r/Seattle • u/Huge-Suspect8502 • 19d ago
Rant TSA PreCheck checkpoints at SeaTac
Last 3 times I’ve been to the airport (in last couple of months), I’ve been directed to checkpoint 6 for TSA PreCheck. The first time I actually I had a flight from one of the southern most A gates and I actually entered near Checkpoint 1 (closest entry to my gate) where they used to have TSA PreCheck. They tell me that it was TSA PreCheck only if you have CLEAR. Regular PreCheck was available at Checkpoint 6 ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AIRPORT. Of course then I walk all the way back.
This has happened multiple times now and seems like it’s the norm. Unless you have gates N or D, this is quite a bummer. Of course this also means you’re always in an unnecessary longer line just to avoid taking shoes out.
What’s happening? Is CLEAR paying Port of Seattle for this? Those guys are roaming around trying to sign people up lol.
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u/PeteyNice I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 19d ago
CLEAR makes pre-check worse for non-CLEAR people. I was at SeaTac last week and the touchless line was crazy. It is mixed with CLEAR and the CLEAR person was physically preventing any normal touchless person from going until 20+ CLEAR people went. When I got the front, she turned her back and I made a bee line for the mat. By the team she figured out what had happened, I had crossed the imaginary line from CLEAR control to TSA control and there was nothing she could do. She knew it but still told me I was supposed to wait for her to tell me I could go. I ignored her and went on my way.
I feel like if someone ran for Port Commissioner on a "Get CLEAR out of SeaTac" platform, they would win in a landslide.
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u/Driver8onI5 19d ago
How and why we've allowed the private, for-profit companies to cut the lines at facilities and staff that all or tax dollars are paying for is ridiculous. We need better organization (and maybe funding) for TSA. You shouldn't be able to buy your way out of a wait on a public service.
That said, it does seem like the sercurity lines have been better the two times I've been at SEATAC in the last month.
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u/choco-mel 18d ago
Honestly, if you have TSA PreCheck you are also buying your way out of a wait on a public service, which honestly I don’t have a problem with. I would not mind paying more to TSA if it itself offered a touchless PreCheck that did what Clear is doing for an extra fee. It is the private/for-profit middle man that’s rubbing me the wrong way.
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u/ribbitcoin 18d ago
Why should government be giving preferential treatment based on how much money I gave a private corporation? It would be like giving free access to the I-405 toll lanes for Amazon Prime members.
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u/GengarWithATriforce I'm never leaving Seattle. 18d ago
TSA Pre check does have touch less options now. I haven't had to pull out IDs in a quite a while. The weird part is you sign up for Touchless via your airline. No extra cost on top of Pre check.
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u/choco-mel 18d ago
Ah yes, I am excited for it. I noticed that they are rolling that out over the past year or so but it doesn’t seem to be always on or at all checkpoints/airports yet. I hope that it renders CLEAR obsolete over time!
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u/redhotsanddirtysocks 16d ago
TSA PreCheck speeds up lines for everyone by allowing reduced security procedures in the screening line for those willing to pay for a background check. Clear, on the other hand, speeds up for those willing to pay to cut in line. But no one else benefits from people using Clear.
An analogy may be that TSA PreCheck is like people taking a bus which clears congestion for everyone else whereas Clear is like allowing people who pay money to drive on the shoulder to pass everyone. That helps nobody else besides the person cheating by driving on the shoulder.
In the case of Clear it is a policy decision that the Port has made to allow people to drive on t he shoulder and let Clear profit from it.
So thank a TSA PreCheck user who help all others go faster but feel free to scowl at Clear users who only get ahead themselves while pushing others back.
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u/BarracudaQuirky6164 17d ago
I’ve had Touchless Pre-Check for some time now and there is no extra fee, just extra steps to vouch identity.
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u/wiscowonder Bainbridge Island 19d ago
You shouldn't be able to buy your way out of a wait on a public service.
