I'm sitting at MCO and trying to sort out my security experience. It's home to Casual, Family, and Expert security lines, at least in name. I figure I count as expert since I've pretty much lost count of the number of flights I've taken. I know enough to get my laptop out and whip my shoes off in a timely fashion (when possible, I just wear flip flops).

So we get help up at the entrance to the so-called expert line by a guy flying with a five year old saying a prolonged, lane blocking goodbye to wife/girlfriend/whatever. Finally he must have felt the glares and moved aside to let us through. This put us behind a kid who thought it was the height of cool to have ditched us in the line next to him so he could go through himself.

Then it's off to x-ray, where they guy in front of us had no concept of shoe removal despite seeing everybody else in line doing it. Of course, he had shoes that took forever to remove. Didn't matter as we had a plenty long wait with several peole in front who didn't believe that "have your laptop out" applied to them.

I watched people in the casual and family lines whisk right through. No wonder, since I think most of the strollers were over with us in Expert. Seems to be there should at least be some vague guiding by the TSA. Otherwise, why even have marked lines at all?

This Q would be most appropriate for our Travel Safety/Security forum. Please follow it there. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

Yea, MCO is pretty poorly run. If you'd gone through gates 1-59 they don't even have the black diamond lanes up and running yet due to construction.

Half of it is people just being stupid or not paying attention. I used to joke all the time with the international travelers that Americans think the signs are for everyone BUT them. There was an extremely long line, and they had those overflow lines setup, where they start lining them up towards the food court. I was standing next to two German guys for about five minutes, and they were cracking up every time a passenger would walk up and try to cut the line. Then they'd be directed by AASI to where the line starts, and they would get this look of bewilderment on there face. "You mean that line is for ME?" (insert joke about TSA not being efficient.) It would happen within eyesight of the next passenger who would be walking up and the same thing would happen. It was a sad assembly line.

But back to your point. TSA attempting to direct people wouldn't work due to manpower and the fact that how can TSA tell you where to go? What happens if you go to another line then what they directed you. It's just a headache to begin with, and a headache to end with. Just find the shortest line, that's all I can recommend.

edit: It should be noted that I have no experience of working the black diamond stuff. Yea I had been to that side of the airport when they got smashed, but my side never received it before I left. I do have friends that work on that side, so I am a bit more familiar than it your average passenger, and understand it. However, I've never worked the TDC for it and frequent flyers out of MCO might be able to give you better information than I.

I do like to see that passengers recognize when other passengers are idiots. The self selecting lane thing is a joke. The TSA can't force people into a specific lane, we can only suggest a certain lane. And yes, no one seems to think that the rules apply to them.

I truly think it's about a 50/50 mixture of what you described, plus the people who had no idea such signs or a setup exists.

If you think you're an expert, well then, you are!

The entry requirement for expert line should be saying KHIAI (the open sesame of our times).