MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Everytime I go through Term D at LGA I am in complete amazement that AA has no lane for elites. Without fail everytime I go through in front of me is Trailer Park Ed, his 300 pound wife and six miserable children returning from NYC to Inbreed, Kentucky just totally clueless and not intelligent even to understand the security line process. Happened again this past Saturday.

tailwindflyer

I feel your pain. I think this has happened to all of us at some point or another, in fact it happends to me alot, even in elite lines. Did you really have to call the guy Trailer Park Ed and make fun of his wife and kids? If this happens to you everytime you go through Terminal D at LGA you should expect it. At some point you have got to stop letting it get under your skin. Maybe you should have a couple of shots or a Xanax before going through security next time.

Try calling AA and asking to set up an elite line in Terminal D. I'm sure they would be delighted to hear your comments about Trailer Park Ed, his 300 pound wife and six miserable kids.

ESpen36

I second the previous posting. It's not Ed's (or his family's) fault that no premium/elite security line exists at LGA D.

What I try to do is after I get past the ID checker, I look ahead and choose a TSA lane that seems to have:
a) mostly business types who know what they are doing and, like me, already have their laptop and baggie out as they wait in line
b) NO kids, strollers, families
c) NO wheelchairs

c_stanley

I feel your pain. Though in fairness to residents of Inbreed, KY it might be more accurate to complain about Ronkonkoma Tony, his 300db wife Carole, and their six miserable children, decamping from Long Island to Palm Beach for a week. They seem to have similar problems to Ed's family.

sluggoaafa

I always get stuck behind the all too important Businessperson who is too busy on the phone, jabbering about some Multi-dollar deal and doesn't realize that they are the next in line to go through the metal detectors and hold everyone up while they finally figure out that they now have to take out their laptop, take off their shoes and take off the jacket.....then realize they are beeping going through the detector because they forgot to put the phone down in the tray....beep again because they didn't realize they still had keys and change in their pockets.....

doesn't matter if there is an elite line or not. Many Elites still wait to the last second to get everything ready. :-)

with that said, I yell at any flight crew member who waits until the last second too. Its bad enough that most airports don't have employee lines, but when we cut in line and don't have stuff ready is even worse.

sts603

I don't think that's necessarily true. Even if they do wait until they get the tables to get stuff ready most elites have a system. Same order, same # of bins every time. God fordbit I ever fly without my laptop I'll be baffled trying to get through security. I turn off my mind and just act like a machine and get through quickly.

edwin_p_morales

Laguardia is a mess. The security area was never designed for the new TSA era and there just isn't enough room. You can't start filling the bins until the very end because you're so jammed in there. It's not really anyone's fault they move so slow, it's s space issue.

I think at some point I read that they are going to revamp the entrance there so there's straight lines and room, but who knows when that will happen, maybe someone here knows the timeline.

FLLUAFlyer

There is no room to put an "Elite" line. The closest thing they have would be the line at the far left, which is used to screen those selected for additional screening ("SSSS"), and also used by vendors to screen crates of sodas, water, beer, etc.

There is a plan to redo all the LGA terminals, starting with tearing down AA's hangar next to Terminal D, and making that a Terminal. Then redoing Terminal D, C, etc. Cannot remember the timeframe, but it would have to be a least a decade (if ever) before you see anything new at LGA.

PDX_Roy

Elite line is no guarantee people in line know what they are doing. One winter I was in ORD elite line behind two people who must have borrowed someone's elite cards. They did nothing to prepare in line. Only when each guy got to the conveyor belt did he begin to take jacket off then realize the laptop had to be in a plastic tub. Three people behind me crossed under the ropes to use the general population line.

I also look ahead to avoid that situation.

nbevan

I will be going through LGA for the first time to catch an early morning flight (6:35). Any suggestions when I should arrive (probably no checked bags) to allow time for security?

spurg

ok, i take your point, and it stinks to be behind the clueless and inept...but maybe if you help the guy out and give him some guidance and help it will speed the whole process. Make yourself feel better about the situation as well.

spurg

You are correct. If you are in a hurry, you need to evaluate the people in the lines in terms of their ability to get through security efficiently.

spurg

With no checked bags, 55 minutes is plenty of time.

C17PSGR

I'd like to blame Tony, Ed and their families but just this week in various elite lines:

Woman walks up with large paper bag (Nieman's or something) with tons of makeup/shampoo and perfume, all of which were much larger than 3 ozs. Had to be worth at least $500. She didn't want to check it because she was afraid it would break. Then wants to speak with a supervisor while those of us pile up.

Man walks up. Waits for person in front to be completely cleared before then loading up belt. He pulls out liquids galore, also clearly larger than 3 oz's. At least he went away quietly.

Two twenty something biz travelers go through line. First, gets bag check which holds up the whole line. When someone shows up for the bag check, it turns out she forgot to pull her bottle of Evian out.

Guy traveling with her. TSA again calls bag check which stops line because bag checker is working on Evian bottle. When the guy sees her Evian bottle, he says "Oh, I forgot to take my Gatorade out"

With folks like this in the elite line, not sure how we can ever expect Tony and Ed to learn.

That being said, we need an elite security line and inside security link from C to D.

In terms of how much time, the line at LGA always looks bad but it only took 20 minutes this morning at 6:30 to get through. Its taken as much as an hour though.

Landing Gear

Truer words were never spoken.

This airport isn't just a "mess," it's an outright disgrace.

Among the other LGA pleasures, if you park your car in the garage, you are unlikely to find a baggage cart.

Real leading edge 21st century stuff.