Pre-Check Issues?

Hi All -

I just wanted to see if anyone else was having issues with Pre-Check. I got pre-check via Global Entry, and ever since it was announced, I've gotten the pre-check lane 100% of the time, till about 3 weeks ago, when suddenly it stopped working for me. I've been through TSA 8 times now, and all 8 times, it did not clear for me.

I know that its supposed to be "random" but honestly, 8 times in a row? There has to be something wrong. Today at ORD, I asked to speak to a TSA supervisor so I could ask him. The TSA supervisor said that the TSA does not make the selection, the Airline does. First of all, if this is true, pretty blown away by this, because I thought it was the TSA making the selection, not the airline, otherwise whats the point?

Second, I declined to go through regular security after I heard this, and went back to the checkin counter. the check in agent looked at my boarding pass and said "correct, you aren't cleared for this PNR, but hold on, I will clear you right now". She typed away, and then handed me a boarding pass, which DID let me get into the Pre-Check lane. Of course, I didn't think to question her about what EXACTLY she did to clear me, and how I can make sure I am cleared next time. the AAngels at the lounge and the EXP desk didnt seem to know how to fix it either, and couldnt help me.

Looking to see if anyone else here has experienced this, and any suggestions to get me back on the cleared list.

First I've heard of the airlines controlling who gets pre-check.

The same thing has happened to my wife, who has GE. I always put her GE# into her reservations. Since Pre-check started in SEA she got the Pre-check triple-beep 100% of the time until about 3 weeks ago, and since then she hasn't gotten it once. Meanwhile, I am still at 100% Pre-Check, and I DON'T have GE, and I did get Pre-Check several times when she did not. We mainly fly AS and UA.

I contacted AS about it and they told me that TSA has changed the matching that they do when you have a trusted travelers ID like the GE number. Apparently if it is not a 100% match you are denied Pre-Check. It's kind of nuts that I keep getting cleared and she doesn't. I think it's because her GE has her full middle name and her PNR only had her middle initial or something like that. Next time I'll try her full name.

It is absolutely 100% match or no match AFAIK. Mrs. jbc had to change her name for two airlines to begin getting matches. OTOH, I am bewildered by the OP's situation because i have not known of such a thing. It is true that if you're on an international PNR you cannot have Pre, although I have been told several times that a change in that policy is imminent; it is meant to be part of the TSA matching logic for Pre that is somehow incompatible with GE. That still offers no explanation for the OP's problem.

Like I said, AS told me that there was a change in the matching logic implemented 3-4 weeks ago which only affects people with trusted traveler numbers (GE, Nexus etc.)

You did, and it still seems quite odd unless the manfromkrypton experience involved the same exact name match situation we discussed. The oddity is what happened with AS specifically, if anything, because with AA and DL, the only two we've used, the exact name match was required for GE itself, and thus we never had an issue with Pre other than the international PNR one as I mentioned above.

How is there something specific to AS unless somehow they were not previously enforcing the exact match that DL and AA were already doing? Your experience seems to be so, but I thought TSA had always required 100% exact match for both as we were told at signup. Sorry for belaboring the point, but I am perplexed.

AS implied that the change occurred in TSA's logic for pre-Check, and I believe it would apply to all airlines

My impression is that perhaps they used to require match of First & Last name and birthday, and now they added a requirement that the middle name be presented identically. Perhaps that match is needed for trusted travelers if such an ID is known, and for other Pre-check eligible it only has to match the FF account?

In any event, I don't have a trusted traveler ID number, and I don't have a middle name, and I've gotten 100% Pre-check. So no change for me. My wife had a string of ~8 Pre-checks that worked and then all of a sudden it stopped for her. I checked her online profile and the default was to leave off her middle name, which is listed on her GE credential (a Nexus card). I've now added her middle name into her profile that's used when I purchase tickets, but I haven't purchase any tickets since then, nor has she flown any flights, so no way to tell yet whether that will change her experience.

Now the speculation improves. My early issue was allegedly caused by a middle initial vs middle name vs two initials. This was GE+Pre. AA and DL both. Problem ended when all changed to have all three full names.
Mrs jbc was similar except that she has four names and she was rejected because of the placement of the four as: 1) two first, one middle one surname 2) one first, one middle, two surnames and 3) one first two middle, one surname. This was exacerbated because SQ entered them one way, DL another, JJ another and AA ignored one of them. It took us months to get them all to follow the US passport convention. Even that remained a problem because Brazil and the US have different passport naming conventions. Both passports have the identical information, but ordered differently. Registering both passports with GE seems to have solved the problem as far as the US is concerned.

