<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PVDtoGO:
I might be missing something here, so please help me out. I have heard mentioned on this board, a few times, that airlines with brief turn times will suffer with the increased security at the check points.
From my position, these are somewhat unrelated. Passengers who don't get to the gate in time as a result of the longer lines, more intense searches, etc, may miss their flight. But how does the security checkpoint affect the plane's turn time? It is the passengers responsibility to get to the gate.</font>
For one, Positive Passenger Baggage Match (PPBM) can slow things down. If a passenger checks bags at the ticket counter, then is delayed an unreasonably long time at the security checkpoint, their flight may be ready to go with their bags on board, but with the passenger not at the gate yet. In this event, the flight gets delayed while they get the baggage off the flight, or find the passenger and expidite them through security and to the gate.
This is one reason that check-in times for international flights are longer than for domestic ones. Since all int'l flights have PPBM, they want the passengers on board in plenty of time so that they have time to pull people's bags that don't board but still have an on-time departure. Many airlines are requesting that you arrive at the airport 3 hours prior to departure for international flights. If this were to be the norm going forward for domestic flights, it would have a significant impact on people's travel patterns (that is, more people driving instead of flying, or just not taking discretionary trips). I don't think PPBM is a bad thing, but they need to figure out how to get it done without causing delays or unreasonably long check-in requirements.
Ironically, one thing that has made this worse is the reduction in carry-on allowances, meaning that more passengers that otherwise would have carried everything on with them are now having to check bags. I would hope that in the medium term, the security checkpoint equipment and staffing can be adjusted to allow the previous carry-on allowances while still providing adequate security.
As for other delays, they are now hand-searching carry-ons and the persons of some passengers at the gate right as they board. These presumably are some passengers that get profiled based on any number of things (such as the gentleman in Chicago last week that was traveling on a one-way ticket and had several weapons in his carry-on). This slows down boarding.
Also, all passengers must show their ID along with their boarding passes at the jetway. This is bound to add a few minutes to the boarding process.
So, I think you're right in that much of the increased lines at security serve to increase the amount of time you must arrive at the airport before the flight departs. But, there are also other factors that do cause delays.