If you were to judge in the TSA’s committed PreCheck webpage, the expedited service is a hands-down success. According to the website:
- 97% of PreCheck travelers waited less than five minutes from February
- Greater than 4 million travelers are registered at PreCheck
- PreCheck is available by 30 airlines, at more than 180 airports
All’s well in the airport security-screening world, apparently.
But a recently released report by OAG, Traveling Tech Landscape Intensifies, calls to question the rosy picture of the TSA.
In a poll of nearly 2,500 users of OAG’s cell travel program (suggesting they’re very active travelers), clearing airport security checkpoints was identified as a special “pain” A full 45 percent of respondents that were PreCheck-enrolled complained that PreCheck lines had become too cramped and that the service lost its value. The dissatisfaction rate was even higher with 57% reporting frustration with the service, among business travelers.
The Department of Homeland Security has set a aim of registering 25 million in the Global and PreCheck Entry trusted traveler programs. That is ambitious below the best of situation. Together with the low levels of satisfaction uncovered in the OAG poll amounts are not just a stretch, they’re a pipe dream.
Which may be all to the good. There are too many reputable travelers from the expedited clearance lines. Adding to their numbers, without a substantial increase in TSA staffing (unlikely), would just make matters worse.
Reader Reality Check
Is it worth $85 for five years of PreCheck