Why the preference for first class at security?

tjordanlaw · 08-07-2003, 01:20 PM

Why does the TSA, a taxpayer funded government agency, provide a special line for first class/preferred members. All passengers pay the same $3 fee so why should the government give a preference. Why does the government care how much a passenger paid the airlines.

dbaker · 08-07-2003, 01:30 PM

I believe that the idea is that everyone spends the same amount of time being annoyed by security lines in a given amount of time. In a year, a non-frequent passenger might only go through security 2 or 4 times whereas a very frequent flier might go through security 60 or 80 times.

Also, the first class / elite passengers are more likely to opt to take private aircraft rather than commercial flights where there is no security (or fee). I like being able to keep my shoes on.

mduell · 08-07-2003, 11:23 PM

I noticed this at LAX for the LAX-YVC flight, and I think its complete and utter crap. I dont care if you travel once in your lifetime or 180 times a year, ther is no need for seprate lines. The first class (weenies, as everyone from #ityt knows I like to call them) pax can stand in line with all of us in cattle class.

Nugget · 08-08-2003, 12:37 AM

Suck it, cargo. You steerage flotsam are lucky we let you ride inside the plane.

merchanb · 08-13-2003, 09:32 PM

May I assume that, besides eliminating the "perks" we have either earned or paid for, you would like us to sit with you back there in cramped, vertical seats, eat a box lunch and pay for our drinks and headsets?

I might also be tempted to assume that you do not frequent any of the more upscale estabishments one finds on the ground.

Welcome to the world.

mduell · 08-13-2003, 11:19 PM

Could you explain how you "earned" or "paid for" the perk of a special no-wait security line, when you paid the same exact $3 (or $10 or whatever) security fee I did on my Y-fare?

merchanb · 08-13-2003, 11:39 PM

Sure thing.

The same way I earned or paid for every other perk which is not routinely offered to anyone who just happens by. (I get mine by flying more than 75,000 miles each year on Continental.)

Your pitiful fee helps pay for the security service, not for which line they are assigned to.

You ARE a big spender though. I don't buy Y tickets. H and K work the same for less money. If they opened a special line for Y ticket holders would you refuse the perk and wait instead in the the H & K ticket holder line just as a matter of principal?

P.S.: I also take advantage of the Elite line for check-in. So sue me.

Oh, oh, I just noticed that you are a "FAA certified private pilot." Maybe they should have a special line for that. When they do, mine is Commercial Single&Multi Engine Instrument rated and I also have a valid drivers license but I don't feel the need to advertise it. (That was supposed to be a dig.)

mduell · 08-14-2003, 02:34 AM

The Y ticket happened to be the cheapest for my last flight. I'm not really familiar with all the code-fares.

I don't have any problem with FC/FF lines for checkin, preboarding, or any other service provided by the airline. The problem is that everyone pays the same fee to the TSA, and everyone should get the same service. Special lines for FC, FF, Y fares, private pilots are, in my opinion, unjust and should be eliminated. When I was in Vancouver, there was no special line for immigration for FF/FC for US or Canadian customs (Yes, I went through US customs in Canada; dont ask), and thats the way it should be.

You seem to have entirely avoided my question, by responding with examples of perks given to you by the airline, instead of explaining why you deserve a perk from the government.

merchanb · 08-14-2003, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mduell

I'm not really familiar with all the code-fares.

Hmmm. Sure coulda guessed that one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mduell

there was no special line for immigration

Line? Line?? . . . "Not really familiar" with the INSPASS either, huh?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mduell

why you deserve a perk from the government

INSPASS = INS Passenger Accelerated Service System . . . (Oops, I thought the Immigration & Naturalization Service was government))

One question, please . . . why do you deserve a pilot's license from the government? (Everybody else doesn't have one, even though they might want one, too.)

mduell · 08-14-2003, 07:03 PM

Oh, I saw the INSPASS. It was closed/inoperative. But had it been working, I don't see why it would have been restricted to FC/FF pax only. It would have been open to any passenger who had filled out the requsite government forms and paid their fee (if there is one).

And you've still managed to avoid the question. Why do FC/FF passengers deserve their own security screening line?

Any chance you could come into #ityt so we can debate this in a quicker fashion?

merchanb · 08-14-2003, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mduell

Any chance you could come into #ityt so we can debate this in a quicker fashion?

Nope. Having answered that in my Thu Aug 14, 2003 2:39 pm post I'm quite finished with this exchange.
(You may, however, want to comment about your feelings if some security personnel were to be assigned to perform their duties in the elite lounge. :P )

Nugget · 08-15-2003, 02:10 AM

I'm still curious if mduell similarly objects to HOV lanes on the freeway and the 1040EZ form for paying taxes. Shouldn't we all deal with the same traffic and the same long form for our taxes?

merchanb · 08-15-2003, 02:27 AM

Y'know Nugget, we really oughta cut some people a little slack. We should try to keep ourselves above hurling crass, direct insults and, since some people don't recognise subtle ones, perhaps our time would be better spent helping travelers who, though initially uninformed, are at least playing with a full deck.

In the meantime I, personally, just don't proposed to argue with the concierge or the duly appointed official who steers me to the shorter line. After all . . . they're only doing their job.

merchanb · 08-20-2003, 09:41 PM

Quote:

As part of a $2.9 billion airline aid package that was approved in mid-April, the September 11th Security Fee is being waived for tickets purchased from June 1 through September 30.

