If you’ve traveled to a major hub airport, you’ve probably seen (or used) separate “elite” security lines. Two weeks ago, the Washington post offered an editorial opposing the existence of these separate lines. On Tuesday, USA Today picked up the thread. The WaPo summarized the argument against the VIP lines in the context of the new security rules:

Most air travelers took the beefed-up security — and the occasionally interminable waits that followed — in stride. First- and business-class passengers in most airports, on the other hand, didn’t have to. As usual, higher-class passengers skipped most of the security queues at hubs such as Dulles and Los Angeles international airports. That’s hardly fair.
We understand why travelers in first class and business get preferential treatment in airline baggage lines; it’s one of the perks they pay for. Checked baggage handling is a service that airlines elect to provide, and they can administer it however they see fit. But does the same logic extend to an official public service? When security alerts [...] bring hassle and delay, it shouldn’t be only the travelers with coach seats who have to sacrifice their time to ensure the safety of American aviation.

The argument that essential government-provided services shouldn’t be doled out by class is a powerful one. But while I think of myself as a pretty egalitarian guy, I’m going on record in defense of elitism in this case. Hear me out.

For starters, the TSA is not to blame for this. It’s the airlines and the airports that control who gets in line, and how. Once they reach the front of the line, the government’s screeners take over. So the government absolves itself of responsiblity. The question remains if airports and airlines should divide the lines into elites and non-elites. I say yes.

For starters, it’s not just business and first class passengers who use the elite lines, when these lines even exist. (Not all airports have them; USA Today listed most American airports with the lines at the bottom of their article.) It’s predominantly the airlines’ most frequent flyers — the people flying 25,000 or more miles per year — who use these lines. Sometimes on cheap fares. They might be flying in first, sure, but they’re very, very often in coach. More importantly, most people in the elite line have had their butts in seats a lot more than the occasional traveler. They tend to be business travelers who have to fly, not leisure travelers who want to fly. The line is a perk, but it’s a perk that’s earned by spending a lot more time walking through magnetometers.

Having such lines is a smart business decision, not a matter of security. These passengers are the airlines’ best customers, and they’re rewarded with the option of special lines. Like a bank that offers a line for business clients, or the Home Depot with its contractors-only line, airlines want to make sure the best customers get the least hassle. Keeping these passengers happy (or at least happier) keeps airlines in business for the rest of the traveling public. Tick frequent flyers off enough, and they’ll do what they can to avoid traveling. (Online meetings, driving, etc.)

Once they’re in the TSA’s hands, elites aren’t hassled less, frisked more gently, or allowed any latitude in security. No. The best they get is a shorter wait for the same exact security treatment.

And elite lines aren’t even always the shortest lines. At O’Hare’s Terminal 1, where I have the privilege of using one such elite line, I often opt to use the smaller security checkpoint near the hallway connecting to Terminal 2. It’s often got no line at all, and it’s open to everyone, elite or not. (See here for a partial list of similar security checkpoint shortcuts.) And if the elite line is empty, “regular” passengers fill the gap.

This sort of predisposition toward elites at airports isn’t limited to the United States. In fact, in some cases overseas the frequent flyers in coach are screwed, too, and it’s truly just a matter of first class getting the royal treatment: At London’s Heathrow Airport, passengers in business or first class get a “Fast Track” golden ticket that lets you cut the line for passport controls.

Other airports are introducing automated traveler registries, like “Privium” at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. A retinal scan confirms your identity, no further questions are asked, and off you go. But you still pass through metal detectors, and your luggage is scanned.

Critics of a class division in America’s airports might consider reserving their ire for TSA’s Registered Traveler Program. Orlando’s airport offers one such program, called “Clear,” which gives you faster access to the TSA’s metal detectors, in exchange for a background check and fingerprinting. No one gets a free pass through security, either, just a shorter line. But the program is approved by the TSA: in this instance, the government IS offering faster access to security for those who pay for it.

(Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t really get the appeal of the Registered Travel Program. Since the program is aimed at people who fly a lot, and those are usually elite-level frequent flyers, isn’t a program like “Clear” redundant if an airport already has an elite line for security?)

In any case, Tim Winship is right that the far more important issue is getting the speed and efficacy of airport security fixed — for everyone.

But until then, elite lines are fine with me.

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