February theme: Aviation securityAirport security emulates ski industry

We wrote yesterday about a company installing new passenger screening systems in Bay Area airports — which is now offering $500,000 award to individuals or companies advising it how to expedite the movement of passengers through its system. Perhaps it cans save itself the money and learn a thing or two from ski resorts and the way they handle their visitors. John Hughes writes in Telegram that inspired by the skill-level ratings on ski slopes, federal officials in Denver and Salt Lake City are testing a beginner line for fliers who need help with screening, another for people with some travel experience, and a fast lane for those familiar with safety rules. “The response has been really positive,” said Earl Morris, the U.S. security director at the Salt Lake City airport, where the lanes were used for their first full day Thursday. “Most people are pretty considerate. They go to the lane that is most appropriate to them.” The pilot program, called “Black Diamond” for the symbols marking the toughest ski runs, is intended to cut waiting times.

A Denver checkpoint will start tests next week, said Ellen Howe, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokeswoman. “There’s always been frustration” among seasoned fliers stuck behind novices who may not know about removing shoes for screening, said Bill Connors, executive director of the Alexandria, Virginia-based National Business Travel Association. TSA’s effort is an “interesting experiment” that may help improve business travelers’ productivity, said Connors. “Hopefully this will cause travelers to self-segregate themselves and create some efficiency,” said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association in Potomac, Maryland. “You wonder why they haven’t done it sooner,” he said of TSA’s travel-lane idea.

In Salt Lake City, the most popular lane option yesterday was the “green circle” line, which TSA advertises as being designed for “families and special assistance,” Morris said. Families with strollers need “very little coaxing” to use it, he said. “They just make a beeline for it.” The “blue square” line is targeted at the “casual traveler” who may be carrying multiple bags, while TSA labels the “black diamond” line for the “expert traveler.” No one will be tossed from the fast lane, though anyone there shouldn’t expect extra help, Morris said. “What happens when you mix all your passengers together, those who travel very little get very little assistance,” he said of the current approach to airport screening.