One of the first lessons learned in kindergarten is the value of lines. The teacher used lines to organize the kids in the class and march them out to the playground at recess, or during fire drills. A corollary to that lesson was an important rule: don’t cut into the line. The teachers didn’t like it, your kindergarten classmates quickly adopted the same attitude, and eventually, so did you. As you progressed through the schooling and into life, where waiting in lines is a fundamental part of existence, the “no cuts!” rule remained inviolable.
So why does Clear, the airport identity service, get to freely break this time-honored rule?
This week I was waiting in the TSA precheck line at Concourse B in John Glenn International Airport. The TSA precheck line, which is located next to the Clear line, was about 10 people deep, while there was no one in the Clear line when I arrived. In fact, the Clear agent was trying to recruit people in the TSA line to move into the Clear area, do whatever it takes to use Clear, and move to the front of the line. And sure enough, when somebody did use the Clear line, the Clear agent took them to the TSA officer who was doing the security screening, before the TSA pre-check people who had been patiently waiting in line. In effect, the Clear person cut into the line, violating the long-held rule. I can’t speak for others in the TSA precheck line, but that irritated me.
Sure, the TSA precheck line could itself be viewed as line-jumping, because it is typically shorter than the standard passenger security line. But at least TSA precheck people have taken steps to qualify for precheck status, including going in person to a federal office, providing various elements of personal information, and having a sit-down interview with a federal agent. That, and paying a fee, was what you needed to do to qualify and be put into a different security category. I recognize that Clear also involves some security element, but why should Clear people move through security ahead of TSA precheck people?
The no-cutting rule is a good one. It should be followed in the airport security world.
Webner House 