This is a defined benefit of the Known Crew Member program - participants get front-of-line access to regular TSA security screening checkpoints, even if not on duty.

If it helps, a major justification is preserving crew rest times. Pilots in particular have a minimum safe rest period between flights; if they were required to allot time for delays at screening checkpoints each day, it would increase those requirements and more flights would be delayed due to personnel availability.

Plus, it's just courteous to allow people who have to do this every. single. day. to get to work more quickly... at most airports, employees of airport shops also receive front of the line access, and I think that's appropriate, too.

Since this is a defined benefit for crew members, if you had made a big deal about this and the crewmember wanted to push the issue, the TSA could have stepped in and required you to yield your place in line...

This. So much, this. I'm quite sure upper management would be horrified to know that he said this to a potential customer, or at least they should be. Is there another industry where employees would get away with going before a customer or potential customer?

Likewise, I totally agree that if I was late because I got stuck in a security line at one of our offices, my bosses would not be happy with me cutting in front of a client. They'd be frustrated I didn't get there with plenty of time to spare, and I'd agree with them.

I agree, just because the rules allow the crew to move to the front of the line in this situation, doesn't mean that civility has to go out the window. The crew can still offer a simple "pardon me" as they move to the front.

Rather than a snarky, threatening response, I wonder why the pilot didn't simply explain (along with an "excuse me") to the OP that due to the lack of a separate crew line TSA policy directs him to move to the front of the line. I doubt most people know what the policy/procedure even is.

You've got it wrong.

Crew members may skip the line even if there is a designated crewmember access point. They may only do so if in uniform and on duty.

The reasoning is pretty clear and it's not about running late. It's about running ontime. Carriers care a great deal about crew rest periods because those dictate when a given crewmember is "legal" to fly again. If the crewmember has to leave for the airport 30 minutes earlier having arrived late the night before, that may not work for scheduling purposes and the 180 pax on the aircraft he was to fly may sit there for 30 minutes until his rest period ends.

As I said, it was none of OP's business to interfere in a clearly-established program and if OP doesn't like it, the place to deal with it isn't with an individual crewmember. Lucky the B6 Captain left it alone.


http://www.knowncrewmember.org/Pages/default.aspx

Glad rudeness is completely justified in your book. :rolleyes:

You have only the OP's account on which to assume the pilot was rude but the OP was not. Snark works both ways.

These kind of threads often cause one to wonder just what the OP did or said that caused a normally courteous employee to react that way. FT members have never been completely innocent in that respect, thus the commonly known and frequently used acronym SIBT.

I suspect there are two sides to the story.

Sounds like both parties were a bit rude. That happens. I'd hold the uniformed employee to a higher standard, though.

Uniformed crewmembers can go to the front of the line. I don't know where, or if, this policy is publically published but it is found in company documents available to airline crewmembers. Most of the details of employee screening are available only to those who need to use them.

The best solution is KCM where we're not in any of the paying customer's way nor are we using the resources that should be devoted to getting them through screening as quickly as possible. KCM also positively identifies that the person in the pilot or F/A uniform really is who they are presenting themselves to be. Unfortunately, there are still quite a few airports without KCM checkpoints.

Now if we could just figure out how to get those early morning Starbucks lines to move a bit faster...

TSA doesn't control the security line. Nor do they have arrest power or carry guns. The Captain would have to call airport police.

You're right, I don't have the pilot's side of the story, so it's not fair for me to throw stones at him just yet. For all I know, OP could've started the snark.

Who says he was late, other than the OP making some apparent assumption? In my experience, crew and airport have line cutting privileges.

Thank you. The guy had a major chip on his shoulder. It's all about approach and courtesy. He lacked in both areas and had a power trip.

And to the poster who said "would I complain if he delayed our flight". The answer is no.

However, a true professional would never have to ask or gesture if he could step to the front of the line.... We'd offer that up to him. But this guy was no pro, just a captain with an ego.

"If you insist, you can go ahead of me, but the professional thing to do would be to wait your turn along with everyone else who is running on a schedule."

So by letting the pilot in you would of been only one person longer in your wait. I think it was unacceptable. However, I think his answer was worse.

I think I would only feel guilty if he was a pilot for a legacy, I don't care if some pleb pilot and his pleb passengers are inconvenienced.

(Just kidding).

In all seriousness, the crew can cut in line but if a passenger isn't aware of that then you should explain that and not threaten to kick the guy off the plane or any other retaliatory measure. Makes the airline look bad, makes you look unprofessional. The key to navigating the little misunderstandings and issues that arise when multitudes of people interact in enclosed environments is being able to rationally and calmly discuss things. Many passengers *and* many staff fall short of that standard, often in dramatic fashion. But the expectation level should be higher for staff, they do get paid to be there and it's not like most other people in society can just say whatever they feel like saying when at work.

Without speaking to the merits of getting huffy with air crew who are trying to get to their plane, exactly what is the pilot going to do about it? Crash into a mountain to prove a point? Urinate in the passenger's drink?

Bueller?