1. Based on the above, is time waiting for or being processed through airport security a shorter term target or longer term? Could it ever be a shorter term performance measure?
2. Do you think performance on an issue such as airport security should be measured and rewarded by performance-based bonus payments?

Following events of September 2001, airport security screening in the US and globally increased dramatically. As we all know, this led to increasing queues at airports which while inconvenient, are paramount to the safety and security of passengers. Since 2001, many airports have used technology to speed things up to some extent at airport security. For example, automated conveyors delivering crates for our hand luggage through x-ray machines and full body scanners are now quite common. Anonymous tracking of smart devices (smart phones and tablets) in the security queue is also a commonly-used method of predicting the length of the queue. With such developments, as you may imagine, the time spent at security has become a performance measurement at many airports. For example, Heathrow Airport in London reported less than 5 minutes’ security waiting time at least 96 percent of the time in October 2016.
While waiting time is an important measurement, is it the correct measure to consider in the longer term? An article on revealnews.org provides some insights. In the US, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are responsible for airport security. The article reports how under-cover officials were able to get weapons and other items through security undetected 95 percent of the time. The article mentions how ‘the findings weren’t surprising to current and former TSA officials, who say that the security operations office had come to focus on efficiency and reduced wait times’. It also suggests that managers in charge received bonuses for achieving these targets.