Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

501–510 of 512 posts

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

#501

Post by kelnos »

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…

Weird, didn't know they did that. On literally my first flight after getting pre-check, I somehow had a razor blade stuck under the insole of a pair of shoes I was bringing in my carry-on bag (a pair of shoes I hadn't worn since before I had moved apartments, so I assume somehow that's how it got in there). The metal detector picked it up, the TSA agent took my shoe apart, found it, seemed totally unconcerned, threw it in the trash, and waved me through.

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

#502

Post by kelnos »

nfriedly wrote: post #67
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…

They're just as bad at identifying actual "weapons": I flew to South America with a layover in Miami a few years back. Got past TSA without any trouble on the domestic leg, then I had to go through again for the international leg. The second time through security, they said they saw a blade on the x-ray.. turns out they were right. I forgot I had left a multi-tool in my bag. Thankfully, they just trashed it and let m…

I used to carry a multi-tool on my keychain. I would routinely forget to remove it when going to the airport, and it was never flagged or even noticed. Amusingly I lost it when I was going to a club in SF and a bouncer found it during a pat-down and wouldn't let me bring it in.

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

#503

Post by GurnB »

ringwalt wrote: post #357
geerlingguy wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the exception of Chicago, I agree. St. Louis, Indianapolis, KC, and many other airports have direct flights to most parts of the US (or connect through Chicago almost anywhere in the world), and I've never waited more than 20 minutes in the TSA lines. Due to the frequency of travel, I do have Pre-Check, but I hate that I had to pay extra money to get what I think should be the normal experience for all domestic…

Does any midwest airport outside of Chicago actually fly "anywhere you want to go", internationally?

This. I don't think you can fly direct out of IND to anywhere without going through ORD. And if I had to guess, to fly from IND to ORD I bet you have to route through DET. Obviously this is sarcasm but it is very frustrating. It is easier to just drive to ORD and fly from there. By the time you get to IND x number of hours before your 45min flight and then land & change planes in ORD, it is just easier to start in ORD.

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

#504

Post by kelnos »

knz wrote: post #78
hashkb wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just go get pre check?

My objection to precheck is that I question how effective it really is. Not to dive into another controversial topic, but it reminds me of proponents of gun control who think that background checks will solve mass shootings. Passing precheck doesn't stop people who appear to have a normal background and doesn't stop people from being radicalized after they get precheck. Perhaps a better solution would be somewhere in…

Given that precheck basically brings us back to pre-9/11 screening procedures, I think it's fine. There isn't much about the airport security checkpoint changes since 9/11 that have actually improved security.

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

#505

Post by undersuit »

spinlock wrote: post #282
rayiner wrote: post #2

> At the same time, he said, the number of T.S.A. screeners has declined by about 5,800 because of tighter budgets. The agency currently has 42,350 agents assigned for security checks. Such a monumentally wasteful jobs program.

This is why we need a guaranteed minimum income. Hopefully, TSA screeners would stop showing up to work.

A cushy job with minimal responsibilities? Those will be the most wanted jobs. Hopefully someone would wise up and lower the compensation.

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

#506

Post by kelnos »

raldi wrote: post #42
hashkb wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just go get pre check?

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?

A lot of travelers can barely afford to fly as it is.

I can certainly understand that the family of four who only gets to travel once per several years might find $85 per person to be a burden, but I still can't believe that for most people who travel it's that much of a problem. I mean, a US domestic transcon flight is going to run you at the cheapest $300 round trip (and that's only by shopping around like crazy, having super flexible travel dates, and taking advantage of travel deals). Do that once a year, and your $300 flight becomes $317 with precheck. I know many Americans are frankly terrible at personal finance, but... c'mon. Even something shorter like a SFOLAX trip is going to run you at least a hundred.

The only way this fast lane can function is if it's exclusive to a small segment of flyers.

If there's only one fast lane, sure. My hope would be that as more people enroll in precheck, they'll be able to turn more and more "regular" lanes into precheck lanes, keeping the efficiency (or lack thereof) of both lane types the same.

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

#507

Post by kelnos »

knz wrote: post #215
JadeNB wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you can avoid the long wait to be screened and therefore increase the wait time for most people. Wait, what? I am always frustrated at seeing the folks in those shorter lines (though I settle down at roughly the point of view others have expressed in this thread, that paying for shorter lines is a fact of all parts of life and doesn't seem to abrogate any fundamental right of mine), but it has never occurred to me…

I'm not talking about precheck. At my local airport (and others I have been to) there is a regular TSA line with one screener at the end of the line. Once you clear the ID and ticket check you go into multiple lines for the scanner/bag check. Some airports have a separate line for business customers that goes straight to the ID/ticket check. We all pay the same fixed TSA fee ($2.50 I think) but they get to bypass the…

The airlines (for their terminal) and airport ultimately get to decide the configurations of the various security lines (that is, the line leading up to the non-cursory ID check and boarding pass scan, not the part where you get in the final line up to the xray machine and body scanner / metal detector), so they're directly in control of who gets to be in the priority line, generally by paying for a higher-class ticket, or being of a certain status in their frequent flyer program.

On a side note, I've noticed that, given the speed that the first agent checks your ID and boarding pass, it's clear to me that they're only looking for three things: 1) you physically have your ID (not that it matches), 2) you have your boarding pass looks vaguely legit, and 3) if you have a precheck or priority marking on the pass that lets you go in a different line. That's really it; they're not really doing anything security-related. #1 and #2 are really more about making sure you don't get in the security line, wait who knows how long, get to the front, and have to get kicked back out for lacking your ID and BP.

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

#508

Post by astrodust »

superuser2 wrote: post #382
astrodust wrote: post #376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Travelling by train is so ridiculously refreshing. Grab ticket online or at kiosk. Walk on train. Sit down. There's nothing even close in the air travel world. Even Nexus people have to endure the occasional cavity search.

Isn't Amtrak plagued by horrific delays? The Chicago to NYC time is 20 hours by the schedule, and anecdotally 5-7 more hours waiting for freight trains is pretty common. Don't have real data or personal experience though.

I guess I'm lucky I don't have to deal with Amtrak then.

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

#509

Post by et2o »

joering2 wrote: post #499
et2o wrote: post #498

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have never seen a security checkpoint at a subway, what are you talking about? Hard to even imagine one. What is your source for that?

Most Mondays to Fridays between 4pm and 6pm, subway station for 7 train downtown 5th ave crossing with 42nd. Subway entrance facing Chipolte, next to Bryant Park. Usually 4 cops and a little table setup with some device they enter tiny paper samples in. NYPD cops. They profile as some people are not stopped. EDIT: Okay I found the picture for you although this is not station I refer to: http://cdn.newsday.com/polopol…

Hmm, interesting. Thanks for letting me know about that. I believe I've been there at those times but have never noticed.

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

#510

Post by phil21 »

______53 wrote: post #443
Matt3o12_ wrote: post #403

What happens when you miss your flight due to screening? I mean if you really had to wait for over 30 minutes for a domestic flight and did not book any expensive ticket which allows rescheduling. Are you allowed to catch the next flight or do you have to buy a new ticket. Furthermore, how do airlines handle your baggage. They won't know that your too late until everybody is in the plane (because you are already chec…

The airlines usually reschedule you for the next flight. However, your baggage gets sent on the original flight anyway. It is held in the destination airport's baggage office until you get there on the later flight.

While this is the general outcome, it should be noted that the airlines are under no legal obligation to help you out.

For the most part they will try to accommodate, but it's not a sure thing and I wouldn't rely on it.

Post reply on HN