Originally Posted by
DevilDog438
The government is not providing prioritization to elite flyers. The airlines, who pay rental fees to the airport for the space prior to the TSO performing the TDC, have chosen to provide a priority line in THEIR rental space prior to the TSA checkpoint. That is their privilege, as it is THEIR rental property prior to the actual TDC checkstand. Once you have passed the TDC, you are in TSA-land and are subject to their decisions on which queue you end up in.
Exactly, which is a fact the author even mentioned, but then continued to ignore while whining about it.
The bottom line - the TSA leases space from the airport for their checkpoint. They have no control over how lines are presented to them, nor can they force lines to queue in a certain way. Even their silly ski-slope lanes are done with the partnership and blessing of the airports involved, who could pull the plug if they so wished.
The people who want to whine about 'elites and first class' getting faster lane access should whine to the airlines and airport managers - and see how far they get.