The line for going through the security checkpoint at Terminal A of Newark Liberty International Airport splits into three lines after you get through the ID check. When you get to the decision point, they all look the same, but don’t be fooled.

             ID  / 3 ———————————-X
>>>———–|–  2 ————————X
           check \ 1 ————-X

Take line 1. As you can see, it is a much shorter wait than the others.

If you observe carefully as you get into line, you’ll see that all the people in business suits are in line 1. That’s because the business travelers know this secret and the tourists don’t.

The lines are uneven due to space constraints. In reality, the corridor looks more like this:

             ID  / 3 ———————————–XXXXXXXXX—
>>>———–|–  2 ————————XXXXXXXXX  XXXXXXXXX 
           check \ 1 ————-XXXXXXXXX  XXXXXXXXX————–
                                  XXXXXXXXX————————-

(I still call it Newark International Airport, since that’s the name it had when I lived in New Jersey.)