For the longest time: Delta had me running the gauntlet as Precheck. Today we were demoted to the standard inspection. The airline representative indicated that the decision was driven by TSA and has been applied to a number of passengers.
Given that TSA has incentive (they are resource constrained) to expedite travelers as Pre-Check, what possible cause would they have to revert Pre-Check passengers to standard status?
The TSA is explicit.
If I am TSA Pre✓® eligible, am I guaranteed expedited screening?
No, TSA uses unpredictable security measures, both seen and unseen, throughout the airport. All travelers will be screened, and no individual is guaranteed expedited screening.
Officially, the airline does not choose which passengers receive expedited screening or not; this is a function of TSA's algorithms. Part of that algorithm will randomly send Pre-check passengers through for regular screening.
The whys should be self-evident (at least, from the viewpoint of a security bureaucrat). Trusted traveler programs are not a guarantee that some traveler is not a threat, or is not carrying items that could be used to harm passengers or the aircraft, so you still need to do spot checks. You also don't want people to start thinking Pre-check is some sort of badge of trustworthiness that now exempts them from carry-on restrictions, or other rules.
The TSA does not have a strong incentive to expedite travelers. They are a government agency, and if anything, they can make the case to Congress for more funding to increase headcount more easily if long lines are in the news.
Given that TSA has incentive (they are resource constrained) to expedite travelers as Pre-Check, what possible cause would they have to revert Pre-Check passengers to standard status?
There is a good deal of consternation among people who have paid for it that people are sometimes given Pre-Check without having paid anything for the privilege. A bill to stop the TSA from doing that even passed the House of Representatives last year. Perhaps the TSA has quietly restricted the criteria for inclusion of passengers who haven't paid for the privilege.
