Several months ago, I almost missed a PDX-SEA flight that was the first segment in an international itin because I misjudged the security line (it was short, but turned out to be painfully slow because of all the liquid nonsense). At the 11 minute mark, I made an apologetic move to the front and was processed accordingly. Then, I sprinted to the UX gate area and was initially told that I was too late. I made the flight in the end, but only by a hair. My question: if I had checked bags, would my plight have been different (e.g. airline employees find me at security)?