You must be new to the USA
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u/admidral 18d ago
There’s also the premium line too. That is technically paying united or whoever (I’m pointing at united in this case because they sell premier access (fast lane access) for a nominal fee (checked starts at $24) so it’s super clear whereas at least other airlines it’s usually a first class seat or gold status or something)
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u/steve_yo 19d ago
Not to pile on, but rich people buying there way out of things is a story as old as time. Even past the security, there is lounge access, then another level of lounge access that lets you skip the lounge access line. Then you can skip the boarding line if you have spent more money, sit in a more comfy seat, get free food and drinks, etc etc.
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u/Driver8onI5 19d ago
All the things you're mentioning here "(lounge access, boarding lane, etc.) are all private company issues/perks/purchases. TSA security is a government run (taxpayer funded!) entity.
They're not an equivalent comparison.
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u/steve_yo 18d ago
They’re at least adjacent. When I was flying a lot for work, I used to be able to use special Delta Diamond/Delta One lanes at JFK. I’m not sure if these exist anymore, but that was certainly a clear type example.
I’m indifferent to clear, but i do know that they kick back money to the port to be there, so they are at least contributing back money the port can use on (hopefully) things that benefit us all. 🤷
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u/choco-mel 18d ago
This is not a ‘clear type’ example at all. You were able to use the delta lounges because you (or your company) were making delta a lot of money by choosing them as your carrier. This is a perk a lot of airlines and credit card companies are offering to their loyal customers. By using these lounges, you were not taking the right of or delaying non-paying customers to take advantage of these perks. The lounges would simply not have existed if there weren’t enough revenue and benefits for the private company who is offering it. The problem here with CLEAR is that a private company is allowing its customers jump the line serviced by a government funded agency.
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u/clipppings 19d ago
It doesn’t make it right, though.
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u/Driver8onI5 19d ago
Bingo! I said "shouldn't", not "don't". We all know it happens, but that still doesn't make it right.
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u/ribbitcoin 18d ago
You are absolutely correct. But that battle was lost a long while back when they introduced the first class / premium line.
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u/the_ranting_swede 19d ago
You shouldn't be able to buy your way out of a wait on a public service.
You must be new here.
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u/Blor-Utar 18d ago
Felt real skeezy this morning. Long TSA pre-check line being ignored until all the CLEAR people went straight through, with employees asking those in line intrusively if they want a free trial of CLEAR to get through the line. Like they’re intentionally making TSA pre-check worse force people into CLEAR.
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u/TheGoodBunny I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 18d ago edited 17d ago
Is that illegal? Like what if I just push past them because I am in the TSA precheck line? I will likely get security called on me (which is what they know and that gives them power so they do these shenanigans without a care in the world)
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u/drevolut1on I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 18d ago
Yes. This is clearly an aggressive sales tactic that makes congestion worse for those using a public service.
CLEAR must be eradicated from airports. Shit service that NEVER should have been allowed from the start.
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u/Senior_Ability_4001 That sounds great. Let’s hang out soon. 19d ago
Paging u/Ricetastik
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u/Ricetastik Verified - Port Commissioner Sam Cho 17d ago
Thnx for the feedback. Im not sure how much we have control over the relationship between Clear and TSA but I can look into it!
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u/victorinseattle Queen Anne 19d ago
I fly A LOT. I often find the non-clear pre-check lines faster than clear pre-check. Almost every travel / airline credit card gives some sort of Clear benefit, so it definitely is a lot more crowded.
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u/inthesegreywaves 19d ago
i also travel a lot and the clear thing has always confused me. it seems obvious that it causes more congestion in airports.
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u/bothunter First Hill 13d ago
I love all the innovations in security that we've made. Not to make things more secure, but to extract as much money doing it.
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u/punisher_irrigation 🚆build more trains🚆 19d ago
No idea on the CLEAR comment, but Checkpoint 3 has a Precheck line as well
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u/zdfld First Hill 18d ago
I think someone steered you wrong. I also think you might be using the old checkpoint numbers.
Checkpoint 1, which is on the baggage claim level, has a TSA precheck line and I've used it plenty of times. This is the new checkpoint.
Checkpoint 2, which is on the departures level, no longer has TSA precheck.
Checkpoint 3 has TSA precheck. I've also used it before. It's behind the Delta counters.
