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Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

nytimes.com

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Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#291

Post by seanp2k2 »

tehwebguy wrote: post #107
koolba wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Bonus: My business partner was given the same one and the same thing happened at BUR. TSA asked if she wanted to mail it home, she said "toss it" and never heard another word! Free business idea! UPS/FedEx/USPS packaging site at the end of the TSA line. When they say you can't take your cologne, knife, or toothbrush because it's too dangerous, you can immediately give it one of our helpful agents and they'll instea…

TSA already have a deal with USPS in some airports.

Yep, and IIRC getting out of line to mail something (plus you have to track down postage stamps elsewhere again IIRC) means you have to then go through the whole thing again.

Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#292

Post by freshbob »

spinlock wrote: post #245
lostInTheWoods3 wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a wine opener confiscated because of the 1 inch knife ... can't imagine how someone might use a wine opener to hijack a plane

The 9-11 hijackers used razor blades. So, its been done. Of course, no American passenger is going to believe that everything will be fine if they comply these days so I don't think its possible to pull off 9-11 again.

See #2: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/hey_wait_a_m...

Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#293

Post by spdustin »

bglazer wrote: post #94
danieltillett wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't that exactly what happened in Belgium.

Yes, and in Moscow as well. If the actual mission of the TSA was preventing terrorist acts, then they would have done something about this massive and completely obvious vulnerability. My opinion, however, is that the TSA has become an arm of the DEA and the "war on drugs". They make a big security theater production in the name of stopping terrorists but 99% of their daily activities are centered on seizing drugs.

I would go further to suggest that, simply, more people attempt to carry contraband such as illegal drugs, than attempt to carry "dangerous" items, such as those that "terrorists" would ostensibly try to bring on board.

Since the TSA is obligated to report such finds to local law enforcement, and that law enforcement is routinely a radio call and 45 seconds away, it appears that the TSA is responsible for arrests and seizures when, in fact, they have no authority to do so themselves, but rather the obligation to report illegal goods.

Don't get me wrong, the TSA's involvement in the "war on drugs" isn't in question. They're an informant. But when they find a gun in your bag, they're still an informant. They inform law enforcement, who comes to question and/or arrest the passenger. Other than the deflection of liability should something dangerous get through the screening checkpoints, I personally think we could do without the TSA.

Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#294

Post by laxatives »

tehwebguy wrote: post #25

Here's an awesome TSA story for you: Late last year while trying to fly out of LAX a TSA employee thought I was carrying a throwing star. They called the police, who correctly identified as a toy in seconds. I thought the whole ordeal was over until I got a "notice of violation" in the mail from TSA 45 days later. Now I'm banned from pre-check for three years, even though I have global entry and even though the fine…

I've flown with shaving razors and pocket knives attached to my keys numerous times. They get found and confiscated about 20% of the time. I recently forgot to remove both and the TSA agent spent 5 minutes looking for something. He found the shaving razor, but not the pocket knife and was very pleased with himself.

Its absurd the profiling going on with the TSA. If I dress well, I get rushed through the lines quickly. If I dress like a slob, I get subjected to additional baggage checks and pat downs on a regular basis while TSA agents bark orders at me like I'm incompetent. This article makes it sound like they are trained to do this under the guise of "behavior detection". Once I got precheck, I started getting treated like a human being.

Fuck the TSA. If we need to provide jobs to dropouts, give them something meaningful to do without subjecting the rest of the population to their "authority".

Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#295

Post by ck2 »

73 guns in carry-ons in ONE WEEK and that is only what they found, so at least double that, probably quadruple

wtf is wrong with people

my last plane flight was in 1999, I doubt I am ever flying again, not because of terrorists, but because of the other people flying and the TSA terrorizing people

Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#296

Post by astrodust »

superuser2 wrote: post #168
tehwebguy wrote: post #25

Here's an awesome TSA story for you: Late last year while trying to fly out of LAX a TSA employee thought I was carrying a throwing star. They called the police, who correctly identified as a toy in seconds. I thought the whole ordeal was over until I got a "notice of violation" in the mail from TSA 45 days later. Now I'm banned from pre-check for three years, even though I have global entry and even though the fine…

Please fund them fully or eliminate them entirely. The inbetween states just suck for everybody.

They're basically useless. The money would be better spent on agencies like the FBI that can prevent terrorists from ever showing up at airports.

As Israeli security experts have said time and time again, if the terrorist gets to the airport it's already too late. Brussels is an unfortunate demonstration of this principle.

Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#297

Post by spdustin »

grandalf wrote: post #165
spdustin wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as I despise the whole TSA process, it is ostensibly to prevent terrorists from using an aircraft as a weapon, or destroying it and killing hundreds of passengers. I don't know of any private jets with the amount of chemical or kinetic energy necessary to destroy a skyscraper, nor would the bombing of one result in the deaths of hundreds of passengers. In other words, private jet passengers are not covered un…

Some private (corporate) jets are the same size as typical commercial aircraft. We learned on 9/11 that as soon as word got out about the possibility of terrorists using aircraft as a weapon, the passengers are ready to tackle anyone who appears to be doing this, so the threat was already gone months before the TSA was formed. Similarly, the military would now shoot down an aircraft in similar circumstances. This doe…

No need to apologize, there's great information there for many readers, I'm sure. I myself benefited from the reminder that the TSA serves to deflect liability away from carriers in the event of a dangerous device getting through a security checkpoint.

Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#298

Post by raldi »

gnaritas wrote: post #284
raldi wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of travelers can barely afford to fly as it is. The only way this fast lane can function is if it's exclusive to a small segment of flyers. Do we really need to keep widening the gap between the haves and have-nots?

> Do we really need to keep widening the gap between the haves and have-nots? That is what the U.S. is all about.

As opposed to what other country?

Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#299

Post by drzaiusapelord »

sampo wrote: post #279
drzaiusapelord wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh come on. I fly through Europe twice to three times a year. The transfer from Charles de Gaulle is a nightmare worse than any major US airport. They literally make you leave the security area and go through security for simple transfers if you're coming from the states. That's shit design right there. A lot of international connections are terrible and knowing which airports/airlines do a good job is important. Its…

> The transfer from Charles de Gaulle is a nightmare You just picked the worst airport in Europe as the example.

Heathrow isn't any better. Turns out most high volume airports are shitshows for international transfers.

Re: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security

#300

Post by bglazer »

spdustin wrote: post #112
bglazer wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and in Moscow as well. If the actual mission of the TSA was preventing terrorist acts, then they would have done something about this massive and completely obvious vulnerability. My opinion, however, is that the TSA has become an arm of the DEA and the "war on drugs". They make a big security theater production in the name of stopping terrorists but 99% of their daily activities are centered on seizing drugs.

You stated a fact alongside your opinion, that a large portion of the TSA's operation includes seizing drugs. Do you have a source for this?

Well, now that I've looked for some sources to back this up, it seems that the fact that I stated above is either difficult to prove or just not true. The TSA is not very forthcoming with statistics on drug seizures.

I'll admit that the original statement was basically a guess. If the TSA isn't stopping terrorism, or making reasonable steps to prevent it, then what exactly are they doing?

In the US, it has seemed that if you can't immediately tell the source or purpose of a law enforcement effort, then "drugs" is a pretty good guess.

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