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I did not apply for TSA precheck status, however, I noticed that my boarding pass authorizes me for the precheck line. This has consistent for the past 10 months, but I have only been flying on Jetblue during this time. I'd like to think that I am a precheck passenger and that the decision to assign my boarding pass is done by TSA.

Should I expect to be precheck when not flying JetBlue: Delta \ KLM etc?

gatorback
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  • How old are you? My 74 year old mother regularly gets precheck without having applied. She also has been flying between the same two airports almost exclusively for the past 5 years or more. – mkennedy Jul 03 '16 at 04:51

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Besides members of Trusted Traveler programs (such as Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI), some people are permitted to use the TSA Pre-check lanes as part of other TSA programs, such as managed inclusion. For more information, see: https://skift.com/2016/02/16/tsa-precheck-lanes-wont-be-members-only-for-a-long-time-still/

Also, only certain airlines participate in the TSA Pre-check program, so when you are not traveling on these airlines, you will not be eligible for Pre-check, regardless whether you are registered or not. As of July 2, 2016, the airlines participating in TSA Pre-check are:

  • Aeromexico
  • Air Canada
  • Alaska Airlines
  • Allegiant Airlines
  • American Airlines
  • Cape Air
  • Delta Air Lines
  • Etihad Airways
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • JetBlue Airways
  • Seaborne Airlines
  • Southwest Airlines
  • Sun Country
  • United Airlines
  • Virgin America
  • WestJet

If you are not a member of a Trusted Traveler program, then you likely will not be granted access to Pre-check on other airlines, particularly if you do not input your Known Traveler Number "KTN" into the other airlines' systems. TSA advises "Please check when booking that your KTN has populated the appropriate fields in order to qualify for expedited screening."

Source: https://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck

arboc7
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    I'm not signed up to pre-check, nor is any of my family. We all received pre-check BPs on AA yesterday. I believe the OP is asking about the likelihood of getting pre-check if not signed up given his previous history – Berwyn Jul 03 '16 at 01:34
  • Berywyn has the right idea: one would think that if you are precheck, then that designation applies no matter what airline you fly with. I did not enroll in the precheck program, nor the Trusted Traveler program. Given that I have the precheck merit-badge, the website and thread discussion indicates I have a KTN number. I wonder how I can find my KTN: maybe ask Jetblue? – gatorback Jul 03 '16 at 02:21
  • Unsuccessful query to find KTN: https://www.tsa.gov/frequently-asked-questions/i-forgot-my-ktn-how-do-i-find-it – gatorback Jul 03 '16 at 02:30
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    @gatorback - I expect you have gotten lucky as part of one of TSA's other programs (like managed inclusion). Do you happen to be a US DOD Employee or member of the US Armed Forces? I have heard of some cases where those ID numbers serve as a Known Traveler Number. – arboc7 Jul 03 '16 at 04:05
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    @gatorback in some cases, people are selected to receive PreCheck designations on their boarding passes despite not having enrolled in PreCheck. This is not the same as managed inclusion, in which people are removed from the normal security line and directed to the PreCheck line -- after the boarding pass has been printed, obviously. These non-enrolled boarding pass designations seem to be given to travelers who fly frequently with a given airline. Such travelers probably have no KTN since they aren't enrolled participants in PreCheck. – phoog Jul 03 '16 at 05:15
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    @arboc7 managed inclusion is when they pull you out of the normal line and tell you to use the PreCheck line. That's not the case here, since gatorback had PreCheck printed on the boarding pass. That is more likely to have been a result of Secure Flight. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2015/10/29/no-more-cutting-the-line-at-tsa-screening/. – phoog Jul 03 '16 at 05:57
  • I had enrolled in CLEAR 10 years ago and was performing DoD work that required a background check. If these are inputs affecting precheck, it took a very long time to kick-in. – gatorback Jul 03 '16 at 13:38
  • Without any application, I have gotten pre-check on several occasions. For some odd reason, flying SFO-IAD about twice or thrice a year, I get it most the time at SFO, and only once at IAD when I was a Silver Frequent Flyer. – Andrew Lazarus Jul 04 '16 at 01:57