The airlines will be happy to get onboard with a program that claims aviation security will be better if more bags are checked. TSA is hoping that if fewer bags get through the checkpoints, they'll have a better chance at passing the Red Team tests. Win-win for everyone but the pax.

The airlines are not getting 'pushed around'. AA is making a small fortune in rebooking fees and Delta is planning on pairing with Clear. If TSA pushes against carry-on luggage, the airlines will be only to happy to comply - for a fee, of course. Lines? So what? At the end of the day, business travelers and leisure travelers strapped for time (too far to drive) have no alternative but to stay home, and both the airlines and TSA know it and intend to cash in on it.

Congress? Don't make me laugh. As long as key figures get to bypass nasty lines (and they do), and as long as corrupt TSA suppliers continue to line the right Congressional pockets, nothing is going to change.

TSA is also aggressively pushing back at elite lines and would like to eliminate them in favor of Pre - obviously, because elite lines offer a more reliable alternative to Pre. The real Pre time savings is not avoiding shoe removal or even disrobing - FFs get good at that. The time savings is 1) shorter lines and 2) WTMD.

Apparently the baggage screeners do a better job than the checkpoint folks when it comes to passing the Red Team tests. Good Red Team tests = big $$$ bonuses for TSA managers and Neffy. If they get $100K for completely failing the tests, who knows how much they'll get if they actually pass the tests?