August 03, 2005 | Class-based Screening

Airline screening is increasingly being divided into the fly-right-through treatment line for high-end travellers and the make-your-way-through-a-rat-maze option for the discount class, according to a recent Sara Kehaulani Goo article.

Across the country, "elite" lines are making a comeback at U.S. airports. The lines, which deliver high-paying travelers right to the checkpoint without waiting, were common before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but the federal government eliminated them when it took over security. In allowing the lines to return, the Transportation Security Administration has irked travelers who say the airlines' class system should not extend to airport security, paid for by all taxpayers.

The lines are operated by the airlines - not the government, which is responsible only for the actual screening process.

"The physical rope and stanchions and the real estate they occupy (are) the responsibility of the airlines or, in some cases, the airports," TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield said. "The TSA area begins just past the ticket checkers. From that point forward, we treat them all the same."

[...]

The privilege for those who get it, is incredibly valuable. Wait times in the standard security lines at Reagan National Airport near Washington can be as long as 50 minutes, according to the TSA's website.

Inside the exclusive American Airlines Admirals Club at Los Angeles International Airport, Mike Shires relaxed on a leather chair, enjoying a few moments of peace before his flight back home to Chicago. He flies 200,000 miles a year on business, and he enjoys the perks that come with it.

"I'd have to put 30 minutes back into my schedule" without the special security line, he said. "There's a perk that comes with all the miles we travel."

Airport and airline officials said they persuaded the TSA that creating special lines speeds all travelers through.

By separating seasoned passengers familiar with security rules from vacationers who don't know they have to remove their shoes, officials say, everyone moves through security more quickly.

In short, American Airlines persuaded the American government that some Americans are more American than other Americans and if you don't get that there's only one word for you.

Posted by Ryan Singel at August 3, 2005 10:13 AM

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