That's more polite than my likely response.

In life, there are two types of people. Those with friends. And those that tell demand what others do with security trays. :rolleyes:

:D:D :D :D :D

It's easier to leave it there and move on which is what I have and will continue to do.

There are many types of people including officious busybodies who attempt to use moral suasion or public ridicule to impose their desired order of things on those who are not interested.

Should my handling of the bins offend some imperious twit they can either fume in silence or bring their concerns to my attention. Depending on the day choosing the second option may not be an entirely pleasant experience for them.

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TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator

One other thing to consider... the basic premise is flawed.

I have never seen a delay/line AFTER screening of anything more than a few seconds. Even then it is just because screening is moving things along and several bins are coming out quickly.

If there is a delay pre-screening, it is because security has not moved the mound of bins waiting to be moved. And no amount of passenger stacking of bins will change that.

So the idea of stacking/not stacking having a material effect on wait lines seems false.

It's more a matter of courtesy than efficiency. I'm Pre, but in the regular lines I've often had to stack abandoned bins myself to get at my bin that's still in the machine shrouding unable to roll down.

What is the courtesy? Clogging the line by staying there longer than necessary? You cannot get to your bag if someone is standing there. If I get out of your way, you can stack bins (a rarity) if needed to get to your bag. If flyers get out of the way, you can do what you need to do.

And you did change what OP said to start...

"It really drives me crazy that at many airports the bottleneck is actually the lack of tray-collecting. If everyone would do it, time could be reduced by 10-15%."

This premise is complete and utter nonsense.

The problem with this is that in some airports, particularly the UK, they now make people line up behind each unpacking "station", so if you are behind a slow guy you can't even move to the next empty one (as someone else is already lining up for it)

I travel with two carry-ons: a 20" roller, and a belt/shoulder bag.

The roller goes onto the belt directly; it doesn't fit in a TSA bin anyway, so nobody has ever put it in one.

The small bag goes into a bin, along with my shoes and belt.

My laptop and tablet go into a second bin.

At some airports, TSA will require that the laptop and tablet each get a bin of their very own (ridiculous, as they can both easily fit in a single bin without overlapping in any way), so that increases my item total to four - bag plus three bins.

While collecting my crap at the end of the c/p (and simultaneously trying to prevent my pants from falling down around my ankles and avoiding stubbing toes in my sock-clad feet), I will stack my 2-3 bins, along with any other empties that are clogging the line, in order to allow my stuff to advance to the point I can reach it. I don't put the bins away, but I stack them to get the clutter out of my way, rather than leaving them strewn about randomly. I don't feel like I'm "doing TSA's job", I'm just clearing debris from my own path and trying to be courteous to those behind me.

I don't make snarky comments to strangers in public places when they do annoying things. Such will only increase the risk that said strangers may take offense and become belligerent or even violent.

However, I do wish people would stack their bins a little more. Not necessarily put them back in a neat pile on the cart at the end of the belt, but if they'd just stack the two or three they use for their own stuff to keep the line moving, it would help me to find all of my own items and get me out of the way of the people behind me.

I think 10-15% is a gross exaggeration of the effect of non-stacked bins. I think the greater delay is caused by people putting themselves and their belongings back together while standing at the belt, rather than grabbing their belonging and re-assembling themselves at the benches and chairs provided past the end of the line.

Humble suggestion: Those dog bowls are a ripe opportunity for not only pilferage, but accidental loss - they can be knocked over and flipped much easier than the large bins, sending your items flying off to Oz. I recommend that you simply empty your pockets into your carry-on before entering the security line, which reduces the overall number of items you need to track as you transit the checkpoint, and keeps your important items (such as wallet and keys) more secure.

*utter

+1. The lines would move faster if people retrieved their property and cleared the area immediately instead of lolling around to put their belt on, etc. or even stacking bins.

I do this when standing in the line. It's not like I have anything better to do until its my turn. Nevertheless, I constantly see people start emptying their pockets once they get to the belt needlessly delaying everyone behind them.

In addition to your point about straps, some modern x-ray's user manuals specifically stipulate that specific trays must be used and items to be screened should not just be placed on the conveyor.

In a grocery line, I put a checkout divider after my items. It’s the thing to do, the kind of social glue that makes for a nice day. And if I have thirty items and the one behind me has two, it doesn’t make me any smaller by letting the person go ahead of me. When using a basket, of course you stack it on the floor after emptying. And I have never pictured it to be a store clerk responsibility. The same mostly for security screening, so I’m with OP.

To use your analogy, you are putting your grocery bin away pre-security. Further using your grocery analogy... after you have "cleared checkout", do you go back and put the bin away... or do you grab your bags as quickly as you can so the next person is not delayed?

Vanilla, you put your bin on the floor at the airport, where everyone has to walk around it to get their stuff?