The airlines create these lines. There are elite lines for people who have status as well. That really has nothing to do with how much they paid for their ticket. Some credit card holders get status as well. Airlines are in a tough business. They need all of the revenue they need. Most of them lose money. Some people are willing to pay more than you to go through security. Others are willing to buy large, fast, well equipped jets to fly them directly wherever they want.

These are private businesses. They don't do fair. They try to make money for their shareholders. As I noted, life isn't fair. Get over it. Should it bother you that much you can write a letter to Southworst complaining about it and they can either stop collecting the large sums they are getting for this or appease you.

Almost everywhere you go people get preferential treatment. Do you really think that you're going to have the same treatment in a restaurant that Bill Gates would?

Sure, it's fair for a corporation to give you preferential treatment. As I mentioned, I use my Gold status all the time to skip ahead of people and board the plane first. I love it. The interaction there is between 2 parties: the airline and the passenger who paid the airline for the seat. So of course it's okay for the company to give you preferential treatment because no other party is involved.

But at security, the government (TSA) is involved and being managed by people whose salaries are paid by taxpayers. The government should be giving equal treatment to everyone. Or preferential treatment to its citizens -- not preferential treatment to people who have special relationships with certain corporations.

On a state level, would it be acceptable for the DMV to have a special line for people who drove Bentleys -- where those people could skip ahead of you because Bentley paid for those lines? Personally, that would really tick me off

Except that you're not that far off.

The last time I went to my DMV (which was years ago ... thank goodness for online renewals), there was a special line for auto dealers, who could jump to the front of the line in order to perform their transactions, no matter how many ordinary citizens were already in line.

The TSA doesn't give preferential treatment to those in the "Fly By" (if you're on southwest) or other airline-enforced elite traveler lanes. The TSA checks whoever is in front of them and the process is the same for elite and non-elite travelers alike. I don't get a more cursory or prioritized ID or baggage inspection over Joe Non-Elite because I have status.

For instance, at LGA, there is an elite lane manned by airport (airline?) personnel. The elite and regular lines both go to the same TSA podium manned by 1 TSO. When there are people in both lines, the TSO alternates checking ID's between lines (based on roughly 20 trips through LGA security this year). Preferential treatment would be checking ID's of everyone in the elite line first, and then going back to the regular line. That has NEVER been my experience.

Usually dealers register many cars at one time. I seem to remember that in NYS there is a special line for dealer only transactions, so they are NOT jumping in front of ordinary citizens.

Sure. Completely makes sense for DMV to take dealers first or anyone else who has a large number of plates all at once. Again, the parties are just the government and individuals. DMV would take a large number because it's better workload management. However, It wouldn't make sense if they took *Bentley* dealers because that would be favoring people who had a special relationship with third party private companies.

The analogy in flying would be the way some airports do it -- 2 lines: one for "Expert" travelers and another for "Non-expert". This makes their job easier. I'm all for that.

gobluetwo, your explanation makes the most sense -- although I think at many airports I've seen TSA enforcing the line differences

Ok, I think we've beat this issue to death. Thanks for the feedback

All security lanes should be utilized equally. However, it should be up to the airlines' discretion on how to deliver the passengers to the security lanes, or the TSA ID checkers. I have to disagree about TSA people regulating the delivery though. It should be an airport contractor or airline personnel. TSA should focus just on the security process.

Those lanes (self-selecting Black Diamond-style lanes) were instituted by the TSA. Anyone can use any lane, however.

I'm fairly certain that you're mistaken. TSA does not regulate or enforce elite lines leading up to the document checker (who IS a TSA screener). In all airports with elite lanes, airlines pay the private contractors who check for elite/first class and try to enforce the airline carryon size.

While this may be besides the point - it is an urban myth that F and J class somehow "subsidize" the fares for discounted Y. From a pure economic sense - if F/J subsidized discounted Y - there would be NO reason to have subsidized Y class fares at all since F+J revenue without subsidized Y revenue would otherwise be greater.

Airlines are a business and do not operate out of goodness of their heart to provide transportation for the masses by offering discounted Y. F and J flying folks most likely have perpetuated this myth out of a sense of superiority complex and nothing else.

If airlines are footing the excess bill for fly by security lanes - I see no problem. If however, the taxpayer is subsidizing this option - it would be a big issue IMHO.