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Comment by chrsstrm | Hacker News Reader

It's actually a better move to enroll in Global Entry [http://www.globalentry.gov/] which gets you expedited entry at border crossings, includes you in the Trusted Traveler program (which is what Pre-Check is), and only costs $15 more ($100).

That being said, I don't know why we still need to remove our laptops from our bags. I look at my SSD MBP and my iPad and wonder, what's the difference? Does anyone still use those early 2000's 8lb doorstops we used to call laptops?

[edit: Trusted Traveler previously identified as Known Traveler, which was wrong]

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As far as I can tell, Global Entry is for re-entry to the US. Selected members of the program were offered to be in Pre-Check but they don't go hand in hand. And starting tomorrow, you will be able to apply for Pre-Check directly.

EDIT: Okay, I'm not sure about the relationship between Global Entry and Pre-Check. The TSA website says "Certain members of CBP's Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, [...] that have been invited to opt-in qualify to participate." but other sites say that they are eligible automatically.

If you join GE you can add your Trusted Traveler Number to your airline reservations. Reports on FlyerTalk are that most get PreCheck 99% of the time after that.

The other way of joining Pre was to hold elite status on a participating airline and opt-in. This yielded far less success, anywhere from 0-90%.

As a United platinum member I was getting Pre about half the time, traveling weekly. I got GE over the summer and have gotten Pre 100% since then.

Even if you're eligible for Pre, the TSA doesn't always grant Pre as a "security measure."

Trusted Traveler is what you could call the list that Pre-Check vets you against, so Pre-Check is really just Trusted Traveler. Yes, Global Entry is only for returning to the US (you couldn't imagine it would be more, it is a US-run program), but it does also enter you into the Trusted Traveler program. The only reason I know this is a recent client of mine is a travel industry expert who spent time clarifying the programs and how they interact with each other. Their frugal recommendation is, if you travel outside the US, the smart move is to do Global Entry, more bang for your dollar.

Global Entry is actually available for entry into other countries as well. Well, at least one. I just used it in Australia.

I am part of global entry. My trusted traveler number works as the number used for pre-check, and pre-check gets printed on my boarding passes.

Global entry has some other advantages if you travel internationally. Besides faster re-entry into the US, it also gets you into reciprocal programs in a bunch of other countries (for example, privium in the netherlands).

Yes, some people who do work still need those big things called laptops.

I also do work and travel with a laptop but it doesn't weigh 8lb. The point he was making is iPads aren't so different to laptops in 2013, so why are they treated so differently at airports?

My understanding is that it has to do with familiarity. With so many iPads, they become a familiar pattern to the X-ray operator and instantly recognizable. Laptops, however, come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

A few years back, my laptop needed to get hand-inspected because it didn't have a battery. It had completely bricked, so I didn't even bother taking it with me. TSA wanted to get a second look at it to figure out why it looked so weird.

Or even Nexus, which is $50 for 5 years, includes Trusted Traveler and Global Entry, and also expedited entry into Canadian and at Canadian airports' security lines.

Yes, except for the whole "you have to go to Canada for an interview" thing.

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