Given that res systems are mostly stupid about middle names, how's that going to work? (Glad I don't have one.)

Also, how about those of us who have hyphens, spaces, or apostrophes in our names?

spoke with an AA rep in Chicago who acknowledged that this is a problem but expressed frustration at not being able to fix the problem. apparently AA is point the finger at TSA and TSA is pointing the finger at AA.

There it is. It is also true at DL. Despite those issues, once you get them sorted they're sorted for good IME.

There have been other reports involving mis-matches specifically between the airline's Pre-Check info in the PNR and the Trusted Traveler program, usually involving middle names. Interestingly, other reports also specifically mention ORD, and the airline agents there seem to be aware of the issue and how to fix it.

So, as I understand it, the airline doesn't determine if you get selected for expedited screening (the TSA does), but they do determine if you are eligible and if the info matches exactly. Also, there have been reports that check-in agents can see not only if you're eligible, but also if the TSA has selected you for expedited screening.

Prior to solving the issues for Mrs jbc and myself we had problems at ORD, JFK and MIA. Bizarrely we had a near denied boarding issue at SIN over the same issue. Eventually we did get on board at SIN. All those problems were about name matches. The SIN one was from SQ who places my spouses name in her PNR (actually on US stock IIRC) with a compound last name, even though the original PNR had one first, two middle and a last. That was strange because SQ is accustomed to many odd name combinations.

AA got back to me today - problem fixed - in my case it was the middle name mismatch problem

ChicagoEric -- I'm having the exact same problem out of ORD. How do I go about contacting someone at
AA to have it fixed?

You can make the change online. All you need to do is change your AA name to EXACTLY the name that shows for GE/Pre and your passport. No abbreviations, punctuation or any other differences between those names. It must be identical. AA will just help you do that if it creates an issue that you cannot do yourself.

Ok, I'll try that. This morning at the ticket counter at ORD I asked the agent if she could look at my PNR and tell me if there was some issue that was preventing my Pre-check from working. She asked another agent about the code for Pre-check. That agent and another all circled around the computer and one of the three repeatedly told me that since I was Gold I couldn't participate in Pre-check. She tried to explain that it was only for Platinum and Executive Platinum members. I told her I had Global Entry which made me eligible for Pre-check and she insisted that wasn't true. Another of the three finally stepped in and told her that with Global Entry membership Elite status isn't necessary for Pre-check. While this is all taking place the first agent is diligently typing away at the computer trying to make Pre-check work for me. Frustrated, she looks up and says "I put it in the queue three times and it is not coming back Pre-check." I thanked her for trying and walked over to the Priority Access line.

I have to give the ladies credit for trying to be helpful, but I felt like I spent five minutes with Larry, Moe and Curly. I'll trying updating my information online and have another go at it in DFW on Friday.

Odd, I had a similar experience, but at JFK when the agent insisted there was no such thing as pre nor Global Entry. I left the queue and returned whereupon the new agent was very helpful and knew what she was doing. In their defense, their jobs have been becoming far more complex. The EXP desk was the one that finally explained the facts of life for me, including the multiple databases major airlines, including AA maintain that are not necessarily fully synched.

I spoke to someone at the AAdvantage desk, they said to fill out the name EXACTLY as it is on the passport or NEXUS card, down to the middle name.

If there is a discrepancy between passport and GE/Nexus use GE/Nexus, but correct the discrepancy ASAP because Nexus/GE will fail if they're not identical.

I used the CK reps but would think you could go through anyone in premium services. As others have indicated, most common problem is apparently middle name so I would check that first.

Helpful info here. Pre-check has been working for me, but not my wife and kids, who got it through GE.

I'm adding in their middle names, and hopefully they'll get it next time we fly (long time from now, though).

Very interesting information. I do wonder if there is a name mismatch for me. The last 5 times or so that I've flown I have not gotten precheck... it's quite disconcerting. But then again, I don't have a global entry account so you'd think there shouldn't be a mismatch?

So it was the middle names for my family. Since I added them, we've all usually gotten it.

And for me, pulling my middle name out made the difference. Gotta love the efficiency of the US Government!