itsaboutthejourney

(Apologies if this is not the correct forum, I generally stay away from TSS forum before the split)

NELSON PROPOSES AIR PASSENGER FAIRNESS ACT

http://bennelson.senate.gov/press/pr...rness-bill.cfm

I'm guessing many of us won't be in agreement with the good senator and hope folks write in:

http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm

GUWonder

I welcome this as I hope it would lead to the airlines' most frequent customers pressuring the airlines to finally put real pressure for the TSA to treat all passengers in a manner that does not involve strip searches, removing shoes, removing laptops, or tossing non-hazardous liquids/gels.

justforfun

I'm convinced that the elite line at JFK T8 is always slower anyway.

If elite lines are replaced with sane checkpoints, I wouldn't complain. Look at BCN. No elite lines, and you never have to wait.

GUWonder

Not always in my experience there, but often enough that I do a count and calculation and sometimes switch lines while using the passenger previously in front of me in the Priority AAcess line as a benchmark of sorts.

bocastephen

Is there an organized movement to fight this Bill? What is the airline response?

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

In many airports there is a dedicated ID check line, which then dumps into regular screening. In addition, airlines are now upselling elite lanes causing more paxs in the lanes. In all, the elite lanes in my experience do not really save a sizable amount of time. And the paxs in the elite lanes often seem to be as clueless as to the paxs that fly maybe once every five years.

Now if TSA expands the TT program to more airports (which is the plan) and of course to UA and USAir that would help. But that does not include International travel. Also if you are an elite say with AA it does not help when you occassionally fly another airline (like when I fly DL a few times a year.)

GUWonder

TT/Pre-Check expansion is a messed up approach to speeding up the screening process without increasing risks. The approach that makes a major difference in decreasing screening time without a loss in effectiveness is: to scrap the TSA ID checks; eliminate the voodoo "security" behavior detection rituals; eliminate the use of strip search machines; end the war on harmless liquids and gels; and end the laptops out demand -- and making all of this the standard for all passengers rather than just for a minority of US persons.

I think this bill won't make it into law as the US House of Representatives won't let it make it to a House floor vote unless a poison pill of sorts has been stuck into it.

The airlines and airports won't back the US Senator's bill.

bocastephen

We need to alert our airlines and favorite airports about this abomination and make sure the Bill never sees the light of day.

What is this guy, Sen. Commie?

T.J. Bender

And why, exactly, should it be illegal for airlines to make the experience marginally less painful for those of us who contribute a good deal of money than it is for those who contribute one T-fare round trip a year?

That said, if verbiage banning the use of AIT (or, at least, limiting it to the gumby MMW for secondary use only) is attached as a rider here, I'd be strongly in favor of the legislation.

cordelli

Well, the good thing is that many congressmen would then have to stand in line with everybody else as it is written this bill would also prevent VIP's from bypassing the line.

Other than that, in an election year, it's going to be hard for somebody to vote for anything against the masses for anybody called elite.

Crazyhotelguy

+1. I do not see this going anywhere.

GUWonder

I don't understand the "+1" in this situation. You don't see this bill going anywhere while cordelli's post suggests it is easier for politicians to vote in favor of this bill than to vote against it.

Easier to vote in favor of this bill = increased likelihood of it going somewhere and getting closer to becoming law. If this bill gets passed by Congress -- something I don't foresee happening -- and gets to the POTUS desk, it then would become law of the land. I expect that this bill will not reach the POTUS' desk.

kebosabi

I paid $50 to sign up for NEXUS, I was interviewed by BOTH US and Canadian immigration officials, I already am a trusted traveler under BOTH US and Canadian immigration, I should not have to go through the TSA security theater whose ID checkers doesn't even know what a NEXUS card is.

travelingsalesgal

Oh for pete's sake, we don't even have elite lines in OMA. Not even a working 'expert traveler' lane. I would be ecstatic if we had an elite lane at OMA. Guess I better tell my senator what's up.

Often1

He's not even running for another term this year, this legislation is going nowhere and Nelson knows it. Like 1,000 other bills dropped by Senators and Members every day, it's been done for some constituent who ranted about something that happened to them which they didn't like.