Family Lane Only

[HauntedGabe]

TSA has announced plans to test a FAMILY LANE for groups traveling with minors. So there would be multiple lanes with specific profiles.

Special Travelers Lanes 2 Lane distinctions
Pre-Approved Lanes: $80.00-$l00.00 per person, prior clearance
Executive Frequent Fliers

Ordinary People Lanes: 3 Lanes distinctions
Seasoned OR Frequent Fliers
Casual Traveler without children
Family Lane

TSA hoping this lane will make families feel less pressure going through security with strollers and children. Viewed as a plus for families.

Not all airports have Pre-Approved Lanes yet. So ordinary Families will be allowed to enter one of four or five lanes. My first thought was how long the family lanes could become? Is it age discrimination? It will make adult travel much faster with 3 or 4 options in lanes. How much earlier with families have to arrive at airports to clear security? If everyone has a ticket should anyone be given special or additional lane options?

I'm at the end of era of minor children yet I believe in that first come first served thought process. Wonder what others think about the majority of lanes being NO CHILDREN ALLOWED?

[harra]

I am pretty excited about the possibility for an experienced traveler lane. I travel alot and am far more frustrated with ADULTS who don't seem to get that liquids are limited, shoes cannot be worn through the metal detectors and the various other things.

I have my shoes untied, laptop unbagged, belt, wallet, and metal stowed in my carry-on before I even enter the line. Makes it easy to just throw stuff in the bins and move on through.

My observations are that parents seem to be more prepared than those without kids

[princessariel]

I am pretty excited about the possibility for an experienced traveler lane. I travel alot and am far more frustrated with ADULTS who don't seem to get that liquids are limited, shoes cannot be worn through the metal detectors and the various other things.

I have my shoes untied, laptop unbagged, belt, wallet, and metal stowed in my carry-on before I even enter the line. Makes it easy to just throw stuff in the bins and move on through.

My observations are that parents seem to be more prepared than those without kids

I agree!! My DH is like this and it drives me batty!! We've flown at least 4 times together but he still acts like it's his first time. I always get super impatient with him.

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

I think I would have felt less stress if I had been in a family lane. I just wanted them all to hurry so we could get through and quit annoying people. That probably was a misconception but it would have been nice. Overall, we went through security better than I thought. I made the kids wear their crocs so they would go on and off quickly. That was the best idea that we had. But most people were very calm and understanding though.

So I guess I am saying I think it is a great idea. But if that lane is horriblely long and the others are way short, then families should have the option to use those also. Hopefully it won't be an all or nothing type of thing.

[BamaJenn]

I've only had to travel with Aaron once so far by plane and I will say that the idea of a lane for families is a very good one in my opinion. I think in the grand scheme of things most travelers aren't families so I don't see the family line being insane (unless we're talking about Orlando International... then ok that line will be long). I like the idea of not feeling stressed because the business traveler behind me is getting irritated as I try to get Aaron's shoes off and walk him through the metal detector. At the same time, from my personal business life, I like the idea of traveling without being that person too!

[disneydame2004]

I don't know that this is really necessary. We already see enough people can't follow simple directions like "Take off your shoes" - now we want them to take off their shoes AND go to the correctly designated line? Not to mention the different languages, etc.

As Jenn pointed out, in some airports families make up a much larger portion of the fliers (and some of those families probably make the trip 3 or more times a year - which line would that put them in?)

Orlando's security line has always been busy, but this past trip in January I couldn't believe how backed up it was. Lines stretched back all the way across the terminal just to get through the checkpoint, then people were packed like sardines into the lines to get to the scanners/xrays. The direction signs (remove this, unpack that, etc.) were hard to find and harder to see in the crowds. They really need to improve the existing flow and directions before thinking about complicating the system even more.

