With vaccines available, and lots more available testing, it looks like you'll be able to get back on some airplanes and go somewhere this year. And if so, now is a good time to consider whether you want to buy into a system that lets you bypass or at least speed up some airport lines.
"Clear" entry screening
When you start an air trip, the first long line you're likely to encounter is the chokepoint at the entry to a TSA screening area. Here, a "gatekeeper" takes a look at your ID and boarding pass and directs you to one of several (except at very small airports) actual screening lines. These gatekeeper lines can back up for what seems like several city blocks at peak times — the ones that soak up your time. Once you get past the gatekeeper, the screening moves along pretty well.
"Clear" membership allows you to bypass those gatekeeper lines at 36 large U.S. airports. Instead of the regular line, Clear users enter a separate line that typically is very short. Once screened by a Clear agent, users go directly to a TSA screening line, without passing the gatekeeper at all. A side benefit is that Clear also operates screening bypass lines at a few major sports and event venues such as ballparks and Madison Square Garden.
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Clear is a private operation. Enrollment requires providing extensive documentation; it costs $179 per year for one person, with add-ons for additional family members, but it frequently offers promotions. Currently, it's giving six months "free," although you probably won't be using it for much of that time.
TSA PreCheck
TSA's PreCheck system gives enrolled travelers access to screening lanes where they can leave shoes and belts on and keep laptops and liquids packed in a carry-on. It operates at more than 200 U.S. airports. The faster screening is an advantage, but a relatively small one. An even bigger advantage is separate, faster-moving dedicated PreCheck gatekeeper lines at some airports.
Enrollment is based on "trusted traveler" status, which requires a personal interview and submission of biometric data. Status automatically covers you for PreCheck. To start enrollment, create a profile at ttp.dhs.gov.
PreCheck operates through airlines: Once enrolled, you get a "trusted traveler" number, which you then register with any airline you fly, and entry is determined by a special notification on your boarding pass. Currently, more than 70 U.S. and international lines participate.
By itself, PreCheck costs $85 for five-year validity. But many travelers get it automatically when they enroll in Global Entry. Several premium credit cards credit enrollment costs back to your account.
Global Entry
Global Entry eases return to the U.S. from a foreign country. Instead of waiting in line to present your ID to an Immigration agent, answer questions, and have your passport stamped, you head for a kiosk, scan your passport and your handprint and get your picture taken, answer a few on-screen questions, and receive a printed slip that lets you bypass the agents' desks and head directly to baggage claim and exit. It can be a real time-saver, especially when your flight arrives just after a bunch of other flights and the entry lines snake around through the entry area. Global Entry is available at more than 70 U.S. airports plus a few international airports with U.S. pre-clearance.
Global Entry requires trusted traveler status and costs $100 for five years of validity. Don't confuse Global Entry with the similar-looking, no-charge entry kiosks at many U.S. airports. Those simply let you avoid filling out paper customs declarations and answering routine questions; you still have to line up for an agent.
Worth the cost?
PreCheck and Global Entry range from pleasant extravagances for infrequent travelers to near-necessities for frequent travelers. I've been in Global Entry and PreCheck since they started and I've found both to be invaluable. If you like the idea, get started on enrollment ASAP: COVID is slowing down almost all governmental processes. Clear membership poses a higher bar, useful mainly if you're a heavy user of the 36 airports where it operates.
Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Also, check out Ed's new rail travel website at www.rail-guru.com.
