pinniped

I've been both the person with little/no stuff and I've been the person trying to get a toddler, an infant, a car seat, a stroller, a diaper bag, and 3 carryons through. In both cases, I think what the OP did is fine.

When I was the large family unit, I'd try to get our stuff organized in such a way that a solo person could even slip around me with a bag for the X-ray. Wasn't always possible, but sometimes you can start grabbing bins in a place that would allow someone else to go around. I'd rather the line keep moving than be a bottleneck.

I don't know why the TSA goons would have a problem with this.

HMPS

errrr...How about some identifiable signs to make sure it is YOU ?

COSPILOT

rickg523

BUR before TSA-pre. TSO checking BPs at the entry to the Tensa maze. At the end of the maze, 4 conveyors open. But one is directly in front of the line, and most people went to that conveyor, so that line backed up. And I swear every time - with 3 conveyors wide open - someone would stand at the end of the maze waiting until the conveyor line directly in front of them opened up, holding up dozens of other people for no reason. For months, I was walking past apparently clueless people. And I wasn't the only one. Some took offense. To those, I just beckoned them to follow me to a wide open conveyor.
Finally, TSA got smart and moved document check to the end of the feeder maze so they could tell people to go to any open line.

Exec_Plat

Now that's some funny s right there.....

rickg523

Well it took them months to figure it out. On Friday afternoons, the Tensa maze would fill up because of this idiocy so there was a line up into the terminal just to get into the maze. This is BUR I'm taking about not ATL or ORD.

Plato90s

In BOS, there's usually 2x baggage x-rays for each person-scanner.

So yeah - completely separate lines.

DSM Flyer

Maybe I'm missing something, but how do you not even have a wallet or phone to send through the x-ray in a small tray? You can't carry those items through the metal detector, can you? I always have a least a backpack anyways, but just wondering...

thebakaronis

I was wondering that too.

Now I'm a very impatient person when it comes to people in front of me dilly-dallying and being disorganized. I'm usually very efficient. But I never cut ahead of people without asking them. I fret and fume, but I always ask or just stay back. And when someone does cut ahead of me, I get annoyed as hell (seriously, I'm not the most efficient person in the security check line, but I'm pretty good at this, so for you to cut ahead of me you must think you're a particularly entitled VIP).

Now, if the OP truly didn't have anything to put on the belt and all he had to do was to go through the scanner, (a) I'd like to know how he manages to travel this way, and (b) he's in the clear since they are indeed 2 different lines.

(PS: literally a couple of hours after I wrote the note above, it happened to me at DPS. A couple of women and a child behind me put their stuff on the table preceding the X-Ray belt and while the guy in front of me and I waited for our stuff to get on to the belt, the people behind us went through the people scanner, leaving the task of pushing their stuff to those behind them. Unusually, I just shrugged this off. Why? Because this faux pas was not due to entitlement or arrogance, but due to naivete. The man in front of me even gently smiled at the child as she bumbled her way through the scanner. Secondly, I'm usually a lot more forgiving of certain peoples, particularly those who're naive, innocent and simple. And I have a soft spot for Indonesians, who I've found to be generally very kind, gentle and honest people. In most other parts of the world, I'd have been annoyed as heck at this.)

sethweinstein

The TSA agent should have thanked the OP for keeping things moving and saving everyone else in line time. His going through before the family was ready meant that the others in line didn't then have to wait for him as well once the family was through.

I agree, there are two lines, one for your stuff and one for the metal detector. When I have stuff to put through (which is always), I try to time it so that I walk through while my stuff is going through, to reduce the chance of theft on the entrance side. (I still get through before my stuff exits on the other side, and I keep an eye on my belongings coming out.) So I'm often waiting if there's a backup of stuff and waving other passengers through the detector ahead of me. No one seems to mind that, but I see it as the same philosophy as the OP's -- keep things moving when there's a break.

(Getting a little off-topic, but if I'm lined up at an elevator, and it arrives, and there's room for one more person, and there are three people ahead of me who aren't boarding because they clearly all want to ride together, I see no problem with going ahead of them without asking. There's not time to ask before the doors close, it doesn't cost anyone any time, and it may open up a space in a future car.)

Seth

paperwastage

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-...407-story.html

Some airports have the new automated system, which behaves like what OP wants

(People step up to any empty bin station, start to unload. When done, move to scanner)

Of course, doesn't help if the whole family takes up all bin slots to unload

Scots_Al

COSPILOT

If at PreCheck, no need to remove wallet from my pocket, phone always goes into computer bag prior to the x-ray line, but after boarding pass check. If its the PreCheck lite, where computer needs to come out, I'm prepared for that as well. I guess I prepare everything before I even enter the line for security, why wait until the bins to start removing a crap ton of stuff. I've patiently waited and watched people take a full minute or two to do this at the bin, but why is that my problem? I'll grab my stuff, always two items, computer bag and larger bag and move on. I won't request your permission, just as I won't request your permission to go around you at the stop sign if you are confused as to whether you should make a left or a right, and decide to sit there for a few minutes.

My exception to this is families that know what they are doing, but are struggling to get all the stuff in order with a baby/toddler in hand. In that case I offer to help with anything I can.

sethweinstein

Well, yes. I think many of us are marveling at how the OP had nothing at all to scan. It's hard to imagine traveling without a phone or keys or anything metal. I'm sure most of us here are prepared before we get to the checkpoint (I arrive there with just my bag to scan, having removed my belt and watch while on the airport bus and put them into my bag with my pocket items), but to be able to go directly from the boarding-pass check to the walk-through detector is rare.

Seth

pinniped

Smaller airports in the U.S. have been slow to adopt them. Even large U.S. airports are putting them in only in certain terminals and locations.

The big European hubs mostly have them now, which is nice. For me, that's where I want them the most, given that in the U.S. I'm in the Precheck line where it isn't as big of a deal.