Taking leave this summer? Even when traveling for personal time, members of the military and DoD civilians qualify for TSA Pre✓® –without any extra effort.
Lately, longer than usual lines at the airport have been in the news as the nation prepares for the busiest summer travel season on record. To reduce the amount of time waiting in lines, while making sure passengers are safe, TSA is encouraging eligible travelers to sign up for TSA Pre✓®. All members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including cadets and midshipmen at the U.S. service academies, and those serving in the Reserves and National Guard, can receive TSA Pre✓® benefits just by using their Department of Defense identification number.
For military members, your DOD identification number works as your known traveler number, or KTN, for all of your travel, both personal and official. Enter the 10 digit number, located on the back of your common access card (CAC), into the KTN field when you make flight reservations to receive TSA Pre✓® benefits. You should update your Defense Travel System profile with KTN as well for official travel. If the number is not on your CAC, you can get the number on milConnect.
DOD civilians are also eligible to receive TSA Pre✓® benefits. They can opt-in through their profile page on the milConnect site. Once they opt-in, DoD civilians will receive a KTN that they can then input in their travel bookings to receive TSA Pre✓® benefits.
When you make a reservation and include your KTN, a TSA Pre✓® indicator will appear on your boarding pass, letting you know that you can go to the TSA Pre✓® screening line. You cannot go straight to the TSA Pre✓® line with your CAC; you must enter the number when you book your travel.
Additionally, you do not have to be in uniform to go through TSA Pre✓® using your DOD identification number.
That means you can leave your shoes, belt, and light jacket on through the screening process, and leave your laptop and liquids in your bag. It helps you get through the line more efficiently, so your screening process is more predictable and less stressful.
For more information, check out TSA.gov.