Although many may remember the 60’s as the ‘Me’ decade, and some may not remember much at all, I remember the 60’s as the most awesome time to visit the airport. Airports had become the future of travel and the jet age was ushered in just as the Jetson’s had predicted. Conveyor belts shuttled passengers down long corridors of mega sized buildings such as LAX and JFK. It was all so futuristic, it would only be a matter of time before we would start flying cars and teleporting as Gene Roddenberry predicted. My most favorite memory was seeing my mother off to Jamaica from the PanAm terminal. How cool was it to be able to walk all the way up to the gate (Why do we call them gates anyway? They are doors, or gangway at least.) and see someone off, or to wait for them when they get off the plane. Ross and Rachel were pretty much the last to do that.
Then 1973, the world had enough of the hijackings, and decided to install metal detectors at all US airports. OK, you could still enter, but it was a little more strict. Slowly but surely, the metal detectors gave way to walking up to the gate to see your mom off or pick her up, banning drinks being brought onboard, and forcing people to stand in long lines to get through those detectors. In 2000 with 9/11, things got real bad. September 11th, 2000 and the hijackers struck again and sent the world into a martial law lockdown of airports. But slowly, we are coming out of this fog with a myriad of airport traveler programs that allow you to get past the security lines. unfortunately, each program stands on its own, depending on the security agency being used, and they don’t really connect with each other. The point is that you could wind up double paying based on travel plans or what you’re willing to pay at the time.
Before I list these programs, you should think long and hard about the cost you willing to pay. Not paying for a security program simply means an extra 30 mins or so standing in a security line, which may not be much. But with frequent traveling, comes a disdain for the entire process, and suddenly, $100 is well worth the cost to pass up on standing there with dozens if not hundreds of travelers trying to get home.
Per the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website,Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI are all geared towards international travelers. NEXUS is primarily for Canadian travel to and from the US via air, land and sea. SENTRI covers travel between Canada, Mexico and the US, and also covers vehicles for travel by land to enter. NEXUS has a cost of $50 per person. SENTRI costs $122.50. Global Entry has an application fee of $100, but also covers complete international travel from airports all over the world connecting with the U.S. Hence, the term Global. And global it is. On a recent return from Italy, the line of over 100 people being processed by 2 customs agents would have taken over 1 hour of waiting time. We had just enrolled in Global Entry, and fortunately, we were 2 of only 4 people waiting in our dedicated line, and we breezed through. Well worth the cost!
But what if you only travel domestic? Well then, you can participate in TSA PreCheck. TSA PreCheck, trademarked and identified as 
, allows you to bypass standing in long security lines and in some airports, allows you to keep your shoes on and laptops in your briefcase or suitcase. TSA PreCheck is administered by the Transportation Security Administration. , yes, this is how they reference their product on websites, costs $85 for a 5-year enrollment. This is great, but be careful! If you sign up for , and then at a later date, realize you want Global Entry, you will have to pay both fees separately. If you get Global Entry first, you can associate your account with and the fee is waived. That saves you $85! Think about that next you ponder paying the $8 for a mini-bottle of wine of the flight.
Lately, everyone has been jumping on the bandwagon, and the lines have gotten long enough that getting to the airport 20 mins before a domestic flight presents a challenge. (Don’t judge me!) Welcome to CLEAR. For $179, allows you to even bypass the line and scoot up to, and get this, right PAST the TSA agent directly to the metal detectors. Yes, no more TSA agents! CLEAR is available at 19 major airports currently. I expect this will continue to grow, so check their site for the list. But you may think, $179 for a year is steep, but if you’re traveling on a weekly or even monthly basis, it’s SO worth it. Plus, a cool feature CLEAR has, you can cancel the membership. So if you’re really doubting the costs, pay for it prior to your flight, use it, and cancel when you return home. And if you cancel, you’ll have to pay the full $179 again, with no cancellation or refund of fees. But wait…there’s more! As a reader of PFTN, you get this readers tip: Go to the airport and register. You place your fingers on the scanner, and then get the retinal scan. But don’t pay for it there. When you get back home or to the office, go to the website and continue the signup process, after receiving the welcome email. Then complete the enrollment, but when asked to pay, click cancel. You will then receive a screen asking why are you cancelling. Click the “Costs too much” option. If all goes well, you’ll receive a second offer of $99 for the program. Now pay, and save yourself $80! Yes!
I love CLEAR. The ambassadors help you with you sign in at the airport, the finger scanners are very sensitive, so if its raining or cold you may have issues getting the fingerprints, so just use the retinal scanner. Look at the green dot and done. Then scan the bar-code for your flight, either mobile or print, and next thing you know, you’re getting the VIP escort to screening area. It’s like rolling with 50-Cent to the VIP table for bottle service. Worth every penny. CLEAR, not bottle service.
So check the sites above that correspond to your travel needs. Remember, consider future travel plans. If you’re thinking of getting domestic now, what about the Spain trip in December? Maybe GE is the way to go now. Also, Global Entry is notorious for long wait times to have your on-site appointment, and only key airports have the appointments. There can be a 3-month wait for a GE appointment. But also check other airports far and close. Do you have plans to travel somewhere else, maybe a weekend in New York? Maybe that Friday there’s an open appointment. Also, check the site of your selected airport for appointment cancellations. It happens all the time.
So a little planning can save you all kinds of wait time and put a couple of bucks back into your pocket. As always, bon voyage!
Oh oh. Next thing we know we are sneaking into the party at La Rascasse. Drinking, laughing, dancing, it ranks up there with one of the great party nights ever. Then, one group we were hanging with, drags me along for the after party. Oh oh… I’m going along, a little more than 3 sheets to the wind, and suddenly realize we are in line at a Monaco night club. And me standing there like a tourist with my Gap loose fit jeans and souvenir t-shirt. Oh crap. Of course we were turned away at the door, and I learned a valuable lesson: Always have a white tux jacket at the ready.
