The equipment is already there. Yes, more needs to be purchased, but it seems that labor is more in shortage than equipment. Plus, labor is more expensive!

Administrative overhead -- well, if it were privately run (well run, not Argendumb), it would be negligible. But it's going to be run by the feds, so I guess 1 minute is right!

I thought the two year requirement was some type of security policy, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, rather than putting a lot of effort into setting up elite line systems, which will either directly or indirectly cost us more money, let's just shoot for Minetta's goal of having a less than 10 minute wait for everyone to get through security. That's the best solution.

d

Frequent flyers will be screwed! Any time a bureaucrat and /or "simple service" gets involved prices go up and service evaporates. AND there is no accountability or responsibility. They are only obeying the orders of Congress and Mineta.

Here's a very easy one right in your own backyard. EZPass. Granted the parameters are somewhat different but what we've got there (thanks to the quasi governmental Port Authority of NY/NJ) is basically an elite line for the bridges and tunnels. I'm sure there was some limousine liberal cry about how only people with credit cards had access to it, but in the end convenience wins over "what's right".

I'm not sure why you set yourself up for absolutes. We could sure come up with plenty of examples of government preference. Face it, our government is not non-discriminatory. Just looked at our whacked out tax policy. If you fit some social class your taxes are different. To decide that elite frequent flyer lines represent some line in the sand is not realistic.

Everyone is going to be screwed by this and it has nothing to do with increased security. The only reason the Democrats pushed this Federal Screeners thing through was so they could add tens of thousands of Federal workers to the payroll thus increasing membership in the Federal workers' union which votes almost universally democratic...........why oh why do we all allow this............?

Again, EZPass is available to anyone. There isn't some third party coming in saying that some people should get preferential treatment, while others shouldn't. Everyone can sign up for EZPass, and everyone can benefit from it.

Elite lines, as I've said are different. American Airlines designating that Joe Schmoe can go through without a delay, while John Q. Public can't - that's a different story. If everyone is allowed to sign up for elite status and can get it for no or little additional cost, then there's a reason why the government can discriminate in favor of those people.

But, as I've said, for a third party to come in and expidite some people and not others - that won't fly. When's the last time that Verizon came in and told the DMV that you should be moved to the front of the line because you have voice mail and call waiting?

And, argue with me all you like, but one of the people who's actually going to have a say in this already said that there's no basis for the federal government to discriminate for/against anyone if everyone is paying the same fee.

As I've said, there's no point in complaining about your issues here on FT. We already got screwed with this federal government taking over security because we didn't get our voices heard. Now our only hope is to limit the damage by getting in touch with the powers that be, not just play the same violin on FT over and over again.

d

Because the alternative was to use notsobright or people like. Hopefully the Governement will not stay in the security business too long. After 20+ years they are giving up on Amtrack, and you think that will run well in private hands? I would rather have the G provide security then notsobright, at least for a few years until they take a look at it again when they have a better understanding.

So is elite status.

Customer service, customer service, service, service, service. I have always wondered why people expect or want government to be run like a business. If it were, it would cater almost exclusively to the rich, since that's the biggest source of income...no, wait, governments around the world do that already, don't they?

Well, then, they should mass-market, since if you get some money from the middle and lower classes, you can make as much money as if you got larger amounts, but only from the rich...no, wait, governments around the world do that too, don't they?

Look. The purpose of airport security screening isn't "customer service". They're not there to make life more pleasant for you, the person at the security gate, they're there to make air travel safer. If it means they have to inconvenience you as a individual to protect the hundreds of thousands of passengers travelling, then so be it. They can try to make it a little more convenient, but not at the expense of increasing risk.

One of the reasons government is taking over security screening is because with the airlines responsible, it hasn't worked. Airlines sue each other over what size carry-on luggage is allowed to go through the machines. They hire people at near minimum wage to search for life-threatening items. Things that get confiscated or checked out at one airport get waved through at another. All of this is despite federal standards, which don't get enforced. Would you rather pay for the government to do it directly, or pay for them to hire a whole bunch of inspectors to go out and supervise other people, whom you're paying for indirectly, who do the job? I'd rather pay for one person than two, myself.

Oh, and we have the same sort of debate up here in Canada, by the way.

islandcub

I disagree. Getting EZ-Pass is very easy. All you need is a credit card. No time or money is necessary, beyond that needed to get a credit card, which most people already have.

Getting elite status, on the other hand, is not easy at all, unless you fly frequently for business, or you have enough time and money to fly for leisure on one airline enough to get status. Getting elite status requires a significant amount of both money and time, something that most air passengers do not have. Elite status must be renewed every year (except for the few people with lifetime status), whereas a credit card pretty much lasts forever once you get one.

As nice as it is to be on a special elite, or just a faster line, don't we still actually need to get everyone through airports expeditiously in order for the carriers to profit and for "matters" to return to some semblance of "normal?" I think so!

I don't agree, Doc. My reasoning is simple:

Taken in the aggregate, a frequent flyer will contribute much, much more in the form of this new tax on an annual basis than an infrequent, non-elite.

So the elite flyer is entitled to special treatment.

On a pure macro-economic basis, it makes sense to expedite frequent (elite) travellers who are mostly travelling on business. They are conducting commerce, making a living, as opposed to the leisure infrequent travellers who are visiting family and friends and who can afford an extra wait.

I don't agree. It is a per pax fee, it is not a yearly fee to work averages over. Maybe the government will let you pay more and stand in a shorter line. But if I fly as much as you do, pay the same for my security fee, but fly in coach, we should be standing in the same $2.50 (or what ever it cost) line!

I'm with JRF, it's a per-use fee. If you add up all the $2.50 fees you pay for the year, then divide it by the number of times you go through security, it's still $2.50. Same as with the post office. If you send one first class letter a year or 100, the post office will still deliver the letters at the same speed. There's no expidited first class (34 cent) mail for people who send a lot of letters.

And EZPass isn't a good example. It's basically available to 99.9% of the population. Everyone can get a credit card (a secured one with a $100 credit limit, if need be). There's little in terms of extra cost associated with getting EZPass. But, for the casual flyer to fly an extra 20,000 miles a year? That's a big hurdle. The airline equivalent of EZPass would be a free trusted passenger program, similar to INSPass, available to everyone. The aviation security bill allows for this, so we'll see if it ever materializes.

d

So I'm confused, according to your beliefs is EZPass a legit example? The way I read it, you seem to contradict yourself.

Anyways, if we go back to the original reason for these examples, it was to show "one situation where everyone pays the government the same fee, but some get better/faster service." EZPass doesn't float b/c it actually offers people a discount- people aren't paying the same!