By Expedia Team, on October 7, 2015

The benefits of booking with Precheck

Participants in TSA Precheck like to think of it as the ultimate line pass—the quickest way from the ticket counter to the gate at any airport.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Precheck is an expedited security screening program that makes it easier for frequent travelers from the United States to fly. The formal language indicates that qualifying passengers considered “low-risk” (after an in-person interview) can receive expedited screening. To put that in simpler terms: If you get in (again, after that face-to-face) you can breeze through security checkpoints without removing your shoes or taking your laptop out of its bag.

When you make it into Precheck (and after you pay the US$85 fee), TSA awards you with a known traveler number (KTN) to use when making flight reservations. Rezzies with KTNs trigger special indicators on boarding passes, effectively providing you with the goods you need to cut the line.

Earlier this year, Expedia added a box for Precheck participants to input their KTNs when booking flights on Expedia.com. It was a big deal for Expedia. Now it’s a big deal for everyone who books on the site.

Viewfinder Tip: Inputting your KTN at the time of booking can save you hours of waiting down the road. 

How much of a big deal? Consider this: Fellow Expedia Viewfinder bloggers, Captain and Clark, told us they regularly make it from their car in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport parking lot through security and to their gate in five minutes or less. We’ve had a few experiences with Precheck at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, and we can’t tell you how nice it was NOT to have to bend over and untie our sneakers. Or take off our belts.

Inputting KTN on Expedia.com is incredibly easy. As you work your way through the booking process, just before check-out, you’ll find a spot to share the information. Once you add it to your reservation, Expedia processes it just like the airlines would, guaranteeing that your KTN (and, through the transitive property, your Precheck status) shows up on your boarding pass for smooth sailing through TSA.

So give it a try! In our humble opinion, anything that makes the flying experience easier these days is an investment worth making.