t offer TSA PreCheck (usually because they’re very small and it’s not financially feasible to offer PreCheck lanes in them).
Even if the airport in question doesn’t offer PreCheck, if you have PreCheck status the TSA’s still got your back. From TSA’s FAQ:
What happens when there isn’t a dedicated TSA PreCheck® lane?
TSA PreCheck® screening may still be an option through the standard screening lane when dedicated TSA PreCheck® screening lanes are not available. If a TSA PreCheck® lane is not available, please show your TSA PreCheck® boarding pass and you may be able to keep 3-1-1 liquids and laptops in your bag, and shoes and light jackets on while accessing the standard screening lane. Eligible passengers should check with the TSA officer on duty.
Either way, expedited service is still possible when/where TSA PreCheck isn’t available; you just have to show the TSA officer that PreCheck is on your boarding pass, and they may be able to help you.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
6 comments
You must not travel much. When TSA line is closed, IRL no one will expedite you.
I travel enough, TYVM. Granted, not very much when TSA isn’t open or is non-existant. That being said, I never said anything about my own experiences…this is what the TSA says. If they’re not following through, take it up with them.
Oh, got it – so it’s a paid promotional post!
Not at all; we don’t do paid promotions at YMMV. Ever. In 7.5 years, we’ve done a total of 2 reviews that manufacturers asked us to do; in exchange, we got to keep said items. One was a Bento bag; I forget what the other one was; it was before Covid. Anyway, you saw the links I included – this is what they say they do. If they’re not, let them know.
Obviously you haven’t because they have never helped me go quicker and the on time I almost missed my flight they told me to go into the back of the line
According to their website (you saw I included the links), they say they “may” do it. I guess that means they also “may” not. Either way, let them know, if it’s that big of a deal to you. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