Believe the hype, parents: enrolling in TSA PreCheck is worth it, even if you only travel by air once a year.
And you’ll get your chance again in March, when a TSA PreCheck temporary enrollment event returns to Willard Airport for one week only, March 27-31, 2023. (Editor’s note: as of 3/11 it appears that all appointments at Willard from 3/27-31 have been filled.)
What is TSA PreCheck? TSA PreCheck status allows travelers to go through designated security lines as a “known traveler,” which expedites the process.
One of the main benefits is that TSA PreCheck travelers do not have to remove shoes, approved liquids, laptops and other electronics, light outerwear or belts while going through security checkpoints.
A few years ago when Willard Airport announced that TSA PreCheck would be conducting interviews during a limited engagement, I was ecstatic. Before this opportunity, getting that elusive TSA PreCheck interview was difficult. It meant an extra trip to Chicago, Springfield, or Effingham (there’s not even an airport there!), difficult for any parent.
How does TSA PreCheck work? Essentially, it’s a background check. They take your information and fingerprints. If you “pass,” you get what is called a “Known Traveler Number,” and the airlines put that on your boarding pass.
To participate in the enrollment event, you will need to start an application for new enrollment using the online form. Starting the application will allow you to reserve an appointment time for an in-person interview at Willard Airport, and don’t delay; appointments will go quickly. When I had my “interview,” I was in and out of the airport in less than 15 minutes (and no, you don’t have to pay for parking for a visit that short).
If you don’t fly a lot, but plan to travel with (or without) your children even once a year, it could be worth your while to enroll in PreCheck. TSA PreCheck program benefits only qualify during domestic travel.
NOTE: If you travel internationally, consider applying for Global Entry; that isn’t available through this event and has its own enrollment process.
Here are three reasons WHY parents should enroll in TSA PreCheck:
1) Family members ages 12 and under traveling with an eligible parent or guardian with a TSA PreCheck indicator on their boarding pass are also given PreCheck status. There is no limit on the number of kids you can bring with you, believe me I checked. (Kids of any age can apply for their own individual PreCheck benefits. If your child flies as an unaccompanied minor or with other family members, that is a reason to apply for them individually if under 13.)
2) It’s cost efficient. If you can afford air travel these days, you can afford PreCheck. PreCheck application fee is $78; the status is good for five years. If one adult travels with two children on one flight a year; the cost is less than $6 per person. This alone can be a reason to go through the process.
and perhaps the most important reason:
3) While getting through security at Willard can be a breeze (benefits of a small airport), security lines at busy airports such as Orlando, Atlanta, and Phoenix can be onerous and time-consuming. With TSA PreCheck status, parents can concentrate on getting their family through security successfully — and without major incident.
It has always amazed me what TSA expects parents to deal with in crowded security lines, while still being PARENTS. Let’s see — we have to take off shoes, pull out baby food, remove laptops, liquids, etc. — all while keeping track of the kids (who have to be out of strollers at that point, of course). I don’t recall having 16 hands, only two. PreCheck actually empowers safety and security of families — and can save your sanity, to boot.
For more information on TSA PreCheck and the application process, visit the TSA PreCheck FAQ.