TSA PreCheck Saves You Less Time Than You Might Think
For many seasoned travelers, TSA PreCheck has long been viewed as a fast pass through airport security—a way to skip the long lines and keep their shoes on while doing so. However, as the program grows in popularity, the PreCheck lines can sometimes be nearly as long as the regular ones. How much time does a TSA PreCheck membership actually save you at the airport?
To find out, UpgradedPoints surveyed over 1,500 travelers (PreCheck members and non-members) about their airport security experiences. The results? On average, PreCheck members arrive at the airport just six minutes later than non-members, typically arriving 1 hour and 41 minutes before their domestic flight. Once in line, they estimate it takes them36 minutesto clear security, compared to 43 minutesfor non-members—a modestseven-minutetime savings.
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PreCheck Members Are Less Stressed
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PreCheck Even Changes What People Wear
Of course, there are plenty of additional benefits to a PreCheck membership beyond time savings. In the survey, travelers with PreCheck reported significantly lower stress levels at the airport. On a scale of 1 to 10, PreCheck members rated their security stress at just 3.3, compared to 7.3 among those without it. Non-members estimated their stress would drop to 3.5 if they had PreCheck—pretty spot-on, considering actual member ratings.
The ability to keep your shoes, light jackets, and belts on may seem like a small perk, but for many TSA PreCheck members, it makes a noticeable difference. In fact, more than a quarter of those surveyed said they actuallychoose different outfitswhen flying with PreCheck — simply because they don’t have to worry about removing those items at security.