A boyfriend’s decision to go through TSA Precheck without his girlfriend is being validated online.
Unsure of whether he was in the wrong, the 31-year-old man took to Reddit’s famed confession forum, Am I The A**hole, to get the opinions of others. He started by explaining that he and his girlfriend, 28, had recently travelled from New York City to Paris. Prior to their departure, the Redditor told his partner that he’d cover the cost of the entire trip under one condition – she applied for Global Entry.
Global Entry is a service provided by US Customs and Border Protection which “allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travellers upon arrival in the United States”. On top of that, Global Entry includes TSA Precheck, a smoother and faster security process.
“I thought this would be a great way for us both to avoid long lines at TSA. I even started the application for her, and all she had to do was finish it,” he wrote.
Unfortunately, despite his generous offering, she never applied.
“However, she didn’t complete the application, and I ended up paying for the whole trip anyway because I was planning to do so regardless,” the Reddit user said. “I just wanted to give her an incentive to apply for Global Entry.”
Regardless, the Redditor went through TSA Precheck on their travel day without his girlfriend. While he had a swift security experience, she was directed through the regular line.
The boyfriend confessed: “For the beginning part of our trip, she was mad at me for this.”
Finally, he asked anonymous users whether they thought he was a bad person for going ahead through TSA Precheck without her.
In response to the question, many commenters admitted similar experiences, adding how they thought the Reddit user did the right thing.
“You put in the work for Precheck and deserve the benefit of a fast line. Your gf didn’t, but she knew that you did, and she knew how to get it herself. This was her own doing,” one individual said.
Another wrote: “I’ve been with my wife seven years, I travel for work and she flies at least 3-4 times a year since I met her… she has refused every attempt to get her Precheck, I just gave up, she can wait in the long line I stopped caring lol. NTA.”
“What happened was a result of her own decision. If she’s happy to go through the regular TSA line, that’s fine. There’s no need for you to suffer because of her bad decision,” one candid reader noted.
Another person wrote: “My spouse has Global Entry and I don’t. We always split up for security check. This is a nonissue.”