[HauntedGabe]

My laptop takes as long if not longer than a stroller.
My kids l0 & 15 years ago were seasoned travelers, flying unaccompanied since they were 6 yrs. old. Frankly they know the drill far better than either set of their senior citizen grandparents. Could you imagine purposing a senior citizen lane? Out of O'Hare it would be great to have a speed lane on the days I'm alone and conventioning. Yet many of the business travelers I am around take forever, they just have different junk. Rolling suitcases, laptops, PDA's, cell phones, cameras, briefcases and purses. Many are not exactly quick, but are the first to be impatient with children who often don't have the carry-on's that the business class seems to trudge onto the plane. At O'Hare we have a lot of business travel. Yet in the summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Spring Break the airport is packed with families. If TSA does this, what the heck will happen to all those families trying to get through security those l7 weeks or so. The more they seem to fix it the more it seems to get broken.

[disneydame2004]

Those carry ons are going to get worse, too, as the airlines keep cutting back on the number of bags allowed to be checked.

Southwest reduced theirs from 3 checked for free to 2 before charging extra (on top of the 50lbs and under rules).

US Airways just went to 1 checked bag for free and $25 for a second, plus $50 for any bag over 50 lbs.

My mid-size suitcase for 1 adult, 1 kid /7 days weighed 49.5 lbs. I can't even think of taking our larger one b/c it would guarantee to be overweight. So where does the extra stuff go? In a carry on, of course. More of those, more inspections, more delays.

[HauntedGabe]

Those carry ons are going to get worse, too, as the airlines keep cutting back on the number of bags allowed to be checked.

Southwest reduced theirs from 3 checked for free to 2 before charging extra (on top of the 50lbs and under rules).

US Airways just went to 1 checked bag for free and $25 for a second, plus $50 for any bag over 50 lbs.

My mid-size suitcase for 1 adult, 1 kid /7 days weighed 49.5 lbs. I can't even think of taking our larger one b/c it would guarantee to be overweight. So where does the extra stuff go? In a carry on, of course. More of those, more inspections, more delays.

Geeze I didn't even think of that! I knew about it 'cause I thought about all the suitcases and carry on's my DS & I took through O'hare taking him down to the Disney College Program. Need a lot of stuff for 5 months. It would have cost me another $l00.00

[satijp]

Most airports have Elite Flyers lines (Plat, Gold, Silver with their respected airlines), plus Clear - which is fabulous. Both of these get those passengers who do travel alot or pay for it through security very quickly. Also, wheelchairs and special assist passengers get a "go to the front" of the line free pass most places. I don't see any reason to further break down boarding. As mentioned, it may help at some airports and hinder at others. I also will agree that kids can either take lots of extra time or be quicker than some adults, just depending on how their parents have prepared them. TSA has some great family tips at TSA: Traveling with Children , along with several other pages to help all travelers figure out how to pack, travel, check-in and basically make their air travel easier and safer.

[cjborne2]

My kids are seasoned travelers as well and we usually sail through security. My 5 year old recently asked me if he needed to take his shoes off to go through a metal detector at a government building. What ama ed me when we flew recently was watching all those people who didn't know to put their liquids into a ip-top bag (my last letter of the alphabet key does not work and puts the computer into sleep mode, so excuse the spelling error). We had an issue last time with the detectors because my DH was traveling with his guide dog and his metal collar/tags set off the alarm. We were traveling in New Orleans the day after Mardi Gras and why they only had one person working security is beyond me. It took forever to go through the extra screening.
My question to the airlines regarding suitcases...am I going to get a credit for all the flights we've taken and techinically been allowed 8 bags (2 each for the 4 of us) and have only packed 2 or 3? As it is, the dog is going to need a bag of his own to pack food for a 10 day trip.

[harra]

All these restrictions on carry-on and luggage really makes Owner's Locker seem more and more attractive for those of us who go to Disney frequently (and I wasn't paid to say that...haha).

[mini-V]

You can't imagine how excited I am to anticipate not having to fly very often after June. It sounds like TSA is trying to improve the system, but I don't see this as a help. Just keep people in the line and move groups to the shortest lines as people move through.
We mistakenly moved to a short line on our last trip only to realize, after we were in the line, that it was also used for wheelchair travelers. Just about the time the first traveler (and the other people traveling with them) was cleared, another would come and we had to wait for them to get through security.