5 ms·

the key here is that more than one person is filling their tray at a time. so if one person is taking their time, other people can jump past them. obviously it

by ts330 10y ago

the key here is that more than one person is filling their tray at a time. so if one person is taking their time, other people can jump past them. obviously it helps to have motivated and efficient operators, but in my experience, it's almost always some dithering idiot that holds things up. as as we all know, serial processing of a queue is not efficient when you end up waiting on IO :)

mr_spothawk 10y ago
I fly frequently through a limited set of airports. I rarely see the millimeter scanner at less than max throughput. That said I regularly do what I can to slow things down, and sometimes take the pat down in favor of hassling the staff. Attrition is damned right. The TSA scam is awful, and I hope we can get rid of it soon.
- CWuestefeld 10y ago
  My personal experience is just the opposite. I always see the nudie scanners languishing for 30 seconds or more between people. The delay seems to be the baggage x-ray. If that's true, then some other things fit neatly into place. The airline escalation of baggage check fees has driven people to carrying more stuff. That, in turn, means that more stuff needs to go through the x-ray conveyor, which slows down that process.
  - logfromblammo 10y ago
    To be fair, some people were only carrying more things because they didn't want their stuff stolen out of their checked baggage, or for it to be otherwise lost in transit. Stealing stuff right out of the security checkpoint ought to make those folks think twice, right?
    - alistairSH 10y ago
      I made the switch to carry-on only last year for all my travel. Too much waiting around at baggage claim, too much risk of luggage being lost (especially with transfers), etc. Checked baggage fees weren't the motivator, as most carriers allow one piece for free and I've never needed more than that. With cameras, laptops, and other expensive items, I have to carry on at least one bag regardless. Now, it's one or two bags (roller luggage, plus laptop case, usually).

by ts330 10y ago

mr_spothawk 10y ago

I fly frequently through a limited set of airports. I rarely see the millimeter scanner at less than max throughput. That said I regularly do what I can to slow things down, and sometimes take the pat down in favor of hassling the staff. Attrition is damned right. The TSA scam is awful, and I hope we can get rid of it soon.

CWuestefeld 10y ago
My personal experience is just the opposite. I always see the nudie scanners languishing for 30 seconds or more between people. The delay seems to be the baggage x-ray. If that's true, then some other things fit neatly into place. The airline escalation of baggage check fees has driven people to carrying more stuff. That, in turn, means that more stuff needs to go through the x-ray conveyor, which slows down that process.
- logfromblammo 10y ago
  To be fair, some people were only carrying more things because they didn't want their stuff stolen out of their checked baggage, or for it to be otherwise lost in transit. Stealing stuff right out of the security checkpoint ought to make those folks think twice, right?
  - alistairSH 10y ago
    I made the switch to carry-on only last year for all my travel. Too much waiting around at baggage claim, too much risk of luggage being lost (especially with transfers), etc. Checked baggage fees weren't the motivator, as most carriers allow one piece for free and I've never needed more than that. With cameras, laptops, and other expensive items, I have to carry on at least one bag regardless. Now, it's one or two bags (roller luggage, plus laptop case, usually).