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TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

rsnyder622
Explorer C

This happens all the time with my wife and I.  She is set as my companion.  She has a TSA Pre number and we have confirmed that everything in our southwest airlines accounts are synced with the TSA accounts.  However, we never both get TSA Pre.  Either I get it and she doesn't, or vice verca.

 

While I'm told that TSA Pre is not 100% gaurenteed this doesn't make sence that it's less than 50% of a chance that we both will get it.

 

Other airlines have not had issues yet Southwest cannot get their act together.  I'm immensly frustrated since we pay for this perk for a reason, and being told "Oh it's not our fault it's TSA's contact them.".  Do you know how hard getting an answer out of a government orginziation is?  I'll tell you it's been a year and who knows how many hours wasted in emails/phone calls with 0 answers from the TSA.

 

Why am I paying/flying on this ariline when I am unable to get the perk I paid for?

16 REPLIES 16

Re: TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

chgoflyer
Aviator A

Unfortunately, Southwest has known systems issues with propagating a KTN from a profile to an actual reservation. I find it's best to double-check every reservation to make sure the KTN was added, and if not add it manually. If you notice PreCheck is missing upon online check-in, call Southwest and have them double check and add the KTN if necessary. Then you can reprint the boarding pass. Yes this is a hassle, and yes this doesn't happen with other carriers. One hopes Southwest's new "next generation reservation system" takes care of this issue when fully implemented.

Re: TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

rsnyder622
Explorer C

Interesting post, and thanks for the response.  I've called before and complained that the KTN isn't added once I've checked in.  When I call the representative has told me they cannot mannually add the PreCheck but  I will try again.  From what I'm gathering you've had succes with this.

 

I will make sure in the future that once a reservation is booked to call and confirm the KTN is added before we check in.  Hopefully this will resolve the issue, but from the track record it won't.  I'm just all around annoyed.

Re: TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

You also can type in the KTN when you book the companion ticket instead of relying on the profile to transfer over and you'll have a much higher conversion rate on the first try.

 

I can't speak as to why your own isn't working - you may also type it in when booking instead of using the profile, and make sure your name is the same on both (Bob vs Robert for example).

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

chgoflyer
Aviator A

You can check to see if your KTN has been applied to a reservation by going to Flight > Manage Reservations > Add Secure Traveler Information.

 

https://www.southwest.com/flight/addSecureInfoEntry.html

 

If the KTN has been added, it will look like this (and you'll not be able to add the number):

 

5.png

 

If the box is blank, you can add your number.

Re: TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

howaghowag
Explorer C

Unfortunately, these steps do not work with companion fares. I get the error "Companion reservations cannot be changed online."

 

I do see the missing KTN far more when flying as a companion. At least 50% of the time it is missing.

 

It's a constant hassle. I basically have to call Southwest for every flight I take or risk not having it when I check in.

 

Please get this fixed.

Re: TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

KaylaR
Employee
Employee
Solution

Hi @rsnyder622:

 

The system should automatically populate the information into the reservation for both you and your companion. In the event that it does not populate TSA PreCheck on both yours and your wife's boarding pass,  please see an Agent at the airport to have it manually added to the reservation prior to going through the TSA Checkpoint.  

 

-KaylaR

Re: TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

tomcjr25
Explorer C

Hi @KaylaR,

 

Thank you for this solution. I've been doing this as a standard with my companion just to make sure. However, I'm judging by the zero likes, that a different solution from the one presented is desired. 

 

I think the hope here is for the Southwest website to store ALL the data (e.g. KTN, contact info for confirmation) about our companions inside our RR profile for use at the ticket counter, website or app. Bypassing the ticketing lines (sometimes even ticketing floors) with web check-in, app boarding passes, etc. is the goal. That's a huge time and effort savings. 

 

Is this something SWA has heard before? Are there plans to change this? Does this exist, and I'm just an idiot for not looking hard enough?

 

Thank you!

 

Thanks again. 

Re: TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

traviscommons
Explorer C

I have spoken to multiple agents, in airports and through customer service phone calls and no one can tell me why this happens. Every time I’m flying as my partner’s companion, TSA pre-check doesn’t work. When I book my own flight, it works every time. TSA says to call Southwest. Southwest says to call TSA. I’ve confirmed repeatedly that my KTN and all personal information including my RR number is correct. It’s frustrating on days like today when I’ve been in a security line for an hour while my partner stands at the gate hoping I make my flight. 

Re: TSA Pre-Check with Companion never 100%

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

When you say "I’ve confirmed repeatedly that my KTN and all personal information including my RR number is correct" are you speaking specifically about the reservations when you are a companion?  It's been a little while so I may not be remembering correctly, but I seem to remember that when making a companion reservation the KTN had to be manually entered, it did not carry over to the reservation based on the RR# entered.  That may have changed, but it sounds like either the KTN is not on the reservation or there is a difference in name being used compared to when you book travel as a non-companion.  Is your middle name in your RR profile and on tickets when you make reservations by yourself (not as a companion), but missing when you book as a companion?  That's why I ask about what you were confirming, you would need to compare what info is on the reservation when booked as a companion and not as a companion.  I'd bet there's some difference.

 

--TheMiddleSeat