TSA Launches Charm Offensive

But the usual humiliations and violations continue

The TSA offered Sue Speck an early Christmas present when she checked in for a recent flight from Columbus to Los Angeles: a coveted Precheck designation on her boarding pass, which allowed her to avoid removing her shoes, taking out her laptop and most important, get around the agency's dreaded full-body scanners when she was screened.

"It was easy," says Speck, a sales administrative assistant who lives in Columbus. "There was no line."

So easy that she found herself wishing for Precheck privileges on her next flight, even though she didn't belong to the exclusive program.