Actually, we're probably closest to being fully cross-trained at my airport than most. We've had the majority of our screeners cross-trained for over a year, almost two years. However, with transfers from other airports and new hires, we've had to contend with single-trained screeners, mostly checkpoint screeners, and it's all boiled down to money. I don't understand all the ins-and-outs of training, but a lot of it has to do with TSA-recognized instruction as opposed to in-house training. That's been the biggest drawback to getting our screeners cross-trained.

You are absolutely right about that sense of boredom and monotony. I've always been fond of working checkpoint and never thought I'd ever prefer anything else. However, since I've been flipping back and forth between baggage and checkpoint, I look forward to baggage more than I do checkpoint. (This is a pretty significant admission, and the joke around the airport is that I've been seduced by the Dark Side of the Force.) The variety makes the job more enjoyable.

And you're absolutely right about cost-savings and effectiveness. Cross-training cuts down on overtime because all we have to do is cross-load our available workforce. And the variety results in happier screeners...for the most part. There's always that small percentage in any workforce who are never satisfied regardless of effort or who cling to some belief that this is all a conspiracy designed specifically against them personally.

I am surprised that there are still airports that haven't made an effort towards cross-training.