more on Logan ... frequent fliers

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Mary Shaw <mary.shaw () gmail com>
Date: September 30, 2005 12:51:25 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Logan ... frequent fliers
Reply-To: Mary Shaw <mary.shaw () gmail com>


Dave,

Has anyone done an analysis of the aggregate cost to society of the  
current airport security screening?

I'd settle for the impact on US productivity.  The big term on the  
minus side is the wasted productivity of people standing in lines and  
arriving early to allow time for standing in line. Second-order terms  
on the minus side include reduced productivity resulting from having  
to check (or ship) things needed at the destination, like tools or  
scissors or whatever and to wait for them to come down to baggage  
claim. On the plus side, there are jobs for TSA screeners (but they  
replaced other screeners), plus maybe more food sold at airports  
(perhaps offset by less food sold elsewhere).

Seems to me that the dominant term in this analysis would be the lost  
time of the travelers.  My current rule of thumb is that I have to  
leave half an hour earlier than I used to.  Half an hour per traveler  
times number of travelers times some measure of useful output lost  
is ?????

Mary


On 9/30/05, David Farber <dave () farber net> wrote:

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Dr. James J. O'Donnell" < provost () georgetown edu>
Date: September 29, 2005 7:34:41 PM EDT
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: Ip <ip () v2 listbox com >
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Logan ... frequent fliers



Dave, I incline to agree with Jean Camp's problem statement, but still
push it one step further.  Just how large is the problem?  Can we
quantify
(a) number of people who will be able to participate, (b) measure of
anticipated benefit, and (c) cost of introducing and operating the
service?  Those seem to me the essential questions, unasked in public.
Shall we have the crowded search areas at airports rearranged to squeeze
in an "HOV Lane" that gets one passenger every 15 minutes at rush hour?
Who saves an average of two minutes waiting time?

Jim O'Donnell
Georgetown

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005, David Farber wrote:


>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: jean_camp <jean_camp () harvard edu >
> Date: September 29, 2005 4:31:04 PM EDT
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: Re: [IP] more on Logan considers easing way for frequent
> fliers
>
>
> What is the problem that is being solved?
>
> 1. finding terrorists who we presume do not fly often
> 2. making valuable business travelers happy
> 3. removing anyone with enough  power to contradict TSA from the
> search loop
>
> You cannot say if this is a good or bad idea without understanding
> the problem statement.
>
> thanks,
> Jean
>
> On Sep 28, 2005, at 7:16 PM, David Farber wrote:
>
>
>
>>
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>> From: Richard Wiggins <richard.wiggins () gmail com>
>> Date: September 28, 2005 8:05:46 PM EDT
>> To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
>> Subject: Re: [IP] more on Logan considers easing way for frequent
>> fliers
>> Reply-To: Richard Wiggins < richard.wiggins () gmail com>
>>
>>
>> Dave,
>>
>> Dr. O'Donnell raises a good point: is this just catering to an  
elite?
>> I think it's a little subtler than that.  There are a lot of people
>> who fly multiple times a week as part of their jobs.  Many of these
>> folks might decide to drive or take the train if the burden of
>> airport
>> security is sufficiently onerous.
>>
>> If you fly over 200 times in a year and this is the difference
>> between
>> a 5 minute security check and 30 minutes in line, that's 100 hours
>> wasted.  No doubt that won't evoke much sympathy from anyone who
>> travels a few times a year.  Still, I think a case can be made  
that a
>> program that eases the way for people who basically commute via the
>> commercial airlines is not just a paean to the elite.
>>
>> They will give up some cash and a little liberty for the
>> privilege, so
>> cue that Ben Franklin quote....
>>
>> /rich
>>
>> On 9/28/05, David Farber < dave () farber net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Begin forwarded message:
>>>
>>> From: "Dr. James J. O'Donnell" < provost () georgetown edu>
>>> Date: September 28, 2005 9:50:39 AM EDT
>>> To: dave () farber net
>>> Subject: Re: [IP] Logan considers easing way for frequent fliers
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Dave,
>>>
>>> We've seen these discussions of fast lanes for several years now.
>>> Could
>>> we ask the cost-benefit question?  (1) What would it cost to
>>> create this
>>> system?  (2) If it's really for people who fly once a week or
>>> more, how
>>> great is the benefit and is this really only for a tiny elite?
>>> (3) Just
>>> how bad is it going through security now?  I fly 100K a year,
>>> through
>>> pretty busy airports (most regularly Dulles, National, Laguardia,
>>> O'Hare,
>>> SFO), and I have to say that I've adjusted to the basic hassles
>>> (laptop
>>> out, shoes off, jacket off) and the time-through-security is *not*
>>> a real
>>> problem at this point.  Among other things, I think it is the
>>> regular
>>> fliers who have their personal drill down so they *don't* trigger
>>> extra
>>> searches.  (They're pulling bags over when they spot folding
>>> umbrellas
>>> now:  ok, dumb, but I get it, so the umbrella travels visible now
>>> and it's
>>> part of my drill.)
>>>
>>> So:  is this a problem that has solved itself *sufficiently* (to
>>> say 90%
>>> of optimum) that it's not worth putting resources into solving
>>> further?
>>> I'm not saying I like any of the extra layers that have been put
>>> on the
>>> system or that I agree that they are necessary:  I'm just asking
>>> the "how
>>> big is this problem *really*" question.
>>>
>>> Jim O'Donnell
>>> Georgetown U.
>>>
>>>
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>>
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