rwinn

Here are a couple suggestions:

1. Depending on how security is set up at your airport, you could fly an airline flying out of a terminal that isn't served by a hub airline. In O'Hare there are seperate screeners for each terminal. American and United lines are long quite often, I've never had a problem flying NW out of O'Hare since Sep. 11.

2. Redeem some miles for an upgrade. You get upgraded and you get to go through the first/businesss class line if there is one.

3. Consider flying from an alternate airport. There is never a line when I fly out of South Bend, IN.

Good luck. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

-Robert

doc

Who's Protecting Airline Passengers?

It may be a while before there's a Federal Air Marshal on every flight

http://www.time.com/time/nation/arti...212607,00.html

Jacque

Becareful what you ask for.

milesmilesmiles

From today's NYT...I like NW's spin in the article... "Northwest's contention is that, while the T.S.A. has now taken over the security checkpoint itself, how customers are actually delivered to that checkpoint is a customer-service issue, not a security issue."
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Despite Federal Rules, Airlines Still Favoring Some Passengers
By JOE SHARKEY
Not so fast, big shots.

That was the message the airlines thought they heard last week from the federal government, which assumed authority for airport security on Feb. 17.

As industry sources describe it, the new Transportation Security Administration, overseeing the transition of airport security screening from airline to government control, objected to the way some airlines had designed special V.I.P. lanes allowing elite customers — those flying first class or members of the higher levels of frequent-flier programs — to pass more quickly through security.

After federal officials shut down some of these lanes at certain airports last week, the airlines, acutely aware of the appeal of the reserved lanes to their most valued business travelers, asked for a policy clarification. Meanwhile, a flock of would- be populists in the news media, sensing a juicy class issue, flapped into formation with jubilant news reports that basically crowed: Haw, haw, the big shots have to wait in line, just like everyone else.

Well, not so fast. As of yesterday, all of the major airlines had notices on their Web sites assuring elite passengers that nothing had changed. The V.I.P. lines remain. "Delta Air Lines (news/quote) Maintains Designated Premium Security Lines in Select Cities," was the headline on Delta's statement, for example. "American Airlines and American Eagle Maintain Express Queues for Premium Passengers at 19 Airports," said American's.

How did this particular egg get scrambled? "Mixed signals" from federal staff members at a few airports, combined with overreacting news reports, suggested Michael Wascom, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, the trade group for major domestic airlines.

Federal officials have now assured the carriers that they continue to control the turf where lines form to feed into the checkpoint lanes. "You're in charge of the lines; we're in charge of the lanes," the airlines were told, Mr. Wascom said.

Jim Mitchell, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, added, "There was some initial confusion on the difference between the security lanes themselves and the lines that airlines had set up" to funnel passengers to checkpoints.

Before the government took over security 10 days ago, some carriers at a few airports had basically hung "Reserved, V.I.P." signs over specific checkpoints — the lanes where passengers pass through the metal detectors and are searched by screeners. That practice has been halted. But airlines remain free to continue organizing lines leading to those areas as they see fit.

"The problem we had was when taxpayer-supported equipment and people were dedicated to frequent fliers," Mr. Mitchell said. Now that security screening is a direct federal responsibility, "we have to ensure that all passengers are treated to an equal level of service and protection," he said.

The airlines are happy with a policy that allows them to maintain reserved lines for elite customers and others, including flight crews, Mr. Wascom said. Kurt Ebenhoch, a spokesman for Northwest Airlines (news/quote), agreed.

"Northwest's contention was that, while the T.S.A. has now taken over the security checkpoint itself, how customers are actually delivered to that checkpoint is a customer-service issue, not a security issue," Mr. Ebenhoch said.

Like its competitors, Northwest added extra security lanes across the board at its hubs after Sept. 11, and later established separate reserved lines for premium passengers.

Northwest designed its two classes of lines to enable agents to direct passengers at the head of either the elite line or the regular line to any security checkpoint, depending on congestion. This way, passengers in the elite line still tended to arrive at the checkpoint sooner, but after that they were sent to the same security lanes as everyone else, Mr. Ebenhoch said.

"It's natural that we would have some role in how we organize our customers as they feed into the security checkpoints," he said, noting that those eligible for the elite treatment form "a pretty small group of people anyway."

The definition of lines versus lanes aside, the velvet-rope contretemps and turf tussles are more signs of a basic philosophical debate that is occurring just below the surface in commercial aviation these days, as robust business-travel revenue continues to elude the airlines.

Last month, average domestic air fares declined 16.1 percent from January 2000, according to the Air Transport Association. Despite lower fares, passenger traffic declined 14.7 percent.

While a sour economy and fear of flying after Sept. 11 account for some of this, airlines are increasingly worried that their bread-and-butter customer, the frequent business traveler, is flying less frequently now because of the wide perception of unpleasant searches, rude treatment and delays sometimes encountered at airport security checkpoints.

The Transportation Security Administration has hired private-industry specialists in crowd control and customer service to assess and address these problems.

But the airline industry is arguing behind the scenes that subjecting all passengers to equally rigorous security is pointless and counterproductive, and that security resources should be concentrated more on a smaller pool of people whose behaviors, background or travel habits fit certain profiles for potential trouble.

The airlines also want the federal government to back proposals for a "trusted fliers" program that would provide an identity-protected electronic card allowing expedited security check-ins for customers who submit to a background check in advance, with the presumption that the card would appeal to business travelers.

The Department of Transportation, however, is known to be strongly opposed to any security system that provides unequal levels of security, or depends on any kind of passenger profiling.

"They're really butting heads over this in Washington right now," one industry official said.

doc

20 Boston airport workers arrested

Employees charged with lying to get jobs or security badges

http://www.msnbc.com/news/716790.asp?0si=-