Americans are willing to tolerate time-consuming security procedures in return for increased safety. The crash of Egypt Air Flight 804, which terrorists may have downed over the Mediterranean Sea, provides another tragic reminder of why. But demanding too much of air travelers or providing too little security in return undermines public support for the process. And it should: Wasted time is a drag on Americans’ economic and private lives, not to mention infuriating.
为了确保更加安全，美国人也愿意忍受耗时的安检流程。埃及航空804号航班很可能是由于恐怖分子袭击，于地中海坠机，这一悲剧的发生也证明了乘客为何愿意忍受耗时的安检流程。然而对飞机旅客要求太高，或者提供的安全保障太低只会使民众对安检流程关去信心。不过这也怪不了乘客：安检所耗费的大量时间不仅使得乘客大为恼火，也损害美国人的经济和个人生活。
Last year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) found in a secret check that undercover investigators were able to sneak weapons — both fake and real — past airport security nearly every time they tried. Enhanced security measures since then, combined with a rise in airline travel due to the improving economy and low oil prices, have resulted in long waits at major airports such as Chicago’s O’Hare International. It is not yet clear how much more effective airline security has become — but the lines are obvious.
去年，运输安全管理局（简称TSA）在一次秘密的检查中发现，便衣调查人员几乎每次尝试私携武器——真假武器都有——通过机场安检，都能顺利通过。此后，机场加强了安检措施，又因经济不断改善、燃油价格低，搭乘飞机出行的旅客增多，致使像芝加哥奥黑尔国际机场这样的主要机场的安检等待时间很长。航空公司的安全措施变得多么有效尚不清楚——但等待安检的队伍却明显变长了。
First two hours, now three hours — this is how far in advance authorities are recommending people show up to catch a domestic flight, at least at some major U. S. airports with increasingly massive security lines.
从开始的两个小时，到现在是三个小时——这是当局建议人们乘坐国内航班需要提前到达机场的时间，至少在一些安检队伍越来越长的主要的美国机场是这种情况。
Part of the issue is that the government did not anticipate the steep increase in airline travel, so the TSA is now rushing to get new screeners on the line. Part of the issue is that airports have only so much room for screening lanes. Another factor may be that more people are trying to overpack their carry-on bags to avoid checked-baggage fees, though the airlines strongly dispute this.
队伍过长的部分原因应该是政府未能预见搭乘飞机出行的旅客的剧增，因此TSA现在正急着招聘新的安检员。部分问题在于机场提供安检的通道有限。另外一个因素可能是越来越多的人为了不交行李托运费而尽量随身携带更多东西，尽管航空公司强烈反对这种说法。
The TSA wants to enroll 25 million people in PreCheck. It has not gotten anywhere close to that, and one big reason is sticker shock. Passengers must pay $85 every five years to process their background checks. Since the beginning, this price tag has been PreCheck’s fatal flaw. Upcoming reforms might bring the price to a more reasonable level. But Congress should look into doing so directly, by helping to finance PreCheck enrollment or to cut costs in other ways.
TSA计划将2500万人纳人“PreCheck”系统。但是此计划没有任何进展，一大原因就是背景调查的费用过高。每隔五年，旅客就要掏85美元来支付对他们进行背景调查的费用。从一开始，费用过高就是“PreCheck”的致命缺陷。按下来的改革可能会使背景调查的费用更加合理。但是国会应直接寻求降低背景调查费用的方法，通过为“PreCheck”注册提供资金帮助或者使用其他办法降低成本。
There is one step the TSA could take that would not require remodeling airports or rushing to hire: Enroll more people in the PreCheck program. PreCheck is supposed to be a win-win for travelers and the TSA. Passengers who pass a background check are eligible to use expedited screening lanes. This allows the TSA to focus on travelers who are higher risks, saving time for everyone involved.
要想解决这一难题，TSA或许可以采取这样的措施，它既不需要重建机场，也不需要急着招聘新的安检员：那就是将更多的人纳入“PreCheck”系统。“PreCheck”应该对旅客和TSA来说是个双赢的好办法。通过背景调查的旅客可使用快捷安检通道登机。这样TSA就可以集中精力检查那些威胁更大的旅客，节约所有旅客的时间。
The TSA cannot continue diverting resources into underused PreCheck lanes while most of the traveling public suffers in unnecessary lines. It is long past time to make the program work.
TSA不能继续在未充分利用的“PreCheck”通道上浪费资源，而让大多数旅客忍受不必要的排队时间。为了使该系统投入使用已经耗费了太多时间。
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