Lihu'e TSA Pre-check and catching earlier HA flight on united award ticket?

JulieAB · Oct 6, 2016

Anyone have recent experience with the TSA pre-check lines at LIH airport? We recently flew out of Kona and they sent us in the regular line.

We were allowed to keep our shoes, but had to remove EVERYTHING from the carry-ons (which was a lot with our kids!). It totally changes the way I pack. :doh:

Also, we have a LIH-HNL flight on hawaiian, booked with united miles. Has anyone been able to catch an earlier flight at the airport with this set up? I know hawaiian won't make ANY changes for me on the phone because it was booked with united -- and united wants $200 to change. But I don't want to bother showing up early if it has no chance.

dioxide45 · Oct 6, 2016

I think that United has a fee to fly standby. So if you end up getting the earlier flight, you will have to pay $75 per ticket for flying standby.

cowboy · Oct 6, 2016

There was a pre-check line at Lihue on 9/29/16.

DaveNV · Oct 6, 2016

I've used Pre-Check at Lihue a couple of times, I don't recall there being a problem. Kona airport was always a bit more fussy about things.

Having a Pre-Check designation doesn't guarantee you'll get the service. I was flying out of Madison, Wisconsin last Spring, and had Pre-Check. I get to the TSA area, and there was a clearly-marked Pre-Check line, but nobody was working it. The TSA agent said, "You'll have to go through this line," indicating the normal line, which had about 30 people waiting. I said, "What about my Pre-Check?" And the agent said, (this is classic), "Oh, we don't do that on weekends." Then why offer it??

The biggest issue I've encountered leaving from Lihue was when we were traveling with my brother and his wife. Their outbound flight was on a different carrier than ours. We get to the airport well ahead of our flights, we each go through security, and only then found ourselves in different terminal waiting areas, with no option to get back together. We couldn't even say Goodbye. It was kind of sneaky of them, since nothing they indicated ahead of time said we'd be in different terminals. Next time I'll know better, and say my goodbyes in advance of going through security. :annoyed:

Dave

Chrispee · Oct 6, 2016

We used the LIH PreCheck line last March (end of spring break). I think we skipped the single longest TSA lineup I've ever seen, and walked straight through a gate into screening.

DeniseM · Oct 6, 2016

When we had an early flight from Kauai this summer, the pre-check line was not open, and we were told they didn't staff that line until 9 am, so it appears to be a staffing/budget issue.

lynne · Oct 6, 2016

JulieAB said:
Also, we have a LIH-HNL flight on hawaiian, booked with united miles. Has anyone been able to catch an earlier flight at the airport with this set up? I know hawaiian won't make ANY changes for me on the phone because it was booked with united -- and united wants $200 to change. But I don't want to bother showing up early if it has no chance.

Unless United Air is willing to re-book you on Hawaiian Airlines, you do not have a chance of an earlier flight without a fee. You can get your HA record locator from United, but HA does not allow same day flight changes without a fee (I think it was between $50 - $75 per ticket).

b2bailey · Oct 6, 2016

TSA precheck

I'm usually very happy to see that notation on my boarding pass. However, I was at the San Jose CA airport recently and the precheck line was longer than regular line. I stayed where I was because I didn't want to take off my shoes.

rickandcindy23 · Oct 6, 2016

b2bailey said:
I'm usually very happy to see that notation on my boarding pass. However, I was at the San Jose CA airport recently and the precheck line was longer than regular line. I stayed where I was because I didn't want to take off my shoes.

Those Californians! Yep, we were in Oakland last month, and the TSA Pre line was three times longer than the regular line. We were all joking about it, but we stayed in the TSA Pre line, so we wouldn't have to take off shoes and remove our laptops from the cases. It was still fast.

slip · Oct 6, 2016

DaveNW said:
I've used Pre-Check at Lihue a couple of times, I don't recall there being a problem. Kona airport was always a bit more fussy about things.

Having a Pre-Check designation doesn't guarantee you'll get the service. I was flying out of Madison, Wisconsin last Spring, and had Pre-Check. I get to the TSA area, and there was a clearly-marked Pre-Check line, but nobody was working it. The TSA agent said, "You'll have to go through this line," indicating the normal line, which had about 30 people waiting. I said, "What about my Pre-Check?" And the agent said, (this is classic), "Oh, we don't do that on weekends." Then why offer it??

The biggest issue I've encountered leaving from Lihue was when we were traveling with my brother and his wife. Their outbound flight was on a different carrier than ours. We get to the airport well ahead of our flights, we each go through security, and only then found ourselves in different terminal waiting areas, with no option to get back together. We couldn't even say Goodbye. It was kind of sneaky of them, since nothing they indicated ahead of time said we'd be in different terminals. Next time I'll know better, and say my goodbyes in advance of going through security. :annoyed:

Dave

We flew out if Madison a few weeks ago on a Saturday and it was the first time we used our Pre-Check. We had just gotten it a few weeks before the flight. Anyway, they did have it on the weekend.

JulieAB · Oct 6, 2016

rickandcindy23 said:
Those Californians! Yep, we were in Oakland last month, and the TSA Pre line was three times longer than the regular line. We were all joking about it, but we stayed in the TSA Pre line, so we wouldn't have to take off shoes and remove our laptops from the cases. It was still fast.

I will GLADLY wait in a longer line to avoid the body scanners (and pat down for refusing), removing shoes, electronics, and toiletries -- especially when traveling with my family where each individual has 2-4 electronic devices at minimum!

Luanne · Oct 6, 2016

JulieAB said:
I will GLADLY wait in a longer line to avoid the body scanners (and pat down for refusing), removing shoes, electronics, and toiletries -- especially when traveling with my family where each individual has 2-4 electronic devices at minimum!

You don't necessarily avoid the body scanner. I believe some airports do use them in the PreCheck area.

DeniseM · Oct 6, 2016

Luanne said:
You don't necessarily avoid the body scanner. I believe some airports do use them in the PreCheck area.

If a scanner is used, you still have to go through it. Precheck basically means the you don't have to take so much stuff out of your bag.

DaveNV · Oct 6, 2016

slip said:
We flew out if Madison a few weeks ago on a Saturday and it was the first time we used our Pre-Check. We had just gotten it a few weeks before the flight. Anyway, they did have it on the weekend.

Hmm. Wonder why they told me they didn't? Maybe things have improved since then?

Dave

slip · Oct 6, 2016

We debated about getting the Pre-Check but since I've been traveling more for work and they opened up a screening area in Madison so I didn't have to go to Milwaukee to get it, we just did it. I figured it will be under $5 a flight by the time we have to renew.

Madison is such a small airport, I wondered if it would be worth it because I fly out if there most of the time but I'm glad I did after the first flight with it.

I have always seen the two lines there so I don't know what he was talking about but maybe they were short handed? :shrug:

JulieAB · Oct 14, 2016

Just an update, LIH had a fully functional Pre-check line.

We didn't bother trying for the flight change.

Poobah · Oct 16, 2016

LIH Precheck

When we left Lihue last April, Precheck was up and operational, however I got the random check and had to do the body scanner.

There was a huge line, almost to the baggage claim, but it wasn't TSA it was the HA check-in line for the A330 flight back to the mainland.

If you are on that one, better allow plenty of time!

Lihu'e TSA Pre-check and catching earlier HA flight on united award ticket?

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