Americans dislike airport security and want it anyway, which is why the subject never resolves. In a YouGov poll for U.S. News, 41% called security somewhat inconvenient and 18% very inconvenient (a clear majority irritated by it), while 79% said airports should prioritise screening for threats over saving travellers time and money. Most also think it works: 77% said security would likely stop someone trying to smuggle a weapon aboard. The cost is paid in hours rather than opinions, with 45% of domestic passengers arriving at least 90 minutes before departure. Where opinion genuinely splits is on paying to skip the queue. Only 31% approve of paid expedited screening and just 40% think such programmes are fair. The same survey shows why that is contested. Almost a third of Americans in households earning $100,000 or more are enrolled in at least one of these programmes, against 9% of those in households under $50,000. The queue is universal; the exit from it is not.