Pilot shares 'frustrating' reason cabin crew go through security with passengers

The lines for security at the airport can be very time-consuming.

For many nervous flyers, the process could be quite stressful, if not nerve-wracking. But while the queues can sometimes take a while to get through, have you ever wondered why pilots and cabin crew often use the same line?

Often the process might take up to 20-30 minutes, but maybe longer or shorter depending on the busyness of the airport itself. Sometimes when you're waiting to get checked, cabin crew might squeeze in front to do the same exact thing as you.

Now one pilot revealed why that's the case – and the reason is very "frustrating". Captain Steve, who works for American Airlines, has garnered a massive following of 209,600 fans on TikTok where he shares his flight secrets.

He said: "Once I arrive at the airport, do pilots and aircrew have to go through security? Well the answer is yes and no. Here domestically in the US, there's a thing called Known Crew Cember and it's something that was created after September 11, 2001."

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In the post, which scooped scooped 21,100 likes, the pilot continued: "It's a portal that I can go through where they look at my ID, I scan a code, then they check me out on the computer.

"About a third of the time, I get flagged or randomised. [This is when] I have to go through regular security with everybody else." Captain Steve claimed the reason is to "trust the pilots and aircrew", but to "speed up the process for passengers".

He added: "How many times were you in line putting your stuff up, and a crew of 10 people butted in front of you and started putting theirs up?

"It's very frustrating and it slows the whole process down unnecessarily." Next in the clip, the pilot demonstrates the process where he sees if he's eligible for Known Crew Member. And as he does, he jokes he might 'play the lottery later'.

KCM (Known Crew Member) ties airline employee databases together in a seamless way and enables Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security officers to positively verify the identity and employment status of crew members.

Since the video was posted, it garnered a lot of comments from people as one said: "It's pointless ever searching pilots." While another wrote: "I just love Captain Steve, I learned so much from him."

And a third posted: "Good to know!" While a fourth posted: "Thanks for sharing!" Meanwhile other commentators used the section to ask other questions which they'd like the pilot to answer in a future video.