three tips to speed your way through the airport

SFO International Terminal, photo from Wikicommons

A friend was asking the difference between the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs, so I thought I'd share my answer among a wider audience. As you are well aware, getting through airport security is a sometimes quite time-consuming endeavor. Moreover, travelers returning to the US from international destinations can find themselves in distressingly long immigration lines. Fortunately, there are ways to alleviate some of the stress of waiting in queue.

Good: TSA Pre✓ — If you only fly domestically, this is the easiest and most economical way to speed your way through security. Once you're approved for TSA Pre✓ (a 2-3 week process), you'll be issued a Trusted Traveler number. Be sure to enter this number into each of your frequent flyer (FF) accounts. Whenever you book a flight using your frequent flyer account, your Trusted Traveler number should automatically be added to your reservation. (If you don't have any FF accounts, you can directly enter your Trusted Traveler number into the reservation.) The cost of TSA Pre✓ is $85 for a 5-year membership.

Better: Global Entry — If you travel internationally, apply for Global Entry instead. This service costs $100 for a 5-year membership and includes TSA Pre✓.  A mere $15 more ($3 a year) scores you the benefit of a much shorter wait at US immigration. Global Entry members use special kiosks, bypassing the long lines. An additional benefit — a separate, much shorter line to clear customs.

Applying for Global Entry is more involved. You'll have to apply online and be interviewed in person. The wait for interview appointments at some airports can be extremely long, but once you apply and receive your preliminary approval, you can have that interview upon your first return from an international trip. The immigration agent will perform the interview.

assorted TIPS

a) Many premium credit cards will refund your membership fee, once every 5 years.

b) If you don't see "TSA Pre✓" printed on your boarding pass, call the airline. Make sure your Trusted Traveler number is in the reservation. They'll add it and reissue the boarding pass.

c) When using the TSA Pre✓ line, keep your shoes on. Keep your toiletries, your computer, and your other electronics in your bag. Just put your bags on the conveyer, keep your shoes on, and walk on through the magnetometer. I love not having to remove my shoes; it adds a certain dignity to the experience.

Best: Global Entry + CLEAR — Before you can even enter the security line, your ID has to be checked. Sometimes ID checkpoints have excruciatingly long lines. CLEAR kiosks are found at 24 busy airports (with some notable omissions), and CLEAR can save some serious time. A CLEAR kiosk will identify you by your fingerprints or iris, and a CLEAR agent will then escort you to the very front of the line of passengers waiting for security.

Tip: before applying for CLEAR, get a free Delta SkyMiles account. There is a special CLEAR discount for SkyMiles members, $99 per year vs. $179 per year.

Personal Testimonial: There were humongous lines at SFO's terminal 2 for a recent Alaska flight I took to Baltimore, both before and after the ID checkpoint, but with CLEAR and Global Entry/TSA Pre✓, I was literally past all of those lines in about a minute.

Bottom line: Spending money can get you front-of-the-line service. Are you worth it? You betcha!

copyright (c) 2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.