CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — This week the Corpus Christi International Airport (CCIA) is hosting a TSA pre-check enrollment event. For $78, flyers can skip the long screening lines during their boarding process. But who exactly does this benefit?
"Well, it definitely benefits travelers. Since it's Corpus, it’s just starting up you’ll have a much shorter line of those who have been approved," Certified Travel Counselor Sally Watkins said."It benefits the airports because it gives them a way to divide travelers now and I think it benefits security for all of us because there would be more fellow travelers who would have some type of background screening."
Travelers can mean flying out once a year to visit family or flying out multiple times a year for a job. Watkins told us that it's worth paying the price if you fly more than once.
"Absolutely it's worth it. And it’s valid for what five years? If you travel twice a year, do it. But holiday time given how crowded, it’s probably worth it," Watkins said.
The TSA pre-check enrollment lets flyers keep their shoes and belts on. It also lets them keep their computers in their bags and small liquid containers, like gels and shampoos, in their bags. The enrollment process takes about ten minutes, which could save you minutes to even hours in the future.
"If you don’t have pre-check you could stand in line at the checkpoint for 30 minutes, 15 minutes, any amount of time is too long," Kevin Smith the Director of Aviation for the city of Corpus Christi said.
The CCIA also told us they are actively working on getting permission to host another security enrollment pop-up event.
This one is for Global Entry. Global Entry has a more extensive background screening than the TSA pre-check and costs $100. So for only $22 more, flyers can travel all around the world and not just in the United States.
"Global entry in effect includes TSA if someone has both, so it’s actually the better to have because it works both domestically and internationally. But if someone is not gonna travel internationally, they don’t really need that," Watkins said.
There is no word yet on when that pop-up event will take place at the CCIA. The TSA pre-check pop-up office is located on the second floor of the airport. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Friday.
