Pre-check envy: A friend on his way to New York posted, "I love TSA Pre! I kept my shoes on and laptop in my bag and didn't have to show my shaving cream." A Facebook boast like that — when wait times at MSP demand we arrive more than two hours ahead of our flight — is akin to those selfies of legs on a beach chair with some warm ocean in the distance. It's an invitation to envy.
Or maybe, it's simply meant as encouragement to join the fast crowd, the one that skips the long lines at airport security checkpoints because the Transportation Security Administration has scrutinized their fingerprints and background and determined they are safe to board.
Applications cost $85 (not refunded in the event you are not approved), which means that the outlay for my family of 3 would be enough to buy a round-trip ticket, at least during a fare sale. Besides, what's the point of zipping through security if my family will wind along the security line for an hour? Of course, I could just wait for them somewhere. Say, Surdyk's Flights, glass of wine in hand? If you want to join, too, go to www.tsa.gov.
