Fly By Lanes unfair?
 

Does anyone else find the "fly by" lanes by Southwest and AA to be unfair?

Why is it that the federal government (TSA) gives preferential treatment to those who pay extra money to AA or Southwest??

I don't see any problem with allowing people to board first since that is a process completely controlled by the airline (and being a Gold member on AA, I use that all the time). I never use the lines in front of TSA security though because I see that as being completely unfair.

Other thoughts?

The F/J and Frequent Customers of various airlines are what subsidize airlines' ability to offer cheap fares to the masses. The more hassle the airport experience becomes, the more these folks are likely to avoid extra trips or cut back. Without the folks in the "Fly By" lane, the folks in the main lane would be paying more. Hope that makes it seem a bit more fair

The airlines pay for the elite lanes at security.

This seems to me to be a win-win situation for all concerned.

As I understand TSA's position on this ... TSA claims that you only enter the checkpoint once you reach the TDC position. TSA claims no jurisdiction over the line that leads to the TDC position, ceding control of that to the airport and its airlines. Thus, it's up the airport to decide how to manage the line ... and if it chooses to allow FFs to cut to the front, it has the ability to do so.

What others has said is true; airlines pay for the lanes, TSA does not begin till the TDC. Interestingly enough, we call these lanes "self-select"; the passenger decides if they are first class. I can only speak for SAT; we have been told because they are not our lanes we do not control those who enters. If someone claims they can use that lane, they can use it, wihout having to show a ticket or membership card. I say try this at every airport where these are, maybe you will be able to use them most of the time?

With ORD my home airport(zoo), the elite lines in all terminals are monitored by airlines paid personnel.

At most major hubs, the elite lines are monitored by AirServ employees or the like. ^

Red Herring or Paranoia
 

In the last couple of weeks there has been a few incidents that have showed the chink in the TSA armor. We have the shirt controversy, the ice debacle, the whoops sorry not a hijacking, the currency policy change plus others.

We have all been in pretty good harmony on those issues. A showing of force if you will.

Then along comes this thread pulling an old subject that history has shown divides us.

Maybe I am just getting old but my Troll Killer senses are tingling. I find it odd that someone joins, drops this kind of post with the encouragement to discuss and then disappears.

I don't know about you, but when I start what might be a hot topic I check it frequently. After all if I take the time to register and post I want to see what kind of wake my post created.

I would like to think that this little forum would not rate a diversionary tactic but at this point I would not put it past the Government to try it.

Time to go back in the woods and put on my tin foil hat, I hear the black helicopters.

TSA pulling off a little agitprop theater? ^^:D:D

In Las Vegas, for d-gate (aa, dl, nw, and a few others) there is a special lane for fc passengers, you immediately reach a tsa ticket/id checker, I've never found an airline person "directing" traffic (but I've only used this late for redeye departures, when there are fewer flights.)

My experience of these lanes is that when we used them we got stuck behind a passenger in a wheelchair and it would probably have been quicker to go in the regular line. At SFO we were given a bit of paper from BA (flying F) to go in the fast line and the person there just shrugged and said there wasn't a big wait and we should just go with everybody else. At no point did I ever feel that I was saving much time.

In flame warrior jargon, this is called a Grendade.

In LAS since the first class line for the d-gate has the lane closer to c-gate (and should be separate from them also) there could be a considerable saving; after id check, there is also a separate area for baggage scan.
Before the separate lane (as it is now configured), I was departing on a morning flight, after some "big" convention's end, even though there was a fc lane, this was only accessible after id check; the line did a double ess--the line moved fast, and took close to 35 minutes.

Life is not fair. Get used to it.

Ok, I finally got back to this. Everything was getting stuck in my spam filters and the "forgot my password" functionality wasn't working (maybe TrollKiller was right -- it was "the government" trying to silence my complaints about one of their agencies. haha).

I guess I can kind of see jkhuggins point about TSA not starting until the actual checkpoint, but that seems like a cop-out on TSA's part -- of course they're responsible for the line in front of them. At DAL I've had security screeners (I think TSA) at the front of the line directing me to different lanes depending on how much money I paid to Southwest.

Anyway, if it's private security firms doing the screening, who is paying them? Is it the airport? the airlines? the taxpayer?