TSA PreCheck is an awesome program by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is essential for anyone who travels frequently in the United States. With this, eligible travelers can get access to special security lanes at US airports, where they don’t have to take off their shoes, remove liquids from their bags, etc.
Have you ever wondered how many people have access to this? Well, the TSA has just shared some interesting updates regarding this, so I figured it would be fun to take a look at this…
In this post:
TSA PreCheck surpasses 20 million members
The TSA PreCheck Trusted Traveler program has just surpassed 20 million active members. The program was launched in December 2013, so it’s just over a decade old.
Perhaps what’s most impressive is the pace at which the program is growing. In May 2023, TSA PreCheck had 15 million active members, so that means that five million more people have enrolled in just over a year, which is quite the growth rate, especially for a program that’s already mature.
I guess it fits into the overall growth we’ve seen in premium leisure demand, and people wanting to improve their travel experience. TSA PreCheck costs just $78 for a five-year membership, so it’s reasonably priced. Best of all, there are many credit cards that cover the fee.
In the past, the TSA was the butt of many jokes, though I have to give the agency credit for how it has improved over the years, especially under current TSA Administrator David Pekoske.
For all the travel meltdown horror stories we’ve seen, they’ve rarely involved the TSA, which has been consistent with efficiently processing passengers. That’s especially true with TSA PreCheck. It’s also a program that has scaled very nicely, as PreCheck continues to be efficient at most airports, even as membership numbers have greatly increased.
Over 40 million people have access to TSA PreCheck
While TSA PreCheck has 20 million members, it’s worth emphasizing that this isn’t the extent of those who have access to these lanes. TSA PreCheck is part of the overall Trusted Traveler program, and the 20 million number is specifically those enrolled in TSA PreCheck, who have a membership in that.
However, there are other Trusted Traveler programs, like Global Entry, which come with a Known Traveller Number (KTN), giving you access to TSA PreCheck. When you combine all those programs, over 40 million travelers have access to TSA PreCheck, so that’s quite a large number.
If you travel internationally, Global Entry is a better value than TSA PreCheck. You pay $100 for a five year membership, and that gets you expedited immigration at US airports, plus TSA PreCheck.
CLEAR has a surprising number of members as well
While we’re on the topic of airport security, I figured I’d also briefly talk about CLEAR’s membership numbers, which are perhaps the most surprising. For those not familiar, CLEAR is a private biometrics company that can help expedite you through airport security, by (sometimes) letting you skip the ID check by providing your biometrics data.
CLEAR claims to have over 22 million members, which would mean that CLEAR has more direct members than TSA PreCheck (though just over half the members of all Trusted Traveler programs). Now, CLEAR doesn’t state that these are active members, so I’m not sure if this just represents the number of people who have registered at some point, or what.
That number is way higher than I would have expected, even factoring in that some Amex cards cover the enrollment fee.
Regardless, my feelings on CLEAR are no secret. While TSA PreCheck has scaled phenomenally well, CLEAR is a waste of airport real estate, as far as I’m concerned, and I look forward to the day when the TSA having full biometric data will make this concept completely unnecessary. CLEAR was great when few people had it, but at this point I find that it’s more a nuisance than anything else.
And let me clear about CLEAR — I have a membership through an Amex card, but I typically just don’t use it, since I often find TSA PreCheck lines to be shorter. But the existence of CLEAR makes the PreCheck process longer, since you’re constantly cut by people slowly making their way through the CLEAR process.
Bottom line
TSA PreCheck has passed an impressive membership milestone. The program now has 20 million active members. When you add that to the other Trusted Traveller programs, more than 40 million travelers have access to these lanes. That’s quite a big number.
Huge credit to the TSA for how well managed PreCheck is, as it’s something that has continued to prove valuable even as the program has grown.
What do you make of the TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and CLEAR, enrollment numbers?
You didn’t mention Clear+Precheck lanes, which are the best and what we always head for.
Yesterday I was at the airport.
Didn't need to take anything out of my bag....not the computer, etc.
Yes, I did have to take my shoes off.
The TSA line was LONGER than the regular security line I went thru.
Seems the benefits of pre check may be diminished as a result of a larger base of customers.
I'm lucky in that my home airport is easy for non-pre-check and fantastic for us pre-check folks. I honestly just went to the Clear site and found out they are in my airport. So, obviously, Clear isn't an issue for my outbound flights. I'd love to see the queue jumping banned, though.
One thing about CLEAR is that non-US citizens can have it. When I flew 2x weekly, I worked with a few Indian nationals. They couldn't get any of the Trusted Traveler programs, but they could get CLEAR to at least cut the normal line.
The reason CLEAR claims to have 22 million members is that many people have free accounts to access expedited lanes at sporting and entertainment venues. They also do some non-airport identity verification for example for LinkedIn.
"I look forward to the day when the TSA having full biometric data will make this concept completely unnecessary."
Sounds like a very sad and dystopian future to me.
