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Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

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Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

bigblue_dl said:
Doesn't your company use a service like CIBT to deal with travel documents? When I needed my passport done quickly, I just sent all of the information, and the picture, to CIBT, my company paid them some expedited fee, and they sent a passport in like 5 days.

http://cibtvisas.com/passports
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We use CIBT. But regardless, with me going out of town and having a passport over 15 years old, I'm almost certainly going to have to apply in person at the Mpls State Dept.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

Took all sorts of woodworking/welding classes in high school. Interested me, was easy as "elective" courses, and gave me life skills that will always be useful even if I rarely need it. Usually took 1 each year (woodworking freshman yr, welding/metal sophomore, set design (for the school play) was in there another year, basically an advanced woodworking class.

We had home ec in middle school. Cooking and sewing.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

dxmnkd316 said:
We use CIBT. But regardless, with me going out of town and having a passport over 15 years old, I'm almost certainly going to have to apply in person at the Mpls State Dept.
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Is that new? I definitely never did anything in person for my first passport, and that was the one I got in 5 days.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

bigblue_dl said:
Is that new? I definitely never did anything in person for my first passport, and that was the one I got in 5 days.
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My manager enlightened me on the ways of CIBT. 2-7 days is nothing. They offer same day passport service if necessary :eek: .
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

dxmnkd316 said:
My manager enlightened me on the ways of CIBT. 2-7 days is nothing. They offer same day passport service if necessary :eek: .
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Yep. They have that **** covered! They got me my visa to travel to India too, and that was in like 3 days.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

bigblue_dl said:
Yep. They have that **** covered! They got me my visa to travel to India too, and that was in like 3 days.
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And when I called they couldn't get an appointment until 7/31. Worthless. Absolutely worthless.

So I made an appointment with the State Dept on 7/24.
 
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Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

I sign up for TSA Precheck (it was free with my American Express Card) and get approved. Add my number to my Delta account in June. Print out my boarding pass today and notice that it isnt on there. I call Delta, the customer service person tells me everything is fine and I will have it when I get there. Because I never trust customer service and their BS canned answers I call back again. The person who answers keeps telling me TSA precheck is random and that even though I have a number they might not allow it for whatever reason. That makes no sense so I call TSA. After answering basic questions I get put on hold transferred and told that they will have to "look into it" and that I will get an email in 24-48 hours explaining the issue. My flight is tomorrow at 2:45pm.

Oh and the best part...my girlfriend who is flying with me got TSA precheck randomly.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

Handyman said:
I sign up for TSA Precheck (it was free with my American Express Card) and get approved. Add my number to my Delta account in June. Print out my boarding pass today and notice that it isnt on there. I call Delta, the customer service person tells me everything is fine and I will have it when I get there. Because I never trust customer service and their BS canned answers I call back again. The person who answers keeps telling me TSA precheck is random and that even though I have a number they might not allow it for whatever reason. That makes no sense so I call TSA. After answering basic questions I get put on hold transferred and told that they will have to "look into it" and that I will get an email in 24-48 hours explaining the issue. My flight is tomorrow at 2:45pm.

Oh and the best part...my girlfriend who is flying with me got TSA precheck randomly.
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That second answer from Delta is correct, actually. Every once in a blue moon, you are supposed to get randomly thrown into the cattle line. Hasn't happened to me yet in 3 years, but in theory it could.

They are giving so many people, especially non-Medallion first class and C+ pax, "random" TSAPre lately, that I finally just got CLEAR, so I can skip the boarding pass check line and go right to the physical screening.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

Update!

So I called Delta again and spoke to "Bob". (he said his name was bob but his accent said otherwise) I calmly explained my situation and he gave me the same BS about how TSA is random and even if you have a Known Traveler Number the SA will block you or randomly say yes or no to you. (you would think people would make a stink about that since they pay for the service but no one seems to mention it) I inform "Bob" that I called the TSA and according to them there is nothing on their end that would be the problem. I double checked and my name, address and KTN number are correct as is my birthday. "Bob" kept insisting that it was TSA and I informed him again that TSA said otherwise and never said anything about randomness. (which they would have done instead of going through 15 minutes of BS on the phone) "Bob" puts me on hold to talk to his supervisor, then gets back on and once again tells me it is a TSA issue and that the service was completely random. I then said ok and hung up on "Bob".

Now look I hate Delta anyways but this is ridiculous even for them. I mean I get they dont care about us plebes (hence the 4 different class of passenger one of which doesnt even get assigned seats until all the beautiful people get assigned and checked in) but sometimes it helps to pretend.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

FadeToBlack&Gold said:
That second answer from Delta is correct, actually. Every once in a blue moon, you are supposed to get randomly thrown into the cattle line. Hasn't happened to me yet in 3 years, but in theory it could.

They are giving so many people, especially non-Medallion first class and C+ pax, "random" TSAPre lately, that I finally just got CLEAR, so I can skip the boarding pass check line and go right to the physical screening.
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What is the point of going through the screening process and paying if I can be randomly kicked out (on my first usage in this case) meanwhile my girlfriend who is flying with me gets it for nothing? All in the name of BS security that fails 90% of the time anyways? And better yet why didnt TSA just say that when I called them?
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

Handyman said:
What is the point of going through the screening process and paying if I can be randomly kicked out (on my first usage in this case) meanwhile my girlfriend who is flying with me gets it for nothing? All in the name of BS security that fails 90% of the time anyways? And better yet why didnt TSA just say that when I called them?
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I agree, it's dumb. Especially since TSAPre will, upon going through the metal detector, randomly select pax for additional screening. Meaning you have to step to one side and go through the full millimeter wave X-ray, and occasionally get groped if the agent sees something they don't like. That, I have had happen a few times now.

It mostly annoys me that they give it to people who don't pay for it, including Ma & Pa Kettle in Basic Economy, who hold up the line because they don't know the procedure and think they have to take off their shoes and everything.

When it works perfectly though, which for me is about 75-80% of the time, it's almost like going through security in the 90s again.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

I got random pre check a few months ago and it was awesome. That was why I opted to take advantage of the American Express program.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

After my first time checking in with precheck, I pulled out my phone, called my wife, and said, "You'd better go down to the airport and cough up your $85 or I'm never travelling with you again!"
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

Handyman said:
I got random pre check a few months ago and it was awesome. That was why I opted to take advantage of the American Express program.
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Oh I know, it's nice to be one of the aforementioned "beautiful people". Going to be a b*tch when I have to pay extra for exit row seats again, and board in Zone 2 after all the overhead space is gone, when I get off the road someday. #FirstWorldProblems ;)
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

FadeToBlack&Gold said:
Oh I know, it's nice to be one of the aforementioned "beautiful people". Going to be a b*tch when I have to pay extra for exit row seats again, and board in Zone 2 after all the overhead space is gone, when I get off the road someday. #FirstWorldProblems ;)
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Yeah my boss gave me the miles so we got exit row both ways...just me and the GF chilling in Comfort Plus.
 
Re: Gear Grinding 7: Really? This crap again?

What's this "randomness" of TSA-Pre you speak of?

Which is to say, the "random" part of TSA-Pre is more tiny chance that you have to go through full screening, even when your boarding pass says TSA-Pre.

I paid for TSA-Pre a few years ago, and it's that way for every flight. I have never been denied the TSA-Pre line, and only once did I have to go through the normal screen- which the device is right next to the basic metal detector (so the line is incredibly short).

I think it's a Delta problem, as TSA seems quite good with the set up.
 
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