You can almost predict that somebody holding Precheck clearance is going to pull a terrorist act on board an airplane, can’t you?
Before going to the boarding gate for a recent flight home, a paperback set of books by C.S. Lewis which I was carrying got pulled out for an explosives test. I kid you not.
“Now, keeping one’s shoes on at the airport is good for everyone; this reporter has never seen a TSA agent clean the floor that thousands of bare feet walk across. “
Besides transmitting foot fungus and other viruses (MRSA), having people walk shoeless through the portal can also be a way to distribute, say, anthrax and other bio-weapons.
This has been a point of discussion for over a decade but nothing is done to address a) basic sanitation of the portal, and b) defending against a terrorist that put anthrax spores in his shoes, get those spores on his feet, takes off his shoes to walk shoeless through the portal thereby leaving a trail of spores behind so travelers pick up the spores. . .
Every time I fly I get on the plane with a glass bottle of Starbucks frappuchino that I buy in the airport.
FYI, you can effectively apply for PreCheck now.
Enroll in Global Entry. It is $100 for 5 years.
In practice, it appears that being enrolled in Global Entry actually makes it more likely you will be cleared for PreCheck when you board your flight. Frequent flyers invited by the airlines still have to go through the regular security line about 40% of the time.
With Global Entry, you also can avoid the US Customs line when rendering the US. You instead use an ATM-like kiosk.
For Global Entry, you must be a US citizen and have a clean criminal record.
$85 for Precheck?
It kind of sounds like, “Traffic tickets are for safety!”
bkmk
Thank you for posting your entire blog, unlike some other posters here.