Why do some who don't have KTN (Known Traveler Number) get TSA Pre Check on their boarding pass?
Why do those who I book to travel with me get the TSA Pre Check on their boarding pass when only I have the KTN? Even a stranger, a co-worker whom I had never met in person, got it. My wife and her friend got it when booking their own flights and traveling without me and neither of them have a KTN.
Best Answer
TSA can grant pre-check to anyone on any given flight, whether they're a member of the program or not, based on their own internal criteria. (There is currently a bill in Congress that would end this practice and restrict it to members only.)
The fact that they are traveling with a registered member may or may not have been a factor. As far as I know, TSA doesn't reveal publicly what factors are considered.
Pictures about "Why do some who don't have KTN (Known Traveler Number) get TSA Pre Check on their boarding pass?"
Why does my boarding pass not have TSA PreCheck?
First, check that your membership has not expired by looking up your account here. If still active, confirm with your airline that your KTN, name, and date of birth are accurate and that your airline participates in TSA PreCheck\xae.Does everyone on my reservation get TSA PreCheck?
In theory, those benefits won't pass down. But in practice, airlines will frequently pass it on to an entire reservation. Airlines just have some discretion in deciding whether or not to pass on these benefits to everyone. In short: Airlines will often give the rest of your traveling party your TSA PreCheck benefits.Does everyone have a known traveler number?
A Known Traveler Number (KTN) is issued to all individuals approved to receive TSA PreCheck\xae expedited screening. The KTN must be added in the KTN field when booking airline travel reservations to have the TSA PreCheck\xae indicator appear on your boarding pass.Are you always guaranteed TSA PreCheck?
But something you may not know is that you're never guaranteed to receive TSA PreCheck 100% of the time. Whether you've got Global Entry or you've actually applied for TSA PreCheck, there will still be some times you're not selected, and you'll have to wait in the regular line just like all the normal travelers.Jessica Rabbit - Why don't you do right -Lyrics
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Gustavo Fring, Ketut Subiyanto, Torsten Dettlaff, Ketut Subiyanto