Ok, how about another scenario:

You arrive at the airport at 4:00pm for a 5:30pm flight to CVG and then have a 45 minute connection at CVG onto FCO. Reasonable connection time for CVG. Prior to leaving for the airport, delta.com states your 5:30pm flight is on time.

You arrive at the Delta ticket counter and the 5:30pm flight to CVG is now delayed to 6:05pm, which means you have a 10 minute domestic to international connection - if even that - assuming your original flight departs at 6:05pm with the delay.

Flight to FCO operates once a day; Agent checks alternate routes. The connection via ATL is sold-out. The DL/AF connections to FCO via CDG are no good because of a strike in France.

While at the ticket counter the agent says there is a Comair flight to CVG departing at 4:20pm. Since you are carry-on only, agent states this is your best chance at getting to FCO. Agent gives you last seat on CRJ at the rear of the plane and tells you to make a run for it.

You arrive at the checkpoint. At SDF there is no elite line. The checkpoint that is a normal 5 to 10 minute wait this time of day is backed up and ugly looking.

Do you:

(1) Politely excuse yourself and jump line
(2) Wait in line and potentially miss your flight (which means a likely mis-connect on the original flight).

If you excuse yourself to the front, do you try to justify it to other pax who are waiting? "Sorry, airline put me on a new flight" -- or do you just say excuse me, cut the entire queue to reach the TSA employee directing pax, politely explain why you jumped queue, and pray they allow you to proceed?

In this case I politely try to jump queue. It isn't a great situation to be in, but you either jump queue or you're potentially SOL. If someone wants to give me crap, so be it.

What would you do? I jumped queue and made it to the gate just in time for boarding. I made it to CVG and caught my connection to FCO. While at CVG, I notice my original flight is further delayed which meant I would have been a mis-connect.