I hope all of those who whined are happy.


Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002
U.S. government orders airlines to close VIP lines
WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. government has told commercial airlines to close the VIP lines that allow their most valued customers, mainly business travelers, to avoid long waits for security checks at airports, officials said on Wednesday.

The elimination of the perk was ordered by the Transportation Security Administration, which took over airport passenger and baggage screening from the airlines at more than 420 airports this week.

Transportation officials said the decision to do away with VIP lines reflected a move to make the overhaul of airport security equitable since it is now a federal function.

The VIP lines cut the wait for passenger and baggage screening to minutes, instead of an hour or more, and allowed business travelers to spend less time at the airport.

The special service was created to remedy long screening lines after the Sept. 11 attacks on America and boost the sagging business travel market, a priority for big carriers.

John Magaw, the new TSA director, said last week security demands would be balanced with passenger convenience, but common sense would prevail and not everyone would be happy.

One travel expert warned the industry and the government had to find a way to cut down on airport waiting time if they wanted to revive the lucrative airline business.

"These long lines in short-haul markets. ... If you start putting an extra hour or an hour-and-a-half then business travelers are going to opt for their car or the train," said Kevin Mitchell of the Business Travel Coalition.

Some airlines have removed the VIP lines at certain airports to comply with the new requirement, but others have not. The order was conveyed verbally to airlines, a TSA official said.

One industry official said the order has prompted confusion. He said there was uncertainty in the industry about the extent of federal authority beyond the actual function of screening passengers and bags.

Business travel experts said the faster lines were valuable to some, though they did raise fairness questions.

As a substitute, they promoted a plan, being studied by the government, that would allow passengers to receive "trusted traveler cards." Such a card would be granted on a voluntary basis and would use the latest identification technologies to rule out any potential threats and move passengers through security quickly.





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