Airport security has a unique talent for turning capable adults into anxious guessers. Shoes on or off. Laptop out or in. Liquids visible or buried. The rules shift from airport to airport, sometimes from lane to lane, and the explanation is usually delivered at volume instead of with clarity.

Recently, the Transportation Security Administration acknowledged this frustration in a public post. But instead of promising more consistency, the agency pointed travelers toward what it framed as a workaround.

If you want a predictable experience, pay for TSA PreCheck.

From a technical standpoint, their explanation makes sense. From a traveler’s standpoint, it still lands awkwardly.

Why the TSA says rules feel inconsistent

According to the TSA, the inconsistency is driven by technology. Different airports use different generations of screening equipment. Some scanners require electronics and liquids to stay in bags. Others do not. Officers are enforcing what the machines need, not freelancing the rules.

Their advice was blunt and simple. If you want a consistent process across airports, enroll in TSA PreCheck.

That answer did not go over well.

The price of predictability, and why people push back

TSA PreCheck currently costs roughly $78 to $85 for five years, depending on how and where you enroll. Renewals can be a bit cheaper.

That price point is not outrageous. It is also not insignificant, especially when framed as the solution to confusion rather than a convenience upgrade.

Online reactions were fast and sharp. Many travelers asked why consistency is something you have to buy, instead of something the system should strive for by default.

Others pointed out something else that feels quietly infuriating.

Even when you pay, you are not guaranteed the experience you were promised.

Why I still use PreCheck, even with its flaws

I use TSA PreCheck, and I will be honest about why.

It increases my odds of getting through security more quickly and with less friction, especially when I am traveling with my guide dog. That matters. Time matters. Calm matters. Predictability matters.

Yes, travelers with disabilities can use assistance or accessibility lanes. In theory, that should make things smoother. In practice, it depends heavily on the airport, the layout, the staffing, and how well that lane is actually understood and managed that day.

Sometimes the assistance lane is great. Sometimes it is a bottleneck with unclear instructions and well-meaning confusion. PreCheck does not solve everything, but it often reduces the number of variables I have to manage at once.

That said, it is not foolproof.

Random screening still happens. Equipment goes down. A PreCheck lane can suddenly behave like a standard lane with a different sign. Paying for consistency increases the likelihood of a smoother experience, but it does not guarantee it.

And that is where the frustration lives.

Consistency is not a luxury, it is accessibility

For blind and low vision travelers, inconsistency is not just annoying. It adds cognitive load in an environment that is already loud, rushed, and full of overlapping instructions.

Clear and consistent procedures are not about making security weaker. They are about making compliance easier. Confused passengers slow lines, miss instructions, and create friction for everyone involved.

Accessibility and efficiency are not opposing goals. They are usually the same goal, just described differently.

Where travelers draw a hard line, firearms at checkpoints

Interestingly, travelers were far less divided about another recent TSA-related issue.

Pennsylvania lawmaker Dan Frankel recently proposed stricter penalties for people who bring firearms to airport security checkpoints in carry-on bags. In 2024 alone, TSA officers intercepted more than 6,000 firearms at checkpoints, most of them loaded.

I will be candid here. I genuinely cannot imagine why someone, in this day and age, would even consider bringing a firearm to the airport in a carry-on bag, loaded or not.

The rules around firearm transport are clear. Gun owners are explicitly told how to fly legally with a firearm. There is no ambiguity here, no confusing signage, no mixed messaging.

That is likely why public reaction was different. Travelers overwhelmingly supported tougher consequences.

Responsibility is part of ownership. Full stop.

The difference between confusion and negligence

This contrast says a lot.

Travelers are willing to accept stricter enforcement when the rules are clear and the behavior is dangerous. What they are not willing to accept is being told to pay extra to navigate confusion that could be reduced through better design and clearer communication.

TSA PreCheck can be useful. I use it. Many travelers do. But it should be framed honestly, as a convenience that increases your odds of a smoother experience, not as the fix for a system that still struggles with consistency.

Predictability should not feel like a premium feature.

It should feel like good design.

See you at the gate.

-Ted and Fauna