Elite priority for security screening vs. federal take-over
 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/005336.html

discusses a separate security line for elites. Time is money for business travelers, more so than for leisure travelers. With security lines totally unpredictable (I've seen anything from 5 to 90 minutes), being able to predictably bypass most of the wait is probably the single biggest perk any airline can offer. It will be a great tool to attract high-revenue passengers to the first airlines who implement it. Furthermore, it will help the economy by encouraging high-value travel.

If the federal government takes over the screening process completely, you can kiss goodbye any chance for elite priority. Conversely, if the airlines institute a priority system for elites right now, our Congresspeople, who are ultra-frequent fliers, will realize that it is in their own interest not to kill this perk by totally federalizing the system.

Write your favorite airline, then write your Congressperson!


[This message has been edited by nsx (edited 10-06-2001).]

I disagree:

In the UK, you have priority access for Elite flyers, and as I would point out, the INS has a "redline" at IAD for diplomatic and crew arrivals - so it is not far fetched to have an outbound "special line".