Why no priority security at PHL
 

Does anyone have a good explanation for why there are no priority security lines at PHL?

Wrong answers which I shouldn't have to explain:

1- Use Pre-Check
2- It's not logistically possible (layout or staffing)
3- It's actually not a useful benefit
4- AA has no input over how TSA operates
5- AA is a business and owes you nothing

6- PHL sucks

Yup, I'm going with #6. It's an old airport, competition is fierce with both EWR and JFK close by (plus LGA somehow slightly behind PHL in traffic too), domestic is dominated by AA so options are limited, it's in two different counties (Philadelphia proper and Delaware County) so building is a nightmare, and somehow they still lack runway capacity. Basically, it's a crappy old airport in a rough city that is hard to build in with a captive audience and an attitude of "I don't give a f*ck."

7- the (dominant) airlines at PHL are too cheap to provide priority lanes is the simple and correct answer. It is not the airport operator - it's the airlines that provide priority lines. If an/the airline(s) want the lines then the operator will work with them to make it happen.

When TSA PreCheck came about, the airlines and airports in the country seized it as an opportunity to get out of paying to staff up to have a class of service and frequent flyer status based priority security screening line. And with CLEAR paying US airports to operate a customer-paid priority security screening service, airports found replacement revenue+ and a convenient cost for airlines to cut while being able to use the CLEAR service as a co-marketing tool for the airports too.