www.CostaRicaTicas.com

So I traveled with Southwest in June, and I thought I must have neglected to enter my Global Entry info because I had to go through the usual shoes off routine. I wasn't happy. I spent a hundred bucks for that damn pass so I wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense anymore. So I called Southwest to make sure they would add it for my return flight. I was told I was all set and it shouldn't be a problem coming back. Of course they didn't really add it, and I had to go through the same crap but even more so on the way home.

After taking the shoes off again and getting through the screening process, I was randomly flagged at the gate in SJO, along with two other guys, to have my bags and person searched. One of the other two guys remarked that it was me, a white guy, a black guy, and a Latino who were randomly picked...there's a bar joke in there somewhere. Anyway, it's actually nice the way they do it at the gate: they call your name then warn you that you will need to wait in a special line when they start boarding. I say it nice the way they do it because if you are stupid enough to try to smuggle something, you have ample time to get rid of it if you need to (I didn't, I'm just saying). Then they had a lady do the honors of inspecting our bags and giving us a pat down for contraband.

In the U.S. at BWI I was once again randomly pulled aside. This was after reentering the U.S.; they made us leave the secured area then reenter airport security again which makes no sense at all. In the U.S. They give you no warning, you are just pulled out of line, and I was frisked by a big guy who luckily had a little bit of a sense of humor. At first he didn't like my jokes, but he lightened up after I told him I was frisked by a woman in SJO and she was a little more attractive then he was. My carry on was pulled apart again as well, and my dirty clothes spilled out all over.

So why am I chronicling all this? I am trying to decide weather I should travel Southwest again for my next trip. I just got off the phone with them and was told that I was misinformed about Global Entry. Southwest doesn't participate in The Global Entry program at this time for their international flights. Had I know this, I would have booked Delta when they had their $250 round trip pricing. It is now $310 and will probably be more tomorrow. I have enough points to fly Southwest for $55 vs $310 for Delta.

What would you do? Is it worth $255 to avoid taking your belt, and shoes off and going through the body scanner? I can always fly the points next year when Southwest may have its act together. $310 is still one hell of a good price.

as a point of reference. if the airline your flying doesnt put your global entry number on ticket then take your global entry card and show it to tsa agent checking your ticket and passport. also not all airports participate in the tsa pre check program. Also your enrolment in global entry is only good for entering the us. it gets you nothing while in costa rica. hope this helps. you being in global entry automaticlly enrolls you in tsa precheck. most airlines when buying a ticket online have a line to enter your number

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You do costa rica your way and I'll do it my way

The airline wouldnt have anything to do with Global Entry as that would only apply to Re-entering the US, and it applies to Immigration and Customs...

i think you are talking about TSA PRECHECK... not all airlines have a precheck line, it really depends on if they have the real estate at the TSA checkpoint.

Unless you are in the designated PreCheck line you still have to do all the normal TSA procedures. Optimized screening is only at the Precheck line, so even if you had PreCheck printed on your ticket and you go thru the regular line you waive your precheck privliages.

I run into this if i fly JetBlue out of EWR vs United... United owns half the airport and in the International Dpeartures Terminal there is a seperate Precheck line and no shoes, belt, jacket removed.. toiletries, laptop stay in bag... its great...

when i fly jet blue its general population line... personally Ill fly United direct 90% of the time... the only times ive done Jet blue with a connect in FLL was if the price difference was 200 less, which out of EWR is rare since United has pricing power...

when South west opens up a direct out of newark I'd say a 100$ difference for Airline status reasons would be my breaking point... but withthe way status is starting to be meaningless i would just go with what is cheaper and fits into my schedule

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its easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled- mark twain

You are correct. TSA Precheck is what I was bitching about. I did use Global Entry to bypass the lines coming home. It was the TSA nonsense that I had issues with. The whole security thing makes me crazy sometimes. In the end logic outweighed emotion. I booked my flight through Southwest, and it only cost me $53.03.

