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The one thing you should be doing before flying out for the holidays

Published Dec 16th, 2015 8:00PM EST
TSA PreCheck Air Travel Program
Image: Wikipedia

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Flying home for the holidays? If you are, then you’d better make sure you pack a book, charge your phone, and get ready to survive the airport madness. Flying home for Christmas and New Years can be very time consuming and tiring, but the most annoying thing about air travel is the security check you have to go through.

Of course, modern history shows that, even if proven ineffective in certain cases security controls are needed, so you can’t escape them. And you shouldn’t. But there’s a trick that could save you a ton of time when going through security checks that will pay off especially during the holidays when hordes of travelers are assaulting airports everywhere.

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Explained by The Huffington Post, the trick is really simple. What you have to do to skip the lines is to sign up for the TSA PreCheck program.

There’s a fee involved, a one-time $85 charge that gets you five years of TSA PreCheck status, and an application process that includes an interview – check this link.

Once approved for the program, you won’t have to remove shoes, belts, and light jackets, and you won’t have to take out laptops and 3-1-1 liquids from your carry-on. Furthermore, you won’t even have to pass through the body scanner — a basic metal detector will do.

Just remember to use your unique KTN (known traveler number) when making your reservations so that a TSA Precheck marking will be printed on your boarding pass.

The program is available in more than 150 airports, with 12 airlines already enrolled.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.