So apparently the folks at TSA have decided that there’s a better way to get everyone through the security lines - I’ve seen this now at SEA at the beginning of this trip and again coming through security after clearing customs in Atlanta. Basic idea is this: three lanes, one each for casual travelers, expert travelers, and families and others with special needs. The black diamond lane - the one for expert travelers - replacing the previously highly useful elite lanes for those of us with gold/platinum/premier/whatever status on the airlines. However, it appears that people who think they are experts can now self-select into these lanes.
I’m skeptical. I’ve counted for a long time on my ability to skip the long security lines, which given that I’m at Sea-Tac several times a month (and often more than once a week) has a tangible impact on my mental wellbeing. Maybe I’m being a snob, not sure, but when I saw the new getup at SEA last weekend I promptly bolted for the other security line where it hadn’t yet been implemented, hit the elite line, and was through in under 5 minutes.
TSA has a blog - which is just bizarre in it’s own right - and the signs for the new lanes direct you there to give feedback. I’m offline on a plane but I think the URL is http://www.tsa.gov/blog. I glanced at it at some point during this trip, and gained zero additional confidence in much of anything. Have a look… but it sounds like an idea that some twenty-something dipshit suggested to his bosses at TSA as a great way to make TSA more accessible or something. No one wants accessible - we want fast lanes, solid and confidence-inspiring security, and the ability to get on a plane without having to be cavity searched. That’s it.
Or maybe that’s just me.