If you live near the Canadian border, get a NEXUS card. It is less expensive and gives you both TSA Precheck and Global Entry. And fast passage across US/Canadian border crossings. Quite a deal.
A Global Entry/PreCheck member since 2016 here. I've calculated that if I fly at least 3 roundtrips a year, I'd get my money's worth for the cost (spoiler: the renewal in 2021 was paid for by a credit card perk). Glad that I enrolled into the system even though my "interview" took place at an airport on the other coast of the United States, at 7 a.m. (right after arriving there on a red-eye)!
Sometimes...
A Global Entry/PreCheck member since 2016 here. I've calculated that if I fly at least 3 roundtrips a year, I'd get my money's worth for the cost (spoiler: the renewal in 2021 was paid for by a credit card perk). Glad that I enrolled into the system even though my "interview" took place at an airport on the other coast of the United States, at 7 a.m. (right after arriving there on a red-eye)!
Sometimes the PreCheck lines at the airport seems longer than the plebeian queues, but I've learned that it's good to have options. Plus it's a bonus not having to remove shoes during the scan. I'm definitely renewing when my current period elapses.
CLEAR is definitely the opposite of Pre-Check in terms of how well it has scaled. Unless they figure out how to massively improve operations and the experience itself, they will (so ironically) be out-innovated by TSA with the facial scanning process which is much faster than clear all else equal.
A lucrative business by the government. That's a lot of money going to the government. And a lot of info the government knows about us through background checks.
CLEAR is indeed as you say a dubious benefit. Last time I went through JFK there was a significant line for members of CLEAR - but interestingly, there was no line for the many machines for CLEAR enrollment. Evidently CLEAR is more concerned to get new paying members than it is to offer service to existing members.
As you say, CLEAR is a temporarily useful service - until the authorities get their biometrics fully...
CLEAR is indeed as you say a dubious benefit. Last time I went through JFK there was a significant line for members of CLEAR - but interestingly, there was no line for the many machines for CLEAR enrollment. Evidently CLEAR is more concerned to get new paying members than it is to offer service to existing members.
As you say, CLEAR is a temporarily useful service - until the authorities get their biometrics fully operational. If boarding worked as well as arrivals does, with retina scanning Global Entry, CLEAR would be out of business.
On a recent trip out of SFO there was nobody in front of me at the G gates pre-check line. I still had to wait about 15 minutes though due to a constant flow of Clear, employees and crew jumping in front of me. Meanwhile the non-pre-check line has a wait of less than 5 minutes.
SFO is my home port, and it's worth having TSA PreCheck + Clear. I used to always just use TSA pre, and either the clear members would keep cutting, or crew. Having both makes it so much more efficient. The A Gates on the international side are the worst for precheck because its predominantly foreign airlines, and they merge pre/with non pre during screening and its always just a cluster fuck and clueless agents.
Don’t use CLEAR at the SFO INTL A Gates if you have PreCheck. You will skip the line, but the agent at the podium won’t give you a card telling the baggage scanner that you have PreCheck. So the guy at the baggage scanner will make you take your shoes off.
At times the Pre Check line can be longer than the normal line. Some airports like DFW, ORD, PHX, RDU handle the Pre Check volume very well. Others like MIA, DCA, ATL not so much. ATL is the worst.
The lines may be longer, but generally speaking, they also move faster, because you have very few Kettles in PreCheck, plus a lot of the extra steps (shoes, liquids, etc.) are skipped.
Exactly - even if the line is long, I'll still do it because it's worth not having the hassle of taking my computer out, shoes off, etc.
@George Romey, when, exactly, was the last time you flew through Atlanta? The regular security lines at ATL can easily take an hour and that's a good day. Regular pre-check can easily be 30 minutes. ATL has given clear a dedicated area. Precheck on the left, DL's digital ID in the middle and clear plus pre-check on the right. Clear plus precheck is ALWAYS faster than pre-check alone. But if you're flying DL and have...
@George Romey, when, exactly, was the last time you flew through Atlanta? The regular security lines at ATL can easily take an hour and that's a good day. Regular pre-check can easily be 30 minutes. ATL has given clear a dedicated area. Precheck on the left, DL's digital ID in the middle and clear plus pre-check on the right. Clear plus precheck is ALWAYS faster than pre-check alone. But if you're flying DL and have digital ID, that may be fastest. I always go center or right, never left. ATL is the entire reason I got clear and it's worth it. I'm there nearly every week. Most other places I tend to agree with Ben. At DCA, I'll eyeball the lines and pick. It's usually a toss-up.
PreCheck should be the default experience, not something travelers need to pay for and apply for.
We need a process that doesn’t require us to take anything out or put anything in our bags.
The liquids rule is retarded and should be scrapped.
The WTMD should be replaced with a more advanced scanner that detects guns, but allows other metal without alarming. This is what JSX uses and what the Met museum uses.
TSA shouldn’t...
PreCheck should be the default experience, not something travelers need to pay for and apply for.
We need a process that doesn’t require us to take anything out or put anything in our bags.
