Sometimes I get TSA Precheck on my boarding pass, sometimes I don’t even with the same airlines.
How does this happen?
No idea.
But sign up for it and you’ll always get it! A great deal for $85 for 5 years - peace of mind that your security line won’t be too hideous.
If you travel internationally, spend another $15 ($100 total) for Global Entry.
Was just going to say the same as @college_query. Best $100 I have ever spent. And with some credit cards, they will pay the GE fee once every 5 years
@coolweather I get TSA precheck every time I fly Southwest. I think it’s random.
I don’t get it on other airlines.
I have not signed up or paid for TSA precheck.
It is random for me, too. I’ve flown 5 times in the last month and I’ve gotten it 4 times.
For some airports the line for TSA precheck is sometimes just as long as the regular line.
My former nanny got her TSA precheck revoked because she accidentally (not likely) brought some sugar cane over from a foreign country in her luggage. So don’t take the 5 year thing for granted, it can be revoked easily. And chances are it is a lifetime revoke if you get on the TSA naughty list.
It’s random.
I signed up for it too. Even if the line is long it goes super quickly because you don’t have to take off shoes and stuff. The line definitely moves faster than the regular line.
I’ve had Global Entry for a number of years now. The programs are meant to be somewhat randomized for security. Pre-check or GE Immigration lines aren’t guaranteed each flight if the algorithm selects you for regular lines. If you are signed up, be sure that your registrations are connected to your frequent flyer numbers. For my frequently traveled foreign carrier, I have to supply the Global Entry number on each reservation. I can’t attach it to the frequent flyer number as I can to US carriers.
Anyone who travels even 2 or 3 times a year should have TSA Precheck. It’s the best value in the country, in my opinion. The first time you come close to missing a flight due to traffic or something, you will be glad you spent the $85 or $100. It’s SO worth it.
I have TSA precheck and I have had a total of 4 flights this year (all on the same airline ) when I have not had TSA pre on my boarding pass. I complained and was told that it remains random, even if you have paid for it and have a KTN. Yes, I get it more than I did before I paid for it, but apparently, it’s not guaranteed. :-w
@gardenstategal you paid for pre-check and haven’t always gotten it? That doesn’t make sense. You should get it every time unless you forgot to enter the trusted traveler number in when you made the reservation. I’ve never not had it show up on my boarding pass as long as I enter the number correctly. My husband once didn’t get it because his name was misspelled in the reservation so the reservation didn’t match his number. But you are entitled to get it every time. It should not be random.
I have not paid for TSA but have gotten it I’d say 90% of the time (I hope I am not jinxing it).
For international travel, try Mobile Passport. It’s free, and it works!
It’s authorized by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 25 U.S. airports.
https://clark.com/travel/mobile-passport-things-to-know/
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control
I agree with other comments that TSA precheck is well worth it for anyone who flies frequently.
TSA precheck comes automatically if you get global entry. Global entry is well worth it for people who travel frequently outside of the US.
For those of us who live in the northern part of the US, TSA precheck also comes automatically if you get Nexus. Also, Nexus gives you global entry, and also gives you faster entry into Canada (in some cases, depending upon how you get there), and costs less than global entry ($50 for Nexus, and $100 for global entry). The downside is that to get Nexus you have to interview with both US and Canadian border personnel. This means that you have to interview either at the US/Canadian border, or at an airport in Canada which has US customs in the airport. To me this only makes sense if you either live very close to the border, or travel to Canada frequently.
One downside of TSA precheck: You don’t always get it. Sometimes even if you have TSA precheck you need to go through the normal security lines. This means that you have to schedule your arrival at the airport to provide enough time in case you might need to pass through normal security.
Airlines apparently have discretion with TSA pre-check being granted to those with Global Entry, etc. Once we had the GE, all but one flight has automatically had TSA pre-check. For the one that omitted it, we carried our GE card with us and asked if it was possible to change the boarding passes at check-in. They printed pre-check ones; makes sense to ask at the airport as you may luck out. Global Entry has saved us hours of hassles, even though there are circumstances that it can’t save you from experiencing, as others have noticed.
Like @gardenstategal even though I have paid for TSA Precheck, a few times I have not been granted it. When I inquired I was told it wasn’t guaranteed. And I’ve been to airports where depending on the time of day they don’t have Precheck open.
But I’m still glad I have it.
@gumbogal , the info in the airline’s system is correct. It is not guaranteed. For me, 4 flights in a year is a small percentage. This is apparently how they satisfy themselves that it is still random and “secure”.
I will say that when you have paid for it, are used to it, and don’t get it, it’s far more upsetting than when you don’t have a KTN and have to wait in the line! I would still recommend it to anyone. Huge time saver at the airports I use most.
And yes, at some airports and/or at some times of day, regardless of what it says on your boarding pass, you will still stand in a long line (with your cardboard get out of jail free card) because there is no separate line for TSA pre. They can’t give you what they don’t have.
LOVE Global Entry! It was a pain in the rear to get, though, because we had to drive to Calais, Maine during a snowstorm for the interview (we could have gone to Boston, but who wants to do that?).
We have gotten TSA Precheck every time except when we flew Qatar Airways. Coming back from overseas, it was so wonderful to get off a 12-hour flight and breeze past the long line of people! Took about 30 seconds to get through at the kiosk. 
One warning: When you’re making airline reservations, you have to enter the Global Entry number when it asks for “Known Traveler Number.” Sometimes it’s hard to see where to enter the number. Once you’ve gotten your boarding pass, it’s too late to go back and enter it (ask me how I know, ha).
I missed that part, but they redid the boarding pass at the airport.