$100 to Fly Through the Airport
So here’s the latest thing really rustling my jimmies, courtesy of Scott McCartney of The Wall Street Journal:
The Transportation Security Administration is rolling out expedited screening at big airports called “Precheck.” It has special lanes for background-checked travelers, who can keep their shoes, belt and jacket on, leave laptops and liquids in carry-on bags and walk through a metal detector rather than a full-body scan. The process, now at two airlines and nine airports, is much like how screenings worked before the Sept. 11 attacks.
…
“It’s a completely different experience than what you’re used to,” said Matt Stegmeir, a platinum-level Delta Air Lines Inc. frequent flier who was invited into Precheck when it opened at his home airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul.
YOU KNOW
WE USED TO BE USED TO THIS
THEN SOME REALLY STUPID SHIT HAPPENED TO AIR TRAVEL IN THIS COUNTRY
To qualify, frequent fliers must meet undisclosed TSA criteria and get invited in by the airlines. There is also a backdoor in. Approved travelers who are in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “Global Entry” program can transfer into Precheck using their Global Entry number.
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Enrolling requires a $100 application fee for a background check, plus a brief interview with a Customs officer.
So I guess we’ve quantified the value of being treated like a human being as $100 and a background check.