To be fair my observations are solely based off n~= 20 flights through generally smaller airports, but I have seen extreme reluctance on the part of TSA staff t

To be fair my observations are solely based off n~= 20 flights through generally smaller airports, but I have seen extreme reluctance on the part of TSA staff to pass people through the metal detectors, especially during times like holidays. I do agree that the security theater surrounding the x-ray bag scanners is also a significant issue and might be the primary bottleneck at other airports or at different times.