Airports cash in on terror checks
Nov 7, 2010, 5:05 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
Airports cash in on terror checks
Airports cash in on terror checks
A new thread. A new way to may the process even more infuriating. Brought to you by our friends in Great Britain. Coming soon to an airport near you?
A whistleblower security guard at Luton Airport, which adopted the system last year, claimed there is a deliberate policy to let the queues grow to encourage people to pay for the express lane.
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/ar...#ixzz14b5thNeF
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/ar...#ixzz14b5thNeF
Nov 7, 2010, 6:24 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,972
I must say that I can't believe every such "claim" that somebody makes and this particular one seems to be less credible than most. I've done computer research that heavily involves queuing and, although it was my research partner who was the queuing theory expert, I've learned enough to know that what determines queue length isn't what seems at first glance to do so. Yes, the difference between the arrival rate and the departure rate (the latter here being the rate at which passengers are being screened), but if that's too small, then queue length goes up at a very rapid rate. For most situations, the queue length is determined by the patten of arrivals over time. And that's very hard to manipulate even if you want to. Yes, you can decrease screening throughput, but it's hard to precisely regulate that in a way that will produce queues that are merely long, not unmanagable.
So I don't find this story particularly credible. (E.g., perhaps some medium-level person said something such as this to a low-level person, but I have problems believing that this was actual policy.)
So I don't find this story particularly credible. (E.g., perhaps some medium-level person said something such as this to a low-level person, but I have problems believing that this was actual policy.)
Nov 7, 2010, 6:55 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
I must say that I can't believe every such "claim" that somebody makes and this particular one seems to be less credible than most. I've done computer research that heavily involves queuing and, although it was my research partner who was the queuing theory expert, I've learned enough to know that what determines queue length isn't what seems at first glance to do so. Yes, the difference between the arrival rate and the departure rate (the latter here being the rate at which passengers are being screened), but if that's too small, then queue length goes up at a very rapid rate. For most situations, the queue length is determined by the patten of arrivals over time. And that's very hard to manipulate even if you want to. Yes, you can decrease screening throughput, but it's hard to precisely regulate that in a way that will produce queues that are merely long, not unmanagable.
So I don't find this story particularly credible. (E.g., perhaps some medium-level person said something such as this to a low-level person, but I have problems believing that this was actual policy.)
So I don't find this story particularly credible. (E.g., perhaps some medium-level person said something such as this to a low-level person, but I have problems believing that this was actual policy.)
I am off med leave and back on the road today. I will not be posting as much, but I will be keeping up. Wish me luck.
Nov 7, 2010, 8:58 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2006
Programs: United
Posts: 2,710
I must say that I can't believe every such "claim" that somebody makes and this particular one seems to be less credible than most. I've done computer research that heavily involves queuing and, although it was my research partner who was the queuing theory expert, I've learned enough to know that what determines queue length isn't what seems at first glance to do so. Yes, the difference between the arrival rate and the departure rate (the latter here being the rate at which passengers are being screened), but if that's too small, then queue length goes up at a very rapid rate. For most situations, the queue length is determined by the patten of arrivals over time. And that's very hard to manipulate even if you want to. Yes, you can decrease screening throughput, but it's hard to precisely regulate that in a way that will produce queues that are merely long, not unmanagable.
So I don't find this story particularly credible. (E.g., perhaps some medium-level person said something such as this to a low-level person, but I have problems believing that this was actual policy.)
So I don't find this story particularly credible. (E.g., perhaps some medium-level person said something such as this to a low-level person, but I have problems believing that this was actual policy.)
I would also think that this could expend to anywhere that people line up for anything. Even something as mundane as checking out at a grocery store.
Nov 7, 2010, 10:30 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Flying Blue, easyJet Plus (!)
Posts: 1,762
Airports cash in on terror checks
A new thread. A new way to may the process even more infuriating. Brought to you by our friends in Great Britain. Coming soon to an airport near you?
A new thread. A new way to may the process even more infuriating. Brought to you by our friends in Great Britain. Coming soon to an airport near you?
It's no different from a business class lane, except it's depackaged, given that most flights out of Luton do not carry business class.
Neil