Just when you thought the heavy hand of government was going to put the ki-bosh on the most frequent customers having a shorter security wait, those crafty airlines are finding ways around it....

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020221/210336_1.html

Seems that while elite screening machines violate some TSA directive, the lines leading up to the machines are still under local control.

I never thought I'd be happy to see the knee jerk "federalized security" bill rushed through. But when you rush laws into place you always leave a loophole!

True. This was in yesterday's Washington Post. If it's a loophole, it seems to be one that the TSA doesn't mind. Also note: chairs and shoehorns.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2002Feb20.html

United's response to the situation....

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020221/212523_1.html



------------------
Bad Gordon!

No Freddie for you!

And Delta joins the group of airline thumbing their noses at the TSA...


http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020221/hsth026_1.html

------------------
Bad Gordon!

No Freddie for you!

Fair enough.

I never knew that there were some machines reserved for elites. I'm totally against that one, as that's under federal tax $$$.

However, NW's system is perfect and makes everyone happy.

AA? Hellooooooooooo?

I hear ya... I'm waiting on them and CO here in CLE... I need CO to wake up again, because the NW gates are on the same concourse!



------------------
Bad Gordon!

No Freddie for you!

Give the Feds time. They will screw it up forever! We have not seen anything yet!

Those of you hoping AA would keep their lines get your wish....


http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020222/daf032_1.html

They will be gone soon enough. It is only going to take one non FF to file a law suit against this and will be over. Who knows, it may be me. I want short lines for everyone.

[This message has been edited by JRF (edited 02-22-2002).]

This may be good for some of us in the short term, but long term we need to make the lines quick for everyone.

d

A lawsuit wouldn't win IMHO.
The airports are already government property, paid for by tax dollars, yet they allow all sorts of differences between passengers already. Frequent flyer check-in lines; baggage lines, even airplanes that are inspected by the FAA which contain first class seats in them!

This is exactly the right thing. The feds should SCREEN each passenger equally, and that's all the job that they are being paid to do. They traditionally don't control the check-in lines, the boarding gates and passenger boarding order, or whether the airlines make other preferences (on government property, the airports) for some types of flyers who either pay more for their tickets, fly frequently, or even happen to be congressmen!

I think its wrong to call this a "loophole." That term implies that someone is doing something negative, when, in reality, they are just taking advantage of what the law allows. I am convinced that if lawmakers do not like "lopholes," they can close them (something they often do). If the "loophole" remains unclosed, then it is your legal right to use it and, frankly, you'd be stupid not to.

If the feds are not in control of the lines leading up to the machines than the airlines are free to arrange them however they like. I doubt the feds will move to close this "lophole" as it is unlikely they have jurisdiction. If someone brings a lawsuit, so be it. They will be very hard pressed to establish that lines which are under a private entity's control are violative of the equal protection clause of the Constitution (this being the likely legal avenue such a plaintiff would take). There is some support for having the equal protection clause apply to private entities that are "significantly entwined" with a government entity, but the fact that one the line can be separated from the screening machines makes this unlikely to succeed.

No priority lines at IAD? Or for international C class, non-premier members?

Well, it ain't gonna happen. The government now has a airport security screening monopoly, and the last thing they are going to do is be responsive to travellers, who are NOT their customers. This system has zero accountability, so don't expect "service".

The best we can hope for is a two-tier system, with the famous Aunt Bessie waiting the occasional hour, and the serious business traveller and elite flyer moving through with reasonable predictability and reasonable speed.