Airport Needs to Cut Specialty Lines, Improve Signs

During a recent flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, I had a reminder that the security screening processes are concocted by people who are disconnected from reality. It was actually a fairly light morning at Sky Harbor's Terminal 4 as I was headed toward the checkpoint. I made sure I didn't accidentally slip into the first class line and made my way to the agent.

Her first words? "Next time, make sure you don't use the medical and family line." I told her I didn't notice the sign.

"It's there," she said rather shortly. I looked back again. All I remember is NOT seeing a sign for the first class line.

But I also know that arguing with a surly TSA agent is not the way to get to a gate on time. What I did was file the tidbit away for further reflection. And here are my conclusions:

There are too many specific lines that are too underused. There was not a single body in the first class line. There was not a single body in the alleged "medical and family" line. If nobody is there, why bother with them? It seems like a lot of effort for a tiny portion of the passengers. And why should TSA cater to airline customers? It's not like you get frequent flier mileage for passing through TSA checkpoints. When I'm headed toward a security checkpoint, I am driven for efficiency. That's so I don't hold up the line and consequently other people (who might be later getting to the airport than I usually am). I have my boarding pass and driver's license in hand. Even though I thinks it's a ridiculous mockery of true security, I'm unlacing my shoes to take them off already. I'm ready to clear the items in my pockets. That's where I focus my attention.

If the airport has a bunch of lines for first class customers, medical and family, people with gluten allergies, passengers who prefer pot-bellied pigs to dogs and customers who drive hybrid cars ... make clear, concise signs in large typeface. I am too busy trying to pass my way through the intestinal tract that is a TSA security line to notice tiny, poorly written signs. Make them big and make them concise, or don't bother. Test the signs out using real-world travelers - a nice mix of leisure and business fliers. If you have suits making these decision, they won't be under the stress of getting to a gate on-time or the prospect of holding up a bunch of their fellow fliers.