.

merchanb · 09-15-2003, 01:22 AM

The latest from Continental:

Quote:

As an EliteAccess traveler, you'll find nearly every aspect of your airport experience -- from checking in and boarding the plane to retrieving your baggage -- will be given special priority with these special benefits:

Designated Check-in Lines: Check-in at special EliteAccess lines at the airport.
EliteAccess Boarding: You may enter the new EliteAccess lane and board the plane immediately at any time during the boarding process.
Expedited Security Screening: Where available, access the priority lane at security.
Priority baggage handling: Your bag will be among the first at baggage claim.
No Middle Seat Guarantee: You'll get a window or aisle seat or we'll give you 1,000 bonus miles.

Just wanted to further irritate the malcontents in the "other line."

dez · 03-18-2004, 12:41 PM

kind of ironic that now with "elite access for the day" on full y fares, mark wil be skipping people in line at security too..

go figure

08-07-2003, 01:20 PM	#1
tjordanlaw Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1	Why the preference for first class at security? Why does the TSA, a taxpayer funded government agency, provide a special line for first class/preferred members. All passengers pay the same $3 fee so why should the government give a preference. Why does the government care how much a passenger paid the airlines. __________________

08-07-2003, 01:30 PM	#2
dbaker Senior Member ITYT Captain Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: IAH/HOU Posts: 2,354	I believe that the idea is that everyone spends the same amount of time being annoyed by security lines in a given amount of time. In a year, a non-frequent passenger might only go through security 2 or 4 times whereas a very frequent flier might go through security 60 or 80 times. Also, the first class / elite passengers are more likely to opt to take private aircraft rather than commercial flights where there is no security (or fee). I like being able to keep my shoes on. __________________

03-18-2004, 12:41 PM	#16
dez Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: BTV (Burlington, VT) Posts: 16	kind of ironic that now with "elite access for the day" on full y fares, mark wil be skipping people in line at security too.. go figure __________________

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08-07-2003, 11:23 PM	#3
mduell Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: SBA or PRC Posts: 71	I noticed this at LAX for the LAX-YVC flight, and I think its complete and utter crap. I dont care if you travel once in your lifetime or 180 times a year, ther is no need for seprate lines. The first class (weenies, as everyone from #ityt knows I like to call them) pax can stand in line with all of us in cattle class.

08-08-2003, 12:37 AM	#4
Nugget Senior Member ITYT Navigator Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 610	Suck it, cargo. You steerage flotsam are lucky we let you ride inside the plane.

08-13-2003, 09:32 PM	#5
merchanb Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: GUM Posts: 136	May I assume that, besides eliminating the "perks" we have either earned or paid for, you would like us to sit with you back there in cramped, vertical seats, eat a box lunch and pay for our drinks and headsets? I might also be tempted to assume that you do not frequent any of the more upscale estabishments one finds on the ground. Welcome to the world.

08-13-2003, 11:19 PM	#6
mduell Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: SBA or PRC Posts: 71	Could you explain how you "earned" or "paid for" the perk of a special no-wait security line, when you paid the same exact $3 (or $10 or whatever) security fee I did on my Y-fare?

08-13-2003, 11:39 PM	#7
merchanb Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: GUM Posts: 136	Sure thing. The same way I earned or paid for every other perk which is not routinely offered to anyone who just happens by. (I get mine by flying more than 75,000 miles each year on Continental.) Your pitiful fee helps pay for the security service, not for which line they are assigned to. You ARE a big spender though. I don't buy Y tickets. H and K work the same for less money. If they opened a special line for Y ticket holders would you refuse the perk and wait instead in the the H & K ticket holder line just as a matter of principal? P.S.: I also take advantage of the Elite line for check-in. So sue me. Oh, oh, I just noticed that you are a "FAA certified private pilot." Maybe they should have a special line for that. When they do, mine is Commercial Single&Multi Engine Instrument rated and I also have a valid drivers license but I don't feel the need to advertise it. (That was supposed to be a dig.)

08-14-2003, 02:34 AM	#8
mduell Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: SBA or PRC Posts: 71	The Y ticket happened to be the cheapest for my last flight. I'm not really familiar with all the code-fares. I don't have any problem with FC/FF lines for checkin, preboarding, or any other service provided by the airline. The problem is that everyone pays the same fee to the TSA, and everyone should get the same service. Special lines for FC, FF, Y fares, private pilots are, in my opinion, unjust and should be eliminated. When I was in Vancouver, there was no special line for immigration for FF/FC for US or Canadian customs (Yes, I went through US customs in Canada; dont ask), and thats the way it should be. You seem to have entirely avoided my question, by responding with examples of perks given to you by the airline, instead of explaining why you deserve a perk from the government.

08-14-2003, 07:03 PM	#10
mduell Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: SBA or PRC Posts: 71	Oh, I saw the INSPASS. It was closed/inoperative. But had it been working, I don't see why it would have been restricted to FC/FF pax only. It would have been open to any passenger who had filled out the requsite government forms and paid their fee (if there is one). And you've still managed to avoid the question. Why do FC/FF passengers deserve their own security screening line? Any chance you could come into #ityt so we can debate this in a quicker fashion?

08-15-2003, 02:10 AM	#12
Nugget Senior Member ITYT Navigator Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 610	I'm still curious if mduell similarly objects to HOV lanes on the freeway and the 1040EZ form for paying taxes. Shouldn't we all deal with the same traffic and the same long form for our taxes?

08-15-2003, 02:27 AM	#13
merchanb Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: GUM Posts: 136	Y'know Nugget, we really oughta cut some people a little slack. We should try to keep ourselves above hurling crass, direct insults and, since some people don't recognise subtle ones, perhaps our time would be better spent helping travelers who, though initially uninformed, are at least playing with a full deck. In the meantime I, personally, just don't proposed to argue with the concierge or the duly appointed official who steers me to the shorter line. After all . . . they're only doing their job.