The TSA’s New Express Line
July 18th, 2011
Now Comes in Express!
If you’re a frequent flyer, you’re probably fed up with having to go through security each time you want to get on a plane and travel, especially when that security involves the potential for X-rays or pat-downs. Don’t you wish there was a quicker way of going through security? Well, the good people at the TSA sympathize with you, and are offering express security screenings to get you on the plane faster if you fly frequently.
This fall, the TSA will be testing out express security in Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, and Dallas. Intended for those who fly often, it will allow certain people to go through security without needing to take off your shoes or taking your laptop out of your bag, saving travelers a fair bit of time, and enabling passengers to zip right through security while everybody else fiddles around with their belongings.
However, this program comes with a catch. To qualify for the program, you need to give the TSA some “added personal information”, such as personal contacts and your travel history, to make sure terrorists aren’t “gaming” the system. What the trade-off comes down to is you give up more of your private information in exchange for speed, and you still might be subject to a pat-down. If this plan goes into effect, travelers will be faced with two options: go through the traditional pat-down x-ray security that takes forever, or go through the speedy, more invasive security that swaps privacy for convenience. It’s better than having just one option, but when the TSA is providing those choices, you’re merely choosing which is the more preferable assault on your civil liberties.
