You'll be able to use TSA PreCheck – the shorter security lanes allowing you to leave your belt and shoes on and keep electronics and liquids in your bag – flying with even more airlines, including a few notable carriers flying across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Tuesday it had added four more international carriers to the roster of airlines that participate in TSA PreCheck. That includes:
- Norse Atlantic is a notable European budget carrier offering cheap transatlantic flights to destinations like Oslo (OSL), Berlin (BER), London (LGW), and Rome (FCO) from several U.S. cities.
- Starlux, a relatively new luxury airline based in Taiwan, recently launched nonstop flights between the U.S. and its hub in Taipei (TPE) and onward to other destinations throughout Asia. The airline currently flies from Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), with plans to begin service to and from Seattle (SEA) soon.
- Fiji Airways is a well-regarded airline that flies nonstop between the U.S. and Fiji … but also offers a fun stopover program for travelers looking to visit Fiji on their way to Australia and New Zealand.
- Ultra-low-cost Canadian carrier Lynx Air connects many major cities in Canada with a handful of popular warm-weather destinations in the U.S. including Los Angeles (LAX), Phoenix (PHX), Las Vegas (LAS), and Tampa (TPA).
Travelers booked with these airlines need only add their Known Traveler Number (KTN) to their reservations to get into PreCheck lines before a flight.
That's the hitch with PreCheck: Just because you're signed up doesn't mean you'll always get into the PreCheck lane at the airport – your airline has to participate in the program.
Fortunately, the list of PreCheck-approved airlines has grown to 94 and counting, including all the major (and many minor) domestic airlines as well as most big foreign carriers. A few notable airlines that don't yet participate in PreCheck include Ireland's Aer Lingus, Spanish flag carrier Iberia, European budget carrier PLAY Airlines, EgyptAir, and major Chinese airlines China Eastern and China Southern.
Read next: Why TSA PreCheck Isn't Showing Up on Your Boarding Pass
Your first time using PreCheck, you’ll wonder why you didn’t join the program sooner.
It means you can hop in the TSA PreCheck lanes, which means lines are generally much shorter than the standard screening lines. And once you're in it, there's no need to remove your coat, shoes, or belt, nor do you need to remove electronics or liquids from your bag. That means the line often moves much faster, too.
It's gotten even cheaper and easier to sign up for PreCheck, too.
Late last year, the federal government has lowered the price to just $78 for a five-year membership while also allowing teens to accompany their parents or guardians in the PreCheck lanes. Better yet, a growing number of travel credit cards will cover the entire cost of either TSA PreCheck (or Global Entry).
Normally, the PreCheck enrollment process includes an online application and then scheduling an in-person interview nearby. But the federal government and its partners have also been running pop-up enrollment sites to join while you're traveling, including in Denver (DEN) as well as a station our team recently spotted in Portland (PDX).
Bottom Line
The ranks of airlines that participate in TSA PreCheck continue to grow.
Four more additions this week – Norse Atlantic, Starlux, Fiji Airways, and Lynx Air – bring the list to 94 airlines and counting. That's the key to getting a PreCheck symbol on your boarding pass and getting a smoother trip through airport security.
We saw a Global Entry interview site on our return to Austin (AUS) recently. Had we known about it …
However once we had our bags it was walk up to one of the unused stations and chatted for all of thirty seconds before we got the traditional “welcome home”
Will Chase still refund a global entry card that was approved?
As long as it is a Chase card that provides that benefit like the Sapphire Reserve.