Gimmie a break. Compared to a real background check (or heck, even a standard "Secret" or "Certificate of Public Trust."), what's required of pilots and FAs is like a walk in the park. (a full SSBI makes it look like barely breathing)

The PRIA requirements are a joke. It's essentially employment history and verification and an NACLC. And most parts of the latter are not necessary to meet the letter of the law.

In fact, I'll take that pilot "10 year background check" over the couple of 5 and 7 year monsters I've had. I doubt that the 25-year old Mesa FO had a guy in a fed suit crawling around Riddle asking his roommates about flag burning, sexual habits, etc........

I'm a firm believer that anyone who goes thru a real background check and has given the feds biometrics ought to be able to jump the line just like aircrew do--especially as the former are far more investigated than the latter. The background check aircrews have to do basically proves that you have not done anything titanically stupid in the last 10 years. And little else.