Has anyone ever used SEA Spot Saver for the TSA screening, in particular for international travel? Our daughter used it earlier this year--traveling with two small children--and it worked out well. We departed from Sea-Tac in mid-May and had no problem getting through security--lines were short. This was without Spot Saver. I am wondering given the issues in some airports whether it is worth considering it for our next trip in mid-September.
Thanks
My daughter and part of her family used it in February. I have TSA precheck so I went through precheck line with granddaughter. We all entered the lines at the same time. She reported that it was very useful for getting to the desk where the agents check your documents much quicker than the regular line, but once past that point there was no time savings. I do know that I was through the TSA precheck line and waiting for the others in our party for about 10 minutes before they caught up with us. I can only imagine that it would have been even longer without Spot Saver.
Spot Saver is free. I don't see a downside to using it. There is no difference in going through security for an international flight vs. a domestic flight. The check in desk is where they confirm that you have the correct documentation to enter your destination.
I used it in the fall departing SEA because I was the only one in my party without TSA pre-check. I was through security more quickly than the three who went through pre-check (by about 5 minutes). Might be a good idea to sign up for just in case. I should add that I now have TSA pre-check. Hope this helps!
On a pre-covid trip, we signed up for it, but we got to the airport ( from the offsite parking) earlier than expected and just went through the short regular line rather than wait for our 'appointment'.
I presume it is still free, so see no downside to making the reservation and not using it if it is not needed.
Just used SEA Spot Saver at SEA-TAC airport in August of 2022. It worked out great for my group of 3 traveling on a domestic flight but would have been similarly successful for an international departure. You can register as a single person or name the number of people in your group. Your departure time must be between 5am and 1pm. You state your estimated time to be going through the TSA security line when you register. You then show your validation to enter the special SPOT Saver line, short and sweet through security. This is a great alternative to TSA Precheck status.
SEA SPOT allows you to register up to 72 hours before your flight.
There are only a handful of airports that use SPOT Saver. Seattle's airport is one of them. Happy trails.
