Are they doing this at random for fliers based on something, chance, profiling - or what? Flew last weekend JetBlue BOS-DCA and TSA PreCheck was printed on my boarding pass in both directions. I thought this was something one had to apply for, get fingerprinted, etc. Since I didn't do that, am I correct in assuming there is some formula and randomness for designating fliers as such? Figures, the one time I wore easy to remove shoes I did not have to.

TSA, in a marketing attempt to get people to sign up for paid PreCheck, allows random people to use the PreCheck lane.Once they reach their "quota" they will stop giving it away for free. It isn't to keep the line moving.

Their idea is that if you try it, you'll like it enough to pay for it.

Actually Gail, I think it <u>does</u> depend on your shoes:

Wearing slip-ons I was selected for the random PreCheck lane.
Coming back with lace-up shoes, I was not.

You don't need to apply for it. Your airline will nominate you for it, and you may get it on some flights, but no guarantee all. My parents who are UA Gold haven't done anything, but haven't missed a TSA Pre-Check for many months on many flights.

Pre-check is not something you pay for. Unlike Global Entry.

And I have also seen a TSA agent randomly put people, myself included, into Pre-Check lines when those lines are not long. They use a tablet with a randomizer. Press a button and it decides whether you go in regular or pre-check line.

There is an application fee for PreCheck - $85.

http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/application-program

It does NOT depend on shoes.

The TSA guy put me in the "you are special" line at Logan, handing me a wrinkled piece of paper indicating what I did and did not have to do.

But flying from DCA to BOS, when I printed my boarding pass the night prior to flight, it already had TSA PreCheck printed on the top. If it matters, I was flying JetBlue and have flown 4 roundtrips so far in 2014 - not a huge number.

Does it matter that when I was printing my boarding pass I was barefoot?

Yes Gail, I believe footwear or lack thereof, is the determining factor.

Barefoot at home, printing away, ever wonder why TSA and NSA are only one letter off?

Pfui.

Age. Destination. Number of flights. Online checkin?

We fly JetBlue a lot and got it free. We hardly ever fly United any more but had it on our round trip RIC-OKC recently. I wore tied shoes both times because I am old.

I just printed out boarding passes for tomorrow --United from Santa Fe to Philadelphia and was surprised they come up clearly marked "TSA Pre" with a check mark. Of course at that tiny airport at 7AM I don't suppose it really means much.

Just cleared security in DEN - red light lit up when boarding pass of lady in front of me was scanned. She was perplexed, as was I, as she lost her place in line just to be sent to another one. Huh.

I've had it for free at SJC. It seemed like the lines were long, and the pre-check line wasn't much faster than the regular one.

I got it outbound from Boston on Tuesday but not on my return flight Friday. So who knows? It sure was nice leaving my shoes on and my computer in my knapsack. Made security feel like nothing.

TSA pre-check was a lifesaver for me last week at JFK. I've been through JFK a few times and I have never seen lines like that.

Now that I have a life-threatening allergy to the blue gloves the TSA people keep on all the time (gross), I require special security handling.

It means it takes them twice as long, and I have to explain it repeatedly, even when I call them ahead of time, and try to arrange it all in advance. Good luck trying to stop them from touching all your stuff with those stupid gloves. They are such morons.

Not sure when I'm going to travel again. The flights to/from SA really stressed me out.

I have been TSA approved on several flights and I did not pay nor apply. A gate attendant told my friend that once TSA approved you will always have it on boarding pass but that has not been the case with me. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't. Even when my DH and I fly together and he makes reservations we both may not get it....

have not idea how it works but I sure like it when it does work

I had a TSA PreCheck on my flight from LAX to DC back in December without applying for it. I was curious why that happened, so I did a search and found what DebitNM said in the first response on this thread.
http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/like...g-tsa-precheck

Have been on two recent flights and was surprised to have TSA precheck printed on the boarding passes: SJC to Miami and LAX to SFO. Didn't make much difference at SJC, but there was no line at LAX for precheck and a looong regular line. YMMV.

I'm not sure footwear has anything to do with it. It's always printed on our boarding passes which we get at the kiosk at the airport. We've had it several times and have been told that our profiles (age, flying history, etc.) indicate we are low risk and can go pre-check.

BTW, if you're 75 or older, you don't have to take off your shoes.