U.S. Orders End to Airline VIP Lines

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has told commercial airlines to close the VIP lines that allow their most valued customers, mainly business travelers, to avoid long waits for security checks at airports, officials said Wednesday.

The elimination of the perk was ordered by the Transportation Security Administration, which took over airport passenger and baggage screening from the airlines at more than 420 airports Sunday.

Transportation officials said the decision to do away with VIP lines reflected a move to make the overhaul of airport security equitable since it is now a federal function.

The VIP 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 the airport.

The special service was created by the airlines to remedy long screening lines after the Sept. 11 attacks on America and to boost the sagging business travel market, a priority for big carriers.

John Magaw, the agency director, said last week that security demands would be balanced with passenger convenience, but common sense would prevail and not everyone would be happy.

One travel expert warned that the industry and the government has to find a way to cut down on airport waiting time if they want to revive the lucrative airline business.

“These long lines in short-haul markets . . . if you start putting an extra hour or an hour and a half, then business travelers are going to opt for their car or the train,” said Kevin Mitchell of the Business Travel Coalition.

Some airlines have removed the VIP lines at certain airports to comply with the new requirement, but others have not.

The order was conveyed verbally to airlines, an administration official said.

One industry official said the order has prompted confusion.

He said there is uncertainty in the industry about the extent of federal authority beyond the function of screening passengers and bags.