The security check at airports is a bottleneck that is what I think of as a “daily dysfunction.” It occurs multiple times daily. Everyone around knows about it, but no one wants to do anything about it, because the buck stops somewhere else.
The metal detector that we walk through – the information emanated by it (a beep or lack of a beep) is entirely ignored by the security person who waves his wand across every part of one’s body. Why have the metal detectors then? Even in the US, if the detector doesn’t beep, you are allowed to walk through.
The result of this is that one is penalised for actually coming in early. Late passengers are prioritised through all the checks. As a result, it can take 20-30 minutes in the queues. In addition, many times not all the scanners are pressed into service again creating inordinately long lines. As passengers, all we have to do is to stand and stare.
