<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by nw_with_attitude:
This is a short way of trying to reduce the wait for getting through the current security procedures.
The basic rule is simple: faster,better,cheaper - pick any two.
We used to have faster and cheaper, now we moving towards better and cheaper - though it will take a while to make the shift. As a result, lots of things will be done in the name of "security" which are really about holding down the cost of implementing security, and not about security itself.
However, if a 15 dollar a ticket security tax were slapped on to pay for a new security system, I imagine there would be screams of agony, cries of revolution and moans of persecution on these boards.
Personally, I would rather pay the tax for the additional speed, or at least have a choice of airlines were some charged the money and allowed people to be moved through quickly - while those flying on shaving every dime and willing to pay the 2 hour wait out of their convenience could go through a slower system.
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I think waiting for the airlines and government to give us what we want got us into this mess in the first place.
I think we have to find a way to tell them we pick "faster, better" and screw cheaper.
Besides even at $20 a ticket, this is not the kind of increase that most travelers moan about. We get upset when a $250 fare suddenly becomes a $450 fare.
We should ask Randy to propose a draft "Frequent Flyer's demands" statement and if we can all agree on some basic points, forward it on our behalf to the FAA and elected officials.