The answer is partly the process and partly the staff effectiveness.
In non-US airports, in my experience:

• No ID checks.
• No BP checks. (In GVA last week they wanted to see if I had a BP, but they only glanced at it; not like TSA checkers who study them intently and then scribble all over them)
• No shoe removal unless the WTMD alarms.
• No (or minimal) use of NoS.
• No random WTMD leading to secondary screening.
• No liquids restrictions (Australian domestic and a few other sane countries).
• Very rare to see a bag physically searched after being x-rayed; the x-ray monitors are either better trained or simply paying more attention (or both).
• All staff at checkpoint actually working, not 75% standing around playing with phones or goofing off.

As a consequence, my wait times at airports in the last few weeks (from joining the queue to departing the checkpoint):
Domestic:
SYD: 30 seconds
CBR: 1.5 minutes (including random ETD)

International:
SYD: 3 minutes - 6 passengers ahead of me.
DXB: 4 minutes - no passengers but I got a grope for having a metal hip.
GVA: 3 minutes - 4 passengers and I got a quick grope.
DXB: 2 minutes - no passengers and a very cursory grope.
This is the biggest understatement on FT. ;)

Thanks for taking the time to reply....

I don't want to sound silly by asking this of the many of you who do go through this crazy security check system but...do you think things could be better if the TSA were not cracking down on checking every single piece of thread, every single item carried in your in flight luggage, etc and a lack of common sense that should be there in the first place?

It is surely hurting the tourism industry and domestic travel when they are going over board the way they are and are causing massive lines but don't have the manpower to cope, etc.

I realize my comments may not be appreciated by some given what transpired in the past 15 year's ago but if the X-Ray's are that good now day's and the screening machines are that advanced now days, why do they need to cause these sort's of problems.

It just sounds insane.

So having dogs sniff passengers (plus belongings) is but a way to pack in the PreCheck lines with people who don't have PreCheck LLL indicators on their boarding pass? If so, then that may mean the PreCheck line gets longer and slower while the non-PreCheck line gets shorter but still takes a long time.

If having dogs sniff passengers (plus belongings) is a way to cut back on use of strip-search machines and ETD swabbing of as many passengers+belongings, then the non-PreCheck line may speed up a little bit.

I've seen a lot of restless dogs being used for various "security" purposes. A lot of them don't do very well standing in one position and smelling everyone who passes by. If this means that passengers have to create room for the dogs to walk by, the screening lines may end up getting longer even while the line moves faster.

The TSA really is a joke on so many levels, and these screening lines are just a sign of that.

From the story:

I wonder if this has been done and if so, is this what is causing an apparent increase in crotch searches.

and

TSA, by their own admission, is still giving PreCheck to people who have not signed up for it. Further, they are not going to get infrequent flyers to enroll and it's my belief TSA thought those people would jump at the chance.

https://twitter.com/AskTSA/status/732374577486106624

"Blame The Passengers" on Twitter
 

Most of the Spokesholes are doing two things:

1. Full-court press to get people to enroll in ExtortionCheck
2. Taking the opportunity every time they find a penknife to state "...and the incident slowed down the line..."

Can you still hire people to show up and throw a pie in somebody's face?

Question. Do passenger's in the states have to pay an airport tax when they fly domestic or international out of an airport?

Yes - there are passenger facility charges and per-segment TSA fees :(n all tickets. These are included in the price of the ticket and not charged separately.

Yes things would be better. The TSA is deliberately slowing down the line to pressure Congress to increase their hiring. Test revealed that they concentrated so much on checking tickets and looking for water, cupcakes, and peanut butter that they were missing 95% of guns and explosives. They responded to this by looking even harder for water, cupcakes, and peanut butter, and spending even more time checking tickets.

So, obvious question, I have an 8AM flight on a non-Precheck airline (NK) out of DFW. Should I show up to the airport 2 hours in advance of flight time, or do I have to make it 3 hours in advance? Should I show up the night before and prepare to use the Minute Suites in Terminal D? Or should I just sleep on a cot at the front of the TSA checkpoint line awaiting reopening of the checkpoint in the morning to assure I am first in line and don't miss my flight? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Any thoughts on buying the cheapest fully refundable ticket on a pre airline for that day, using that, and cancelling after through security?

And to follow up, I've flown twice in the last week. GRR in the afternoon was fine, but that's to be expected for a regional airport. I flew out of DEN friday morning, but precheck only took about 3-5 minutes. It sounds like precheck has still been okay, it's just normal security. Has anyone heard otherwise? I fly out of DEN saturday morning again.

Television news reports are saying that there have been significant delays at some DFW checkpoints. Depending on the time and terminal, likely D in your case, I would plan for a maximum wait.

IIRC I can enter at any terminal, since they are all connected airside by Skylink. D could also be emptier in the morning, not as many international flights.

Still will make sure to be there by 6AM :rolleyes:.

I'm sorely tempted to do the cot thing at the front of the security line just to make a point :D. Don't think it would go over well with DFW PD though...

Just leave now and ask where the line for flights leaving (your departure date) morning is.

Yes, Skylink connects all terminals post security. Not sure how TSA would react to entering a A and then going to D. The point was that DFW TSA checkpoints are experiencing the same kind of slowdowns that are being reported around the country. This really appears to be a TSA generated issue and nothing else.