UK reviewing plans for 1% line at airport security

As if the UK didn't already have a class divide issue that refuses to go away. It should't be a complete surprise though since too many still think they need to financially support the obscenely wealthy royal family. (And how curious how they have the extra money to spend on frivolous lawsuits.)

The goal is presumably to make airport security quick and speedy the way it used to be before 9/11. The working slobs will still have to suffer through painfully long lines but if you are rich, life is good and lines and short. We all know that rich people would never be a problem because you know, people like Osama bin Laden was a humble peasant who never could have afforded to fly first class. Oh wait.

The Guardian:

Keith Vaz, the committee chair, pressed Moore as to whether it meant the super-rich would have a fast-track into Britain. Moore said it would cover people who were "valuable to the economy and were valued by the airlines". He said the move was intended to demonstrate that Britain was "open for business".

The plan is likely to be seen as highly divisive, especially if there is any repeat of the two-hour queues at passport control earlier this year and in the runup to the Olympics. Even at normal times, passengers from outside the EU are expected to queue for up to 45 minutes to get through passport control at Heathrow. The airport has a target to keep passport queues below 25 minutes for passengers with EU passports.

UKBA declined to give any further detail on who would qualify as a "high-value business person" to get such preferential treatment. But it could be safely assumed that frequent business-class flyers might well be nominated by airlines to qualify. Other wealthy individuals and their families that British embassies, consulates and large companies nominate as valuable to the UK economy might also be offered such a fast-track into Britain.

As a frequent traveler myself, I still find this proposed system to be annoying. Rather than improve the system for everyone, it's just another example of money buying everything.

They think this means "Britain is open for business" but what it really says is "Britain is open to the highest bidder." It's easier to sell an elitist system to a Conservative government than to bother to pay for enough people to work so that the security system moves quickly all around. Heaven forbid they bother to spend money on hiring government workers, right?