Gerald Oskoboiny wrote:
> I just got a package in the mail from Air Canada, letting me know
> that this year I have Air Canada Aeroplan Elite status: woohoo, I
> am officially elite!
Congratulations!
> I had 38,410 qualifying miles last year (33,000 needed for elite status)
> thanks to a trip to Asia, two to Europe and misc other shorter trips.
>
> The benefits of elite status [1] are pretty nice:
>
> - priority checkin, seating, standby, luggage, etc.
Whoops, not so fast. From today's NY Times [1]:
<blockquote>
U.S. Orders Airlines to End V.I.P. Lines
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 The government has told
airlines to close the V.I.P. lines that allow
their most valued customers, mainly business
travelers, to avoid long waits for security checks
at airports, officials said today.
The move was ordered by the Transportation
Security Administration, which took over airport
passenger and baggage screening from the airlines
at more than 420 airports this week.
Transportation officials said the decision
reflected an effort to make airport security more
equitable now that it is a federal function.
The V.I.P. lines cut the wait for passenger and
baggage screening to minutes, instead of an hour
or more, and allowed business travelers to spend
less time at airports.
The special service was created to remedy long
screening lines after the Sept. 11 attacks and to
lift the sagging business travel market, a
priority for big carriers.
John Magaw, the director of the Transportation
Security Administration, said last week that
security demands would be balanced with passenger
convenience, and that not everyone would be happy.
</blockquote>
Doh.
_ Ian
[1]
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/21/national/21FREQ.html
--
Ian Jacobs (
[email protected])
http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
Tel: +1 718 260-9447