TSA says incoming PreCheck data might contain errors

The Transportation Security Administration is advising the growing number of participants in its expedited screening program that they might need to check with third-party booking agents and airlines to ensure that their personal data is correct.

Booking agents and airline data systems can sometimes inadvertently short-circuit the transfer of personal data that TSA uses to link participants to the Known Traveler Numbers (KTNs) assigned by its PreCheck program, according to TSA officials.

Since it opened a new $85 application option, the agency has seen a slight uptick in complaints via social media from PreCheck participants who were denied access to prescreened security lanes at airports, a TSA spokesman said in an interview with FCW.

Previously, PreCheck participants entered through other agencies' prescreening programs, such as Customs and Border Protection's Global Entry and SENTRI. Those two programs, however, require travelers to have passports. TSA's PreCheck does not require passports because only about 30 percent of U.S. domestic travelers have them, the spokesman said.

Since TSA offered the new option, the agency has added about 300,000 passengers to the PreCheck program, the spokesman said. The program requires passengers to provide name, date of birth and gender, at a minimum. The airlines are responsible for managing and transmitting travelers' information to TSA before flights depart.

Sometimes information fields are mismatched, data is entered in the wrong slot, or other issues occur that prevent the KTN from being transmitted to TSA correctly and keep travelers from accessing the PreCheck lanes at airports. In a June 6 blog post, TSA Press Secretary Ross Feinstein advised travelers to contact airlines or travel agents to correct the data.

Furthermore, "we have learned that TSA Pre-Check travelers who receive their KTN only add it directly to their frequent flier profile," Feinstein wrote in the blog post. "You may think you are all set, but more may be required to be eligible for TSA PreCheck on your next flight."

Feinstein explained that if fliers add their KTN to their airline's frequent flier profile after they have booked reservations, their profile won't update the previous reservations. In addition, if participants make reservations through a third-party website rather than the airlines' website or through a travel agency, the KTN sometimes is not transmitted to the airline, which means it won't be transmitted to TSA.

Although Feinstein recommended that travelers work with airlines directly to resolve any issues, he said passengers can contact TSA via social media as a last resort and added that the agency can sometimes spot spelling errors, erroneous data entry and other issues, and then notify travelers.

"We recommend that when in doubt, call your air carrier to verify that your Secure Flight data matches and make any corrections," Feinstein wrote. "Verify that the airline has your first/middle/last name and correct date of birth exactly as you applied and/or received your KTN."