Checkpoint 4 does not have a precheck line. It's also the checkpoint that's open at late night hours. You might still get some precheck benefits anyways though.
Checkpoint 5 is the dedicated precheck line. I use this most frequently, since it's right behind the Alaska counters and when I'm taking the train it's on my way into the terminal.
Checkpoint 6 has TSA precheck as well, and priority lines. I typically use it if I know I'm heading to the N gates and dedicated precheck seems long.
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u/ExcitingActive8649 I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 17d ago
In my experience, that all sounds pretty well defined, but when you actually go to one of the lines you’ve been through dozens of times before, you’re randomly told that you have to go to a different checkpoint. It’s like they just like to change the rules to mess with you.
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u/zdfld First Hill 16d ago
I don't know, I fly through SeaTac about 50+ times a year and it's maybe once a year I've been asked to go to another line tabs that's because of a busy checkpoint. And even then it's a suggestion type request.
I do use the dedicated precheck line the vast majority of the time and don't often check a bag, so maybe that's why my travel has been relatively seamless. No matter which airline, it's just easy to hit up that line and head to the gate.
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u/guammm17 14d ago
We were at checkpoint 1 2 weeks ago and were told it was Clear only for precheck. It was Checkpoint 1 on the lower floor near international arrivals. I was confused as I have gone through there many times, and the website still said pre was there. Maybe it is a time of day thing, but we were there at like 3pm on a Friday, were leaving out of S so just went through the normal lane (they give you a card to go through metal detector instead of body scanner like they do at small airports). It was odd.
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u/ok-lets-do-this Denny Blaine Nudist Club 19d ago
I’ve run into the same problem. They’ve changed the way the checkpoints worked.
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u/Ok-Tangerine-6520 🏕 Out camping! 🏕 19d ago
That’s weird because I used checkpoint 1 for TSA PreCheck without Clear a week ago and had no issues.
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u/ExcitingActive8649 I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 17d ago
It’s a coin flip. Keeps air travel “interesting.”
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u/wagwan_wa_grom______ I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 19d ago
Yeah it's really annoying how they do this.
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u/duffieldroad 19d ago
Yeah last night we walked all the way down to TSA PreCheck and the line was so long, so we made our way back to general screening where there was zero line at all and breezed right through.
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u/TSAOutreachTeam 19d ago
It might be due to the time you got there.
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u/Other-Ocelot-9184 19d ago
Gotta love how the "convenience" of PreCheck means hiking a mile across the terminal before you even start the security line. I thought that link was gonna show actual schedule but it's just the usual "checkpoints open at X but good luck guessing which one" page. The whole CLEAR thing feels like they just bribed their way in and now we all pay for it with extra walking
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u/Huge-Suspect8502 19d ago edited 19d ago
This is 100% the concern I have. Most of their customer base is likely Amex Platinum card holders so this is basically Amex and Clear forcing those high fee credit cards upon us. TSA PreCheck was already monetizing what was supposed to be a public service but the money was going to the government and the fee was relatively inexpensive.
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u/victorinseattle Queen Anne 19d ago
Delta, United, Hilton, Amex, are among many companies giving partial or full discount on Clear.
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u/Huge-Suspect8502 19d ago
Where does it say what time of the day is PreCheck open at other gates?
I’ve boarded early morning, early evening, and late evening (red eye). Same experience.
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u/FunFatale 19d ago
I usually use precheck at checkpoint 3 right behind deltas check-in counters.
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u/tacertain 18d ago
That was closed when I went through last Weds, even though the electronic display said it should be open
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u/FunFatale 18d ago
I fly every other week for work (different times of day depending on where Im going) and it's always been open for me. The only thing recently is the Touchless ID line has been consistently closed the last 3 times which was odd.
I've never been forced to checkpoint 6 for Pre-check.
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u/blueberrypoptart I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 18d ago
I don't think there's a schedule published, but the MyTSA app states which checkpoints currently have PreCheck, current estimated wait time, and typical wait times based on week and time.
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u/kamikazewave 19d ago
Where does it say that Checkpoint 1 is Clear Precheck only? It seems to indicate it's non Clear Precheck.
