Glad things are speedier for you Wenchie, but the cynic in me wants to see a system where the long lines and wait times for ALL travelers are shortened so everyone can get through to their flights on time.
Of the two or three dozen airline flights I have taken, none have been hijacked or blown up. My former military career, honorable discharge and the Top Secret security clearances I used to carry also carry no weight. The vast majority of people are just like that. Honest and law abiding. Yet the system treats everyone as if they are Colombian cartel drug mules.
All it is going to take is one person with an agenda and a GOES card to do something dumb. The good times will stop rolling soon after and then everyone will be back in that big long line.
INTERESTING SIDEBAR....
I have now been pulled for level 4 security clearance twice since my GOES acceptance. The last one indicated that the frequent travelers will be called more frequently. So although we may be 'trusted'...it is 'trust but verify'.
I have never been called for a level 4 SSSS security check before. It is quite annoying but I guess its to prevent just the thing Simon alludes can happen. However its someone else's turn...I've had 2 in almost as many trips!
SSSS (Super Secret Sensitive Security) is nothing but a ploy by TSA to make us feel "safer" ... it is not a level anything, Kamala. It has nothing to do with being a frequent flyer really. It has to do with the fact that the 9/11 guys bought tickets the day before and with cash. But now you can get SSSS for long standing reservations and credit card transactions, too.
It is either random, or because you booked a ticket at the last minute, or paid with cash. You don't get anything extra in terms of the screening, as the only person who knows is the document checker... and by the way there are ways to get the dredded "SSSS" off of your boarding pass.
I have had SSSS multiple times, no more frequent after getting GE than before getting GE. It has nothing to do with having GE really.
If you can't do an online check-in, then it is likely you have been "randomly" assigned to the SSSS. I even have gotten SSSS while traveling overseas on my return back to the US. And was rather p*ssed off that I could not check in online. When I called the airline to ask what was the problem with my reservation they said "nothing is wrong", and understand that the airline can't tell you that the reason you can't check in is due to the SSSS assigned (randomly by our gubermint) to your ticket number. Just like they can't tell you that your First Class seat assignment was changed due to a Federal Air Marshall stealing the seat you picked 6 months ago.
Edited by secretsea18, 19 October 2011 - 09:12 AM.