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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Jimmy Payne's social media post, initially intended as a joke about standing in line for passengers during the partial government shutdown, is now being taken seriously, leading him to consider it as a potential business opportunity.
Payne, known for his humor, said, "Most of my friends on Facebook know me as a jokester, so I made it as a joke." Despite the lighthearted nature of the post, Payne is now contemplating the logistics of offering this service. "They also know me as a hustler," Payne said.
Payne's post suggested he would stand in line for passengers, and he is now considering the logistics of such a service.
"It got attention and it made me start thinking like, hey, what if?" Payne said.
He is exploring scheduling appointments for passengers to meet him at specific times to hold their place in line.
"I'm going to seriously sit down and think about this. Maybe I could take appointment times, I make an appointment with you, you show up at 8 a.m., 9 a.m. or whatever, then you get in line, but I will seriously sit down and try to work this out," Payne said.
TSA in Utah
Salt Lake airport keeps wait times low amid shutdown impacting TSA workers
Salt Lake City International Airport has been able to buck the trend of long waits as TSA workers call out sick or walk away during the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.Research into the feasibility of Payne's idea reveals that while holding spots in line is not illegal, some airports have specific rules. The main risks include potential confrontations with other passengers and security concerns from TSA agents. Passengers could be moved to the back of the line or removed from the airport at an agent's discretion.
Payne emphasized that his goal is to ease the experience for everyone involved.
"Be patient with the TSA agents that are working for free," he said.
Efforts to reach airports in Atlanta, Houston, and Birmingham for their policies on standing in line for others have not yet yielded responses.
