San Francisco Global Entry Interviews booking in DECEMBER. LAX = no apts avail "at this time" ---

Keep checking, slots continuously open up as people need to reschedule their appointments.

I'll second what JenC said. My initial appointment in Portland, OR was 9 months out. Kept watching and ultimately got an appointment within 3 months.

Yep, me too (but not in SFO or LAX). Appointment will open up. Keep checking.

Had a similar situation in Denver. Checked every morning around 9am and sometimes late in the afternoon. Just took a couple of minutes. Somewhere around two weeks or so, got a time slot just a week out. Got to keep checking.

If you are willing to go to LAX, would you also be willing to go to Long Beach? They have an enrollment center at the sea port there, which might be less busy than the airport.

Here in San Diego, we have enrollment at two of the border crossings, and the wait was only a couple of weeks when we did it at the Otay Mesa checkpoint, which is about a 30 minute drive from the San Diego airport. They also included the SENTRI enrollment (for driving into the US from Mexico) when we got Global Entry. I'm not sure if that's standard or just because we happened to be at the border.

Just came in through SFO yesterday using the free Mobile Passport app -- took about 5 minutes. So if you can't get Global Entry before your next trip, all is not lost.

Thank you all for your replies. Last year, I was granted somehow, a FREE TSA Precheck on my ticket - don't know why, maybe my good looks???) And I can tell you it was Very Quick going through those lines. "TSA Pre-Check" was printed on my boarding passes, even though I didn't have "Global Entry"...I was designated a quick-moving line, didn't have to show my carry-on, didn't have to remove shoes, etc... So now I want this PERMANENTLY on my passport. Will keep checking back, but December in San Francisco is OK...

Show up a 1/2 hour early and try to be the first walk in of the day.
Smile and have all of your documentation in hand.
As soon as there is a no-show, you could get waited on as a walk in.
This worked at BWI for wife and I. The guy said he probably couldn't take us
because of 30 appointments but within an hour he was caught up and there was
a no show.

I just did my interview last week. First, pick a date in December so they don't drop you for not scheduling an interview. Then, check daily. I did this and after 3 weeks there was a cancellation 2 weeks hence, so I took it.

Also they had a walk-up sheet and people were on it. My appt was in the afternoon, don't know how long people waited to get an interview on it (people sitting on the benches didn't seem very chatty), but it is possible to do walk-up at SFO. And in the 30 min I waited to be called there was 1 no-show.

I can't really be that flexible because San Francisco Airport is 3 hours away from my home. So I'll keep my appointment; it'll be OK.

TSA Pre membership is given to you when you complete the Global Entry enrolment, but Pre is not on your passport, it is tied to the traveler number they give you which you then enter on every plane ticket purchase (if that airline is a participant). Even with this, you are never 100% guaranteed you will get Pre. I get it on about 95% of my trips. And not every airline participates in the program, so depending on which airline you fly you may still not get it. (Confusing, right?)

As far as randomly getting Pre, that is coming to an end. Most airports I go through it seems there are more Pre passengers now than regular ones. The Pre lanes are starting to move slower than the regular ones, especially when TSA throws a bunch of people who rarely fly and don't know the procedures into the line. TSA has announced they will not be sending passengers who have not paid for Pre through those lines anymore because they are seeing fewer sign ups for the program and don't want to lose the money that it generates.

If it is not too much bother for you to try this, I might take a trip to your closest enrollment center at the very start of the appointment day with all required paper work and see if they will kindly fit you in their schedule.

I say this because I believe the appts. are 15 minute slots and mine took about 3 minutes.

Regarding Las Vegas...if it's worth the money to go...you don't have to stay. You could do a turnaround flight on the same day and never leave the airport.

Good luck.

In my case, my appointment was the day after I returned from my first international flight in 2015. My photo reflects that fact.