Fly-by security
 

Has WN become so relaxed on fly-by security that anyone can use those lanes now? At MDW, it has become almost laughable, especially since they added pre-check a few months ago.

The fly-by lanes almost have just as many people as the regular lanes. I see people with B and C boarding passes in the lane constantly. Just yesterday I was looking at the people around me and I'd say 80% of them were not A-list and didn't seem to be traveling with anyone that was A-list It's getting to be ridiculous.

I can understand letting a child or spouse accompany you.. but as far as I can tell, they seem to be letting anyone in those lanes. Yes, there is a WN employee checking passes to allow entry, so they must be letting them through.

Perhaps more people are qualified to use them than in the past? @:-)

The ones in PHX seem to be fairly empty, but I'm always using the PreCheck lanes so I haven't really paid attention.

Nope. Very tight control at OAK, as it should be. Often faster to use Fly-by than PreCheck.

The Fly-By security lane has been usurped by the TSA Pre Check lane, at least at MDW. You could write a letter to WN expressing your displeasure regarding this, but I wouldn't expect any real response. Alternately, you could consider getting a KTN or enrolling in PreCheck.

This isn't a uniquely WN problem. With Pre-Check available for $85 for 5 years and close to a 100% hit rate for most, the value of individual carrier "premium" access is pretty much nil.

That will become moreso as TSA moves towards its goal of moving 85% of pax through what it now calls pre-check.

At ATL the Fly By lanes in the North Security are often closed. There is often one lane for Pre and one lane for Employees which are mostly empty and one lane for everyone else. Sometime they have two identity checkers that feed into a single screening line.

If TSA really plans of moving 85% of the people over to Pre style security, they will never accomplish by a pay to play system.

Nope. As I said, they are not A-list, nor are the BS.

The two are basically mutually exclusive. What bearing does the existence of pre-check have on incorrectly allowing non-status members through priority screening setup by independent airline (WN fly-by)?

Just because pre-check is there doesn't mean that fly-by should be a free for all for anyone that wants to jump into the "exclusive" lane.

IF you can find the "Fly By" lanes and aren't railroaded by TSA into another queues, they can be quite valuable at certain airports. MCI, OAK, ISP in the past few weeks. I agree ATL is a joke once they moved it to the North side.

Last Thursday at OAK, I saw an employee giving the couple ahead of me a jokingly a "hard time" because one was A List and not the other, saying "things had recently changed" but let them both in anyway. The greater sin there was exactly 2 security lanes open at 11 AM the day before a major holiday IMO.

The Fly-By lane at MDW is often filled with overflow from the "regular" lanes by TSA staff, who control the access. Previously there was an airport employee (not a WN employee) way out front checking ID, but now that's been replaced by the PreCheck checker and randomizer. Ultimately, TSA controls who is in those lanes -- not the airlines. Apparently TSA doesn't see the Fly-By lane as being "exclusive."

(Note: At MDW, the Fly-By lane has always been shared with other airlines elites; Delta, Porter, etc.)

The fly-by lanes at MDW have been in a constant state of flux since Pre-check was initiated. What is happening today might not be happening tomorrow. I believe that little of this is Southwest's fault.

After a good follow up from an airport facility manager from PIT a while back, I can say that the above poster is correct:

1) The TSA will not police/enforce any First Class, Fly-BY, Premium Passenger lane. It is up to the airline(s) to hire their own employee or to share the costs of using a contractor.

2) The TSA does police/enforce their own TSA-Pre lanes..... Often incorrectly (minors who do not have TSA-Pre designation are in fact allowed to use the lane with a TSA-Pre parent.)

Absolutely. But I will note that the current setup has been in place for several months now.

Yes, at the beginning of the line is TSA for the non - precheck lane followed by the randomizer for precheck. Finally there has been a WN employee (individual wearing a southwest shirt) that then directs traffic to either general security or flyby. That individual is supposed to check boarding passes and only allow status passengers into the flyby lane... which they obviously aren't doing.

For gates 3-10 in SAN, flyers with A-list or A-list Preferred and Pre-Check have something of a Sophie's Choice between the Flyby lane where TSA will usually allow you to cross to the Pre-Check after your ID and boarding pass are checked, or the backed-up Pre-Check line with randomly chosen confused inexperienced flyers. To make matters worse, last Monday TSA was dumping the non-Flyby line into the Flyby line to even the load. :eek: