Getting those maroon coats at EWR to do anything but waste other people's oxygen is a Herculean task. They come from a company called Gateway Security, and their line-level people are just as bad at their other big account in town, the Prudential Center. They either do not the understand the concept of managing the line, or are too lazy to devote brain cells to executing the task of managing the line...they could very well also be unmotivated to do anything other than that which is explicitly spelled out in their job description, and I'm willing to bet that asking whether or not someone in line has status is not on that description, and it's likely not there because it's a reasonably safe bet that many of Gateway's airport people have limited command of English. Not like I'm bitter or anything.