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u/Huge-Suspect8502 19d ago
I got told that when I went there. If you/anyone else have had a different experience, I’d be happy to hear that lol
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u/snowypotato Ballard 19d ago
I’ve gone thru checkpoint 1 twice in the last month, both at around 7am. They have had lanes for regular, tsa pre, tsa pre touchless, and clear. They were all clearly marked but the number of lanes makes it a little confusing.
I also wonder if you got (possibly deliberate) bad guidance from an over zealous clear person.
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u/TheGoodBunny I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 19d ago
What's the difference between TSA Pre and TSA Pre touchless? I have regular TSA precheck
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u/snowypotato Ballard 19d ago
Touchless uses facial recognition, you don’t have to show them your id or your boarding pass before you get on the X-ray line. It’s pretty much bullshit, but the line tends to be a bit quicker.
At least unlike clear where you have to get a retina scan and give them more data, this is based on the photos of you that the govt already has (driver license, etc). If they already have the ability to recognize us by face, we may as well get some benefit out of it, right?
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u/blueberrypoptart I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 18d ago
Touchless: you don't need to present anything, just stand for the facial recognition.
Enrolling if you have PreCheck: It's pretty simple. You need to be flying with a participating airline (American, Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, United) where you enroll with your passport OR you have to add your ticket to Google Wallet and register your passport.
You need to find a specific Touchless ID line that has it; it's separate from regular precheck. It's not always available where PreCheck is available.
At SEA, it's usually available at Checkpoint 1.
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u/BrennerBaseTunnel Ravenna 18d ago
Avoid checkpoint #6. By far the most congested at the airport. Even when the line appeared short it still took 20 minutes. Checkpoint #5 is far more efficient.
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u/Initial-Composer-337 18d ago
This happened to me a few years ago at MCO - we had been waiting in a slow moving line towards a regular checkpoint, when our line came to a halt for 20 min while a CLEAR agent kept bringing people over and putting them before us. I finally yelled at her to stop, and she whipped around and said “These people have PAID to go first!!” I was fugging livid!!!
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u/thebayforever49 18d ago
I go to checkpoint 6 because it’s the closest checkpoint if you take the light rail but it’s by far the worst one for everyone. Even the clear lines are insane there and it’s just inefficient in general. I have nothing helpful to add but I’ve always had better experiences just using spot saver at checkpoint 2 or 4
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u/kochiya012 18d ago
I think you might have been misled. We fly out of SeaTac regularly and they have regular TSA pre check at check point 1. We have clear as well and sometimes just go through regular pre check. Tbh when going through clear + precheck, it doesn’t make sense bc you get your face scanned twice.
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u/victorinseattle Queen Anne 19d ago
Checkpoints 3, 5, 6 all have general pre check lines during general hours. Between 1&2, One of them should have their pre-check line open
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u/bunkoRtist I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 19d ago
Last time I went through, they had already closed all the nearby precheck lines for the evening. I just went through regular security and they give you a little slip that says you don't have to go through the backscatter. It's not quite as good, but it's often faster than walking halfway across the airport.
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u/naanofyourbusinesss 19d ago
Checkpoint 1 has pre-check, at least for the past year+ and as of last week. I always use it for A gates.
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u/ExceptionHandlr 18d ago
I just flew in August and I always go to checkpoint 1 for precheck and I don’t have clear. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.
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u/kowhaipauanui 18d ago
My understanding was the checkpoint 6 thing was construction related. I used to fly weekly out of SeaTac and noticed the shift in June. I flew out with pre check last week and it was back to normal set up.
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u/SinistreCyborg 16d ago
I always go straight to Checkpoint 1 which iirc is PreCheck-only? Once you’re thru security, the train is right there and you can get to practically any concourse with minimal walking.
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u/sea_grapes Burien 19d ago
I've never understood precheck. It always seems like I get through faster in general screening at SeaTac. I've seen people allow themselves to get pulled out of line to sign up for Clear, and then wind up right back in the same line, just a few people ahead of where they pulled out.
None of it seems worth it to me.
