jticarruthers Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Sorry to dredge up an old thread but thought it more relevant than starting a new one. Decided to go ahead and sign up for GE since we wil be traveling a fair amount this summer ... did the app two weeks ago and just got my pre-approval notice .... yay right ? Except the next open appointment to do the interview in Tampa is not until mid September ???? Or Orlando .... August .... or Ft Lauderdale ..... August ..... No wonder they cant get people to sign up for this freaking programs, not only do you have to pay a non-refundable fee to try and get it but by the time you are approved you wont need it anymore. So it looks like a roadtrip down to Miami will be in my future, need to wait for the wife and son to get their approvals though and then try to find a day when we can all drive down to Miami together to do our interviews :( What a PITA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 That's awful ! A CPITA ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegal2539 Posted June 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 jticarruthers, You are doing better than me. I signed up two weeks ago and it just says application pending. I keep waiting for it to be approved and get a date for the interview. I figure it will be at least 2 months out, since Dallas is such a huge airport and there really isn't any where else you can go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 That's insane! I was very lucky last year, approval and interview at IAH (Houston) all in 2 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegal2539 Posted June 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 I flew to Las Vegas last Sunday and returned to Dallas on Wednesday. TSA was a mess. I have Pre-Check and it helped just a little. I have metal implants all over my body, so I had to be wanded because of that. This is seriously what happened when I reached the first of many TSA agents, this one is the first one that looks at your i.d. and boarding pass. A TSA agent in the middle of the room yelled at the top of his lungs, everybody stop talking, stop moving, stand still and be quiet. My mind is racing thinking someone is smuggling a bomb or guns in. Then this same agent yells, "START, 99, 99, RELAY, 99, 99, OVER". Then he yells ok you can talk and move. The lady next to me says what was that, I don't know lady. The only thing I can figure out is a drill of some kind. Anyways, it took 30 minutes to get throught precheck and wanding. My plane was delayed over two hours in Dallas. When I flew out of Vegas, they always let you drop your luggage at the curb, no more curbside luggage drop or checkin, you must go into the airport and get in line for your airline. I asked why this was stopped and they said the recent problems around the world. TSA was a mess again and it took about an hour to get through. And again my plane was delayed two hours. It was one of the worst flight experiences I have had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 Next appt in Dallas right now is for Sept 7th ... It pays to scrub through the list and look for alternatives though ... I just noticed Sanford (smaller airport in Orlando area) is on the list and has appointments in late June ... so I will be driving to Orlando instead of Miami ...1 1/2 hours vs 4 1/2 .... yay ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 I flew home from Sanford to Hagerstown, MD back in January, while MCO is closer to my mothers than Sanford ..... Wow, what a breeze that place was .... This is definitely an airport built for growth, but right now am able to enjoy it before the growth. They're the best kept secret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monorailmedic Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 Next appt in Dallas right now is for Sept 7th ... It pays to scrub through the list and look for alternatives though ... I just noticed Sanford (smaller airport in Orlando area) is on the list and has appointments in late June ... so I will be driving to Orlando instead of Miami ...1 1/2 hours vs 4 1/2 .... yay ! ... Except the next open appointment to do the interview in Tampa is not until mid September ???? Or Orlando .... August .... or Ft Lauderdale ..... August ..... No wonder they cant get people to sign up for this freaking programs, not only do you have to pay a non-refundable fee to try and get it but by the time you are approved you wont need it anymore. Keep checking the site. If people cancel, slots open. This happened to met when I first applied. No slots for six weeks...except for one, the next week. If anyone is technically inclined, there is a project on git to check for openings automatically. Also, with regard to not needing it by the time you get the appointment, I'd argue that the time and money involved in getting GE, while not great, is really such that it's not meant to be logical to get for a single trip, it's for those who frequently travel. One last note, once you have your appointment, you get the card in the mail in just a couple days. My wife and I were both shocked how quickly we got them, and in most circumstances, you don't even need the card (at airports), and you can use the GE kiosks the day after your appointment. BH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 totally agree with all of this - some of the worst airports right now are Atlanta, Newark, Seattle, Dulles, and the list will grow, maybe TSA pre is a great deal, but I agree, once lots more people sign up for this the prices are going to shoot up- I'm about to get Global Entry since I do go overseas 2-3 times/ year - Its not about leaving always - to get back through the customs lines at Dulles run almost one hour, global entry has 4 people waiting at any given time And the lines around the world I've encountered are always shorter as well.Food for thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted June 7, 2016 Report Share Posted June 7, 2016 Checking appts daily, still waiting for my wife and son to get approved though so theres no point in selecting one for me yet if its going to involve a "trip" to go do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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