Here's Why Complaints From Travelers With TSA PreCheck Are At An All-Time High

Frequent travelers who spend lots of their time at airports tend to invest in making their travel process smoother. With many dreading the screening process, one of these convenient solutions includes signing up for TSA's PreCheck program. The whole point of the program's benefit is to expedite the screening process and offer a sort of shortcut to use dedicated security lanes that provide faster screening alternatives. As the passengers are considered pre-screened, these security lanes come with fewer security measures.

However, as more and more people sign up for these benefits, the queues dedicated to TSA PreCheck are becoming more crowded, resulting in longer waits for passengers. With over 20 million users as of August 2024, the complaints have surged exponentially. Recent data published on Fed Scoop has shown that complaints have risen by 62% due to inconsistent benefits and frequent delays, leaving customers dissatisfied. What is causing the issues? Let's take a look.

The whole point of TSA PreCheck is for convenience. The shorter queues are supposed to reduce the wait time, and the expedited screening comes with benefits such as not having to remove shoes, belts, and lightweight jackets. Electronics such as laptops and iPads do not have to be removed from carry-ons, saving time and making the entire process less hassle. However, many complaints have shown that some airports do not provide these benefits, and travelers are still required to adhere to standard screening. 

Another common issue that can be quite frustrating is that many members complain that TSA PreCheck queues end up being just as long as regular lines, rendering the purpose of expediting screening superfluous. As the number of travelers enrolling in the TSA PreCheck program increases — without an increase in staff or available lanes — it becomes more and more difficult to accommodate the service leaving travelers questioning whether paying for TSA PreCheck was even worth the cost.

With more people trying to claim the benefits, the quality of customer service is also dropping. There are increasing complaints about enrolment issues, delays in approvals, or long waits for interviews or renewals, and frequent travelers are subsequently unable to access their benefits. Not only that, but changes in the system have led to issues with data management, resulting in paying customers being unable to use these advantages as their documents aren't recognized as having these benefits. This has not only caused frustration but also minimized trust in the TSA PreCheck program.

New system integrations can leave customers unable to use their accounts, leading to longer waits and creating issues that customer service support has to handle. In fact, the creation of a new TSA PreCheck webform coincided with a 79% increase in complaints within the following four months. The introduction of new messaging enhancements didn't help either, with complaints rising 62% following their implementation. This shows that the changes were not as convenient or easy for users to follow, leading to more problems. However, while TSA has acknowledged the problem, complaints will likely still rise as users get acquainted with the processes. TSA has said that the complaints service is now easier to use, leading to easier customer access when sharing feedback. This could also explain why a surge of complaints has been easier to track.