Memorial Day weekend is over, so that means unofficial summer has arrived (even if it doesn’t feel that way on a chilly afternoon). Al and I will be traveling again soon, and I am looking forward to getting away.
In preparation, I was at AAA recently and noticed a sign for TSA PreCheck®. Unbeknownst to me, our local AAA can do those applications. I had always thought that I had to go into Boston’s Logan International Airport to apply, a major disincentive.
The main reason I had never applied, however, was that you need to be fingerprinted. With all my bandages and skin grafts on my fingers, I thought that was impossible, so why bother?
So I asked about it. And it turns out that the process can accommodate people with hand disabilities. Which had never occurred to me, but is both obvious and appropriate. I made appointments for both of us, and last Monday we went to AAA to apply.
To do the fingerprints, they use a huge tablet. You need to press your fingers onto the screen, and as long as enough of an image is captured, you’re all set. Even if your fingerprints don’t work, or you are missing the primary fingers they want to use (thumbs and index fingers), they can enter an explanation that by-passes the requirement.
In my case, thumbs were out (bandages), as was my right index finger (bandage), and the left index finger is too bent to lie flat on the tablet. But they were able to capture prints from my ring fingers and pinkies on both hands.
A few days later, we received emails that our applications had been accepted. Now we have our TSA PreCheck ID numbers, which I just have to enter on our airlines reservations. Who knew it would be this easy?
I’ll be taking a break over the next few weeks and will have lots to report later in June. In the meantime, be well, Dear Reader.
Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.
Image: Arthur Mazi
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