TSA lines are so out of control that travelers are hiring line-sitters

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Archiving the article & archive.is debate

  • Some discuss using archive.ph to bypass paywalls, noting it effectively DDoSes the origin with users’ browsers; impact allegedly mitigated by Cloudflare but seen as ethically questionable.
  • Concerns raised about archive.today domains: DNS poisoning, occasional content tampering, and their reputation issues.
  • One commenter experiments with alternatives (SingleFile, PDF to archive.org, anonymous hosting like catbox.moe), worried about legality, clutter, and abuse of any new archiving service.
  • Sympathy and unease expressed about the anonymous archive.is operator and prior “doxing/DDOS drama”; motivations on both sides seen as nuanced.

Cultural context: line-sitters in Indian temples

  • Line-sitters are described as common at Indian temples, where queues can exceed five hours.
  • Explanations: family lineage temples (“kuladeivam”), local significance, special events, and a subset of temples that are crowded year-round.
  • Temples are framed as enhancing the “quality” of worship rather than being strictly required.
  • Status and displays of devotion also seen as drivers of long lines.

How bad are TSA lines, really?

  • Multiple travelers report recent experiences at major airports with minimal waits, suggesting the crisis is uneven and highly airport/time dependent.
  • Some note specific examples (e.g., Essential Air Service airports, SFO, LAX) where lines are short or unchanged.

Airport security models: TSA vs private contractors

  • SFO is cited as using a private contractor under TSA’s Screening Partnership Program; some say this “buffer” helps maintain staffing during funding issues.
  • A list of other such airports is referenced; some predict more airports will join.
  • Others argue all airport security should be privatized and funded by user fees rather than treated as a federal jobs program.

Paid line-skipping services and inequality

  • The article’s mention of concierge services that legally escort travelers through staff/crew lines is highlighted as the real story.
  • Airports reportedly discourage informal line-sitters while allowing these premium services, which some equate to institutionalized queue-jumping.
  • Comments frame this as capitalism “solving” a problem it helps create; others just note that private jet users have always bypassed standard queues.

Should private jets be screened by TSA?

  • One side: private flights serve small, known groups; TSA is meant to protect the general public on common carriers, so screening private passengers is unnecessary.
  • Other side: TSA exists to prevent planes from being used as weapons; private jets can also hit buildings and thus should not be exempt.
  • Counterarguments emphasize:
    • Many other attack vectors (e.g., trucks, small planes) can cause damage; risk scaling is complicated.
    • Government security responses are reactive and may expand only after a private-plane-based attack.
    • Practical effect: even if TSA were imposed on private terminals, elites likely still wouldn’t see lines.
  • Some criticize commenters for “defending the privileged,” while others say freedom of movement shouldn’t be restricted based on wealth.

TSA funding, fees, and federal budgeting

  • The per-ticket TSA fee (~$5.60) is discussed; commenters note it covers only a small fraction (around one-fifth) of total TSA costs.
  • Most such fees flow into the general fund or debt reduction; Congress must still appropriate TSA’s actual budget.
  • Several explain that the U.S. system doesn’t automatically earmark fees for the collecting agency; that’s a policy choice.
  • Examples are given of other agencies where user fees do directly fund operations, allowing them to keep running during shutdowns.
  • Some suggest Congress could have set up TSA similarly but chose not to.

Effectiveness and necessity of TSA procedures

  • Strong criticism from some: claim that hijacking by small blades is obsolete due to reinforced cockpit doors and changed passenger behavior; argue basic gun screening would suffice and TSA should be disbanded.
  • A proposed “fly at your own risk” model would minimize security while keeping cockpits secure; a rebuttal notes this doesn’t prevent suicide attacks into buildings.
  • Queue management at busy checkpoints is criticized as failing basic fairness/queueing theory, with premium programs (Global Entry, Clear, TSA Pre) getting priority.

Media framing and political/personal angles

  • One close reading of the article notes that only a handful of travelers (possibly just one client of one entrepreneur) have actually used airport line-sitting, implying the headline exaggerates the trend.
  • Jokes speculate about politicians monetizing priority access even more aggressively, or weaponizing TSA Pre-check against political opponents.
  • A traveler admits to routinely slipping into first-class/priority lines by looking confident; another contrasts this with people facing basic financial hardship, underscoring inequality themes.