BTW, on my last flight leaving the U.S. there was a British sounding guy trying to make jokes with the TSA agents who were frisking him, and the TSA agents were not happy with it at all. You have to know when to keep your mouth shut sometimes.

Southwest does have a pre-check line for international flight (CR), but you have to purchase it. If you buy a Business Select ticket it allows you to go thru the employees line at BWI. I tagged along with a buddy who purchased that type of ticket. That was in April. In December I used the same line traveling to the DR.

My experience has been:
I was told by a TSA agent that a passenger(s) with the Trusted Traveler Number (TTN) is chosen randomly & when you have it printed on your boarding pass, you then get to skip taking off the shoes, belt, etc. Just because you have a TTN does not mean you will forever get to leave your shoes & belt on every time you fly! When you receive your Global Re-entry (GOES) card, you automatically receive a TTN. Airlines have nothing to do with whether you have to take your belt & shoes off. That is TSA screening & again it is random! I was told by a C&I guy in Houston that I only need to carry the GOES card if I am walking back into the country, as in from Mexico to the US after a day of shopping or whatever. Your GOES enrollment is automatically linked to your passport so when you re-enter the U.S., you scan it, answer a few questions & it prints out a piece of paper with your mug shot & you wait in a line of about 3 or 4 other people , give it to the C&I guy & you are thru! Again, this has nothing to do with the carrier.

I think there is some confusion here. There is a difference between Global Entry (re-entering the US immigration) and TSA Pre-check (going thru security).

The OP was complaining about TSA Pre-check. That is dependent on the airlines. Some do and some don't participate and have special lines for TSA Pre-check. Yes, you can get TSA Pre-check if you have a TTN (which is your Global Entry ID number). Or you can pay for expedited security if the airline offers it.

Has anybody renewed their Global Entry yet? Mine's coming up next year. Do they make you interview again or do you just pay the cien and be done for another 5 years?

Ok, you must enter your Known Traveler ID # every time you book a flight no matter what airline you fly. Failure to do this at time of booking or before you arrive at the airport will automatically send you in the regular line. Having Global Entry automatically enrolls you in TSA pre-check.

The effect of having a TTN does seem to vary from airline to airline and airport to airport. Last time I flew Spirit, for example, they did not have a tsa-pre line. Their rep said Spirit did not participate. With the TTN, I have had to take off my shoes, my belt, sometimes both, sometimes neither.

TSA-Pre is all based upon the airline you are flying. When I fly Jetblue, my ticket has the "TSA-PRE" printed on it. With Spirit, not so. Now, in order to have Jetblue recognize, I had to enter my TTN into my Jetblue website account.

I have met two guys in CR (one is GE, the other not), and both told me the same story about always getting flagged for level 2 search when returning to the US. One guy even told me how they will go through his pill bottles and hold up pills to a camera. I have no clue what they may have done to get blessed as such, but I know that having a common name can do this to you. For me, I cannot use Western Union to send money international. Whether through the website or a local branch, my transfers are cancelled. Blessing in disguise, I suppose.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

My TTN is not the same as my Global Entry ID.


My TTN is part of my United Airline Profile. I do not have to re-enter it every time I book. Some boarding passes have TSA Pre-with a check mark & I do not have to take off shoes & belt, others don't & I do have to take off shoes & belt. Lafayette Regional only has one line so even if I paid extra for the Pre-check line, it would do no good there. I have constantly asked for this line in Houston upon returning when I do have the Pre-check on my boarding pass & have been told every time that they don't have one & I have to get in line with everyone else. I know most of these TSA Agents probably don't know or care what I'm talking about so they just say no so I won't bother them!

I'll tell you soon, I have to renew mine next month.

mh

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mh

My Global Entry card has two nine digit numbers on the back of the card, one on the left called "passid," and one on the right which has no description. The letters TTN do not appear anywhere on the card, front or back.

yes you do the interview again... its seemed liek more of a formality, but nothing changed as far as any back ground flags... it took about 30 sec total of face to face time

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its easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled- mark twain

For the TTN number, I always use the number on the back of the GE card that has "SC" in it. Mine doesn't have 2 long numbers.