Extremely long security lines at US airports are driving airline customers nuts. Waits in excess of three hours are causing many to miss flights, forcing some to sleep on cots. The reasons vary from a recent dramatic decline in the number of TSA officers to an amazing increase in air travelers. Add this anger to the growing arrogance of most airlines and you have both government and private industry ignoring their customers’ well-being in order to advance their own interests and profits.
Whatever happened to the idea of focusing on superior customer service? Whatever happened to the idea that the best reason to start a business is to make a great place for people to find meaning in their work and to make the customer experience the best ever?
Airport travelers today are so angry that they take out their frustrations on everyone from TSA agents to airline employees both on and off the airplane. So I ask: What is the point of a government agency that allows a predictable problem to escalate into a crisis, or a business that is unwilling to insure that their customers have the best possible experience and their employees feel proud of their company?
Admittedly, I have been in higher education most of my life. So I can be a bit naïve from time to time. But I really can imagine a business where profits, a great experience for customers, and a team of employees who love their work are balanced objectives! Of course, I can also imagine asking customers and employees to stretch a bit during periods of economic uncertainty. But I just can’t see the point of sacrificing a rewarding customer and employee experience in order to produce huge company profits and executive salaries.
I recall a seminar I attended in Washington several years ago where a corporate CEO was asked if he was against all government regulation. At first he said, “Yes.” But then he paused a minute and added, “But maybe we do need someone out there who keeps us from destroying ourselves!”
Larry D. Lauer 
Very insightful.