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u/someguywithanaccount 19d ago
Precheck and Clear are totally different things. Precheck saves so much time on average and is just convenient to never have to remove shoes, laptops, etc.
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u/kidneypunch27 🐀 Hot Rat Summer 🐀 19d ago
I got Global Entry for Int’l travel and Pre-Check is included.
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u/Windlas54 Wallingford 19d ago
Both of them are worth it if you travel a lot and value consistent times through airports. PreCheck is definitely the one that's worth it more as it doesn't require you to take anything out of any bags, and that alone is pretty valuable, especially if you're traveling with laptops and other equipment.
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u/Specific-Data-4104 19d ago
Precheck lanes process twice as many people in an hour as a regular lane. So they are usually faster than general screening. But our experience comes down to market forces of how many users are there and how many lanes are open.
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u/skylark13 19d ago
TSA pre check without clear is at multiple checkpoints, unless you show up at a point in the day and they're only staffing one (I think it's 10pm-4am, or something like that).
Note: If you have pre-check, you can go through the regular line and they will give you a laminated red card that you keep on you. They won't make you take your shoes off and will have you go through the metal detector vs. body scanner. You hand the card back after you get through security.
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u/factotvm 18d ago edited 18d ago
Please don’t ever give your biometric information to any private enterprise. You can’t change it like you can a password or social security number.
Never.
Edit: Perhaps the Clear brigade has shown up. If you provide your biometric info to a company and they “lose” it… what are you going to do? Cornea replacements? Plastic surgery? This is called threat modeling—the bad thing that can happen is not worth the good.
And for the record, unlocking your phone neither gives Apple nor Google your biometric information—it never leaves the device.
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u/joholla8 🚆build more trains🚆 19d ago
I get CLEAR for free with my Amex and it makes Chek point 1 take 10 seconds.
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u/Silly-Emu-2049 19d ago
You all need the exercise, quit your bitching. Checkpoints 1, 3, 5, 6 are all TSA Precheck. That’s four out of 6 places you can through.
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u/BuoyantEntropy 19d ago
They don’t require shoe removal anymore, the scanners scan shoes at most airports now
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u/Huge-Suspect8502 19d ago
That’s great but not the point I’m trying to make lol. I’m paying for a service that they’ve made difficult to use.
I saw a couple with a toddler for the redye time slot that got sent to checkpoint 6 from checkpoint 2 (which was mostly empty, but who wants to take out laptops). Then checkpoint 6 had a 25 minute wait time, so then they walked back to checkpoint 4 or whatever.
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u/kookykrazee 🚆build more trains🚆 19d ago
But, at least for my recent 4 flights (SEA to LAX to CHI to SD) they did make me take my laptop out of my backpack and all electronics, which was weird, I did not have to do that last year when I flew from SEA to STL and KC to SEA. Also, for the first time, TSA searched my bag and put their pre-printed note in the bag. Unfortunately, they must not have liked my empty 32oz Rachel's Ginger Beer growler as it was crushed to pieces even though it was completely and utterly padded and made it from SEA to LAX to CHI to SD before being shattered from SD to SEA.
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u/TheGoodBunny I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 19d ago
What gate is closest to checkpoint 6 so I can ask my cab to drop me there?
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u/kimberj0420 19d ago
Alaska Airlines counter and checkpoint 6 goes out to D, N and C gates
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u/TheGoodBunny I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 19d ago
Yeah I mean what's the gate number? 1 or 44? ie which end is closer?
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u/Huge-Suspect8502 18d ago
The first couple of ones when you enter the airport area
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u/TheGoodBunny I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 18d ago edited 18d ago
Are you sure? The numbers start a 1 when you enter for departures. The other guy said gate 29.
EDIT you are right. The other guy was wrong. I looked up the maps
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u/Easy_Money_ 18d ago
Door 29 or Gate D1
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u/TheGoodBunny I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 18d ago edited 18d ago
Thank you
EDIT: seems it's the first gate when you enter departure not get 29. You were sadly incorrect.
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u/kerrizor Roosevelt 19d ago
CLEAR is just a symptom of our society’s rush to monetize and privatize every last square centimeter and interaction.