The liquids rule is retarded and should be scrapped.
The WTMD should be replaced with a more advanced scanner that detects guns, but allows other metal without alarming. This is what JSX uses and what the Met museum uses.
TSA shouldn’t be checking IDs. That’s not security screening. That’s revenue protection for airlines selling nontransferrable tickets.
Agreed wholeheartedly. I have no issues with a paid/airline loyalty elite/first/business priority line, but the screening experience should be the same. PreCheck is so easy to get that it's functionally useless in terms of security vetting. There is no added security to making people take out laptops and take off their shoes if they haven't had a background check, at the end of the day it's just rigmarole to make PreCheck look more attractive.
If...
Agreed wholeheartedly. I have no issues with a paid/airline loyalty elite/first/business priority line, but the screening experience should be the same. PreCheck is so easy to get that it's functionally useless in terms of security vetting. There is no added security to making people take out laptops and take off their shoes if they haven't had a background check, at the end of the day it's just rigmarole to make PreCheck look more attractive.
If nothing else though, at least it looks like they're moving towards relaxing liquid restrictions so I can finally bring my own sunscreen when I fly without a checked bag, so props to them for that at least.
@Dusty, just because YOU don't know people declined for precheck does not mean that they're not vetting. Trust me, you got vetted. It's just that the reality is that the vast majority of people are not a security risk, so the vast majority are approved. Also, those that have issues usually know they do and don't apply.
You can argue about the value of removing your shoes or taking off electronics... and I really can't...
@Dusty, just because YOU don't know people declined for precheck does not mean that they're not vetting. Trust me, you got vetted. It's just that the reality is that the vast majority of people are not a security risk, so the vast majority are approved. Also, those that have issues usually know they do and don't apply.
You can argue about the value of removing your shoes or taking off electronics... and I really can't defend the shoes thing... but regular security screening is, appropriately, more rigorous.
The TSA is not trying to make pre-check more attractive. By law, the government can't make money on services it provides and, in fact, they're losing money on processing your application.
@AD, they are literally just doing a background check and taking your fingerprints. If that comes up clean, nothing is getting sent off to the FBI or CIA for further scrutiny. Acting like a TSA agent can tell from a couple questions whether or not you're an extremist that just hasn't acted yet is laughable. PreCheck is just a normal criminal background check so that you don't have to remove your shoes or laptop. That's...
@AD, they are literally just doing a background check and taking your fingerprints. If that comes up clean, nothing is getting sent off to the FBI or CIA for further scrutiny. Acting like a TSA agent can tell from a couple questions whether or not you're an extremist that just hasn't acted yet is laughable. PreCheck is just a normal criminal background check so that you don't have to remove your shoes or laptop. That's all it is.
There is negligible added security benefit to not having to take out your laptop or remove your shoes. Scanners have been able to deal with that for over a decade now. At least the liquids restriction is somewhat reasonable, it's the most unlikely threat vector due to the volatility of liquid explosives but trying to screen every water bottle or tube of sunscreen would grind all the screening lines to a halt. So instead they just make it much more difficult to begin to smuggle a threatening amount in by limiting overall liquid amounts.
@Paul Weiss, the idea of checking IDs is that only ticketed passengers go beyond security. Now, you can argue about whether that increases security, since anyone can by a ticket. But that's the rule and if you don't check IDs, you can't enforce the rule. Also, you do know that they're checking terrorist watch lists and no fly lists against your ID. Since you don't have to provide ID info to book, unless you're flying...
@Paul Weiss, the idea of checking IDs is that only ticketed passengers go beyond security. Now, you can argue about whether that increases security, since anyone can by a ticket. But that's the rule and if you don't check IDs, you can't enforce the rule. Also, you do know that they're checking terrorist watch lists and no fly lists against your ID. Since you don't have to provide ID info to book, unless you're flying international that's the only opportunity to check.
And there actually IS a background check to get TSA Pre. That's why you get precheck as a bonus with a security clearance. They are actually reducing intrusiveness of the actual screening process and they do that by making sure that you, as an individual present less risk.
Australia lets anyone go through screening and enter domestic terminals, no ticket or zID required. I'm happy we don't. I'm not concerned about security, I just remember the annoyance of family members blocking a jetway exit to greet someone.
Sometimes, others can piggy back on you Pre-TSA status. Recently bought a pair of tickets using my Pre-TSA number. When boarding passes were printed, Pre-TSA was printed on both. However, my friend does not have a Pre-TSA number.
At the TSA check point, both of us went thru the Pre line. No issues, no need for him to remove shoes, etc.
Will see if our luck is still good on a up coming trip.
Children, as well as senior family members, but not adults can get TSA Pre through ticketbuyer.
It's seemed to me like that's no longer a thing. Maybe for minors? I had it happen pre-2020, but all the trips I took adult family and my fiance on in 2022-4, they only got PreCheck if they had signed up for it. Being on my reservation didn't get it for them.
Yes, minors. Not adult children.