Strollerderby

I agree w/ you in principle, having been a jet-setter (with and without children) in my time.  But, I'll share a charming little anecdote from this summer:  I was flying solo w/ my three young ones out of Minneapolis.  I approached the long, long, long line w/ two fidgety gradeschoolers and a stroller-sitting tot.  Suddenly a TSA guy rushed over to me and said, "Go here!  This line was created just for you!"  I looked to my left and there was No Line.  None!  So I got to zoom right into the terminal ahead of hundreds of other passengers.  I was a little puzzled, but the man said they were "testing the concept of a family line."  Whoo hoo that was the best check in I've ever had!  But I imagine when the lines are fully in place they might become hell-ish the way you describe in your post.  As it was my little fam took approx one minute to go thru the line.  The other cool thing was my baby's Desitin was waved thru even though it was a full size tube not in a ziploc bag (because I forgot.)  They said because we were a "family" we were above the law!  Ha - I wonder if this will create a backlash among kid-free-by-choice.  Oh well it was fun that one time.

Having been a jet setter once upon a time as well, It helps if the parents are familiar with the whole TSA process.  But at the holidays there are so many infrequent travelers traveling things can get messy.

Also, Oakland Airport has had a family line for a least a year now.  No one is ever in it, it's beautiful! They didn’t make me dump out water-filled sippy cup and other fabulous luxuries.

Yes. Family lanes are brilliant. They are wider, so strollers easily pass through them. The guards are more helpful. Declaring liquids is less complicated. When your kid hurls his shoe to the ground, someone kindly picks it up for you. In my experience they are always far shorter than the normal line.

Sure, I know the TSA regulations, but why would I wait in a line with pissed off solo travelers who want my child to behave like a mini-adult at six in the morning when I could be amongst my people, the addled overwhelmed parents?

Your post reminds me why I absolutely will not travel on a plane with my children anymore.  No matter what we parents do it seems to piss someone off.  It appears that the family lane not only helps traveling families, but also helps other travelers by subjecting them to the hell that is a small human being as little as possible.  I should think everyone would be rejoicing.  Alas, no.  We can't catch a break.  One small luxury to help ease that nervous-breakdown inducing trauma that is the airport and everyone else either resents it or mocks it.  Good times.  

I think your post is incredibly smug and self-righteous. Just because you do it 'well' doesn't mean everyone does. Having a place for what you consider to be the clueless among us should make you happy - why berate that choice. You can pick whatever line you want if it makes you feel better.

I'm suspicious.

There may well be some altruistic desire to ease families' burdens here, but I'll bet there is equally if not more to do with streamlining the process for those who travel without children.

Haven't you noticed how, when you fly with kids, you are often miraculously seated in a section FULL of other families? No matter if your kids are seasoned travelers and/or old enough to behave as well as adults. You still get to sit with the screamers.

"Those families who haven't gotten the memo about shoe removal or liquids in your carryons can languish in the "special" lane, but please, let well-traveled families go through with everyone else."

Totally.  Rich, privileged people are, after all, in all ways superior.

Lucky you, BBBGMom. We've had the opposite experience - twice. We travel with our toddler a LOT. We know what to wear, what to take off, what stays on, etc. Everything in a ziplock. And damned if the last two times we travelled, we didn't get herded into the "family" line! While the other line moved quickly, this one - full of half a dozen families with more children than absolutely necessary - was so slow, I thought we'd miss our plane. I even asked if we could get in the normal line, and was told NO. It sucks.

Another reason to take the train, I guess. Or learn to disapparate.

eek, yikes! What's "more children than is absolutely necessary" and how do I find out if I've exceeded the limit? Is it a complicated formula, or something I can do on a napkin?

Family lanes are more lenient about liquids etc. b/c they don't think you're a terrorist. One nut gets thru and it's all over for everyone (like with shoes).