I saw on other threads in this forum, that Bart (and maybe others) mentioned that TSA is going to take over responsibility for ID Checking at most (all?) US airports.

Will this have an impact on elite lines at those airports?

The only reason most airports were able to implement the elite lines was because that area (pre-screening) was under airport/airline control. If TSA is taking that over, will we start seeing pushback on the premium security lines, as that would require a special TSA staffer to be on the line to check the ids for those passengers?

I see even more pain on its way to the flying public, especially elite fliers.

A more efficient waste of money. Comrade Hawley will be crying to Congress for more funds very shortly.

I doubt this will be an issue. The line real estate is owned by the airport and the airport, along with its airline customers will dictate how the lines are set.

Remember, many airport managers and their airline station manager counterparts have a rather tense and often unpleasant relationship with the TSA and will not permit the TSA to dictate customer service issues on airport owned real estate.

Many airports also fashion their elite lines to blend into the same ID checker station. If, for example, the TSA screener checking ID refused to take customers from the elite line which blended to the regular passenger line, or used delay tactics to hold up elites in favor or non-elites, it's highly likely the airline station manager(s) and airport managers affected by this would go ballistic on the airport's screening manager.

Many of the airport managers I have spoken to over the past year or so are just cruising for a good fight...often because the FSD will just poke at them to try and assert authority. I had one airport manager tell me how a FSD pulled a middle-of-the-night AOA breach drill and tried to write up the airport because she could get on the AOA in the middle of the night without ID or being stopped - regardless of the fact the FSD wasn't even authorized to be in the AOA, ever. Needless to say, the counter-attack from the airport wasn't pretty

So don't worry too much about the line format just yet.

Will the ID check be part of a fishing expedition or a trap to catch people with outstanding parking tickets, fines, or warrants?

Will the presentation of non-standard or irregular ID result in an administrative fine or worse?

Will the presentation of fraudulently-acquired or incorrect ID (say the wife's ID) result in an administrative fine or worse?

Will the ID check result in LEOs being more involved at the screening checkpoint?

I'm waiting for the TSA to announce the end of elite lines once the despicable "Clear" registered traveler program rolls out in earnest.

I still don't see how they will do this. The line real estate and the lines themselves are owned by the airports and the airports have agreements with their airline tenants. The TSA can't do anything about how the pre-checkpoint lines are setup....except whine and bark about it.

It's the mission creep that is dangerous. It was airline-contractors who were previously doing the ID checks and at the same time enforcing the elite lines. If TSA does the ID checks, the airlines are no longer motivated to employ the contractors (who were generally useless anyway, but were tolerable at enforcing elite lines).

TSA ID checkers may enforce the elite lines for now as a "courtesy" to the airlines, but they can stop that at any time while spouting the "need to focus on more important things because of security" excuse.

And before you know it you already have TSA agents in place as gatekeepers able to enforce the "registered traveler" line for those willing to sell their privacy and the SSSS line for the rest of us.

Then this will be a call to arms for the airline and airport industries to put their foot down and stop allowing the TSA to bully everyone. If the TSA refuses to maintain the lines according to airport and airline rules, the airports and airlines need to escalate the issue, loudly and clearly, to the TSA's Congressional handlers.

I am sure the airport managers can find ways to punish local TSA staff and make their lives more difficult and unpleasant if push comes to shove.

Neither the airlines nor the airports have shown any inclination that they will fight the TSA. United has gone on record as supporting Kip Hawley's stupid policies

What they say on the record and what they really think behind closed doors are two different things. I know the airport managers I spoke with at my last meeting were just itching for a fight. The mood at the meeting was definately anti-TSA. I can't say things have improved of late....the TSA has not offered anything to improve relations, unless you count telling the airport to get rid of the drums of confiscated liquids and gels they collect all day an improvement.

Granted, these are smaller airports...but if the TSA is a headache for a smaller airport, just think of the burden they put on a large international airport.

At ORD on Sunday the TSA was checking IDs. They were enforcing the Elite line rules.

Thanks TSA! The contract checkers were not doing a very good job.

Considering that an ID check does nothing to increase security I consider this the TSA's biggest waste of taxpayer dollars to date.

I agree that having the poorly trained TSA folks do the id checks is no better (actually worse b/c they come with attitude) than the contracting folks that are here now. However I disagree that a trained person checking ids isn't a potential security improvement as there are fake ids that can be identified if you have a clue, just ask your local bouncer. Hmmm, maybe TSA should go on a recruiting mission to the local bars. Couldn't be any worse than the folks there now.

I am not concerned with fake IDs of the "unprivileged" sort being used by a passenger going through the security checkpoint. ID checking of this sort is not security.

Then someone needs to explain BWI to me. I flew through there last Friday on USAirways. At the D Concourse there is no elite line. This concourse is shared between US, NW, FL and these airlines do have elites. I was speaking with a US gate supervisor about the lack of an elite line and she stated that the TSA dictated this at BWI.

That sucks !!

And because of the lack of an elite line at BWI, I will not fly through there ever again. At 1:30pm on a Friday afternoon the line lead away from the security zone down the hallway out into the terminal extending down to the international area. YIKES !! What a mess. Again.....

God help those that have to use this mess of an airport.