posted by Zach Patton
When it comes to airport security lines, what's your style? Do you struggle to pile all your bags onto the conveyor belt while trying to corral your kids through the line? Or have you mastered the Zen art of removing your shoes, coat and laptop in one graceful motion?
Travellers at Salt Lake City International Airport get to choose. In an experiment the TSA is running right now, the security lines are split into different "expert levels," like ski slopes on a mountain. In fact, the program uses ski symbology -- green for easy, blue for moderate, a black diamond for experienced -- to denote the different lines.
So if you need a little more time getting through the line, you can opt for the green line. If you're an expert traveller carrying only a BlackBerry, you might opt for the black diamond line.
The idea is to reduce stress for everybody -- the experienced travellers don't feel delayed, and families who need more time don't feel rushed and pressured.
The program is expanding to Denver International in the next few weeks. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out. My first thought is that, since the lines aren't mandated, won't people still just look for the shortest line? But maybe it'll be a hit.
The best perk of elite frequent flier status is the "priority security line" -- not only is it shorter, but the people in the line almost always know what they're doing. Heck, I even let TSA dictate my fashion choices: I've switched almost entirely to slip-on shoes to save those precious minutes.
Posted by: Payton Chung | Friday, February 22, 2008 at 03:56 AM