Oregon Public Broadcasting

Many of us have experienced the aggravation of running late at the airport, and getting stuck in the security line behind people who don’t know the rules for flying.

At PDX, SeaTac, and the Spokane and Boise airports, the security lanes have been revamped to address that.  Correspondent Tom Banse reports.

The next time you head for a flight, you’ll get to take your pick of security lanes.

TSA spokesman Dwayne Baird says they’ve borrowed signage from the ski industry.

Dwayne Baird: “For the most expert traveler, you have the black diamond lane.”

Black diamond: for fast people who know the drill.  The next lane is blue for intermediate, for the casual traveler.  Green is for families and anyone who needs a bit of help.

Dwayne Baird: “What it does is, it calms the checkpoint.  It keeps the regular traveler from getting frustrated behind somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing and taking longer.”

The new setup should speed frequent fliers through the checkpoints at larger airports across the nation.

Baird says the TSA is letting people police themselves on their line choices.  He says that’s working “well in most cases."