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The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

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Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#231

Post by Mendenhall »

mindslight wrote: post #211
Mendenhall wrote: post #23

In my personal experience what slows it all down the most is the actual people flying. Every time I fly I see countless people wearing tons of metal/jewelry/belts/whatever that they have to take off, often not till they are told to do so, the laptap is tucked far away until last moment. They still carry all sorts of lotions and liquids on for some unknown reason. When they then exit the scan they clog up the line by…

> When they then exit the scan they clog up the line by standing right there trying to put everything back on or away Um, excuse me? If I've just been made to disassemble my person and be less secure, you can damn well bet I am going to take my time reassembling myself and making sure I have everything back in its rightful place before proceeding. I'd recommend everybody do the same, even if that means holding your g…

Why would someone bring things they would have to disassemble then reassemble? (medical condition etc aside), when they know they are going to have to fly ? that is inconsiderate IMO

To each there own, I just know they are part of the problem.

Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#232

Post by Mendenhall »

logfromblammo wrote: post #219
Mendenhall wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh I think the TSA is in inefficient and somewhat laughable, but I don't consider someone a victim who is not prepared to get on a plane and wastes everyone time. I consider that just rude. If someone gets their lotion confiscated, I consider them part of the problem that slows everyone down. Edit to include I also think the TSA is making things slower on "purpose" but that's a whole other topic.

Prepared to get on a plane is, in my view, to be dressed appropriately for a public venue, carrying an appropriate size and quantity of hand-carried baggage, with a paid ticket, complete travel itinerary, and valid airline boarding pass. It is not the traveler's concern whether the TSA finds it more burdensome to screen someone wearing polished, straight-laced oxfords than someone wearing slipshod flip-flops. The tra…

Both are responsible because they both took actions that caused delays,and I was not speaking of any bias the TSA have when taking people out of line etc and doing things also that may increase lag.

I have no irritation with passengers wasting everyones time in line, I expect many people to be inconsiderate of others, that is human nature. I also note how many pass the blame onto others instead of realizing there are things they can do to help their fellow passengers, but they don't, to me it says a lot about that person.

I place blame of the slowdown on anything that causes the slowdown, including inconsiderate people and inept TSA policy and people.

Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#233

Post by jasonjei »

mindslight wrote: post #209
jasonjei wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've actually found the SFO private contractors to be fantastic. I once left my laptop at the security scanner, and they shipped it to me next day (at my expense) where I urgently needed my laptop the following day--it was boxed and packaged nicely and sent to FedEx for me for free. I just had to send them a PDF label. They simply verified serial number. They had a great lost and found tracking system and called me "…

So you were forcibly separated from your laptop, yet are thankful that you only had to pay for overnight shipping to get it back? Stockholm syndrome indeed.

If we are going to have to have TSA, I'd rather have the private contractors run it than the TSA. No Stockholm syndrome; just thought they offered a better experience for the same thing than the TSA.

Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#234

Post by capote »

mjevans wrote: post #72
capote wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder why so many people immediately jump to thinking about a car as an alternative to short distance air travel. Would people in the US never even consider a fast train system as a good option between Philadelphia and Chicago? (If it were built, of course. But self-driving cars need to be built too. But I guess they're easier; I'm just dreaming)

Likely because the TSA issue is something they expect to see infecting the train transport system if it existed and that the car is figuratively and literally a symbol of freedom and the ability to escape the rules of others in the American culture. (Source: I live here.)

Interesting. To me the car is the least free method of transport. I feel like I'm in jail. There are thousands of rules, stay between the lines, listen to all the signs, careful to not hit children, it's so much more stressful than smoking a joint, sitting in a train and reading a book (my preferred way to get around).

Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#235

Post by bogomipz »

rdtsc wrote: post #224
bogomipz wrote: post #221

SEATAC in Seattle and the Port Authority in New and New Jersey have threatened to privatize TSA duties as well. The question is can they? What's to stop them? Why is it taking so long? How was this agency not looking at actually travel data that they failed to hire more staff as the number of air travelers increased? This was over a two year period. The idiot in charge of the TSA said they anticipated more people wou…

I think recently the lines go longer and the efficiency went down on purpose, to show proof that they need more funding. "Media: Look the line is 2 hours long at the airports" "TSA: That's right, we are so very overworked, we need more funding". "Uncle Sam: here is more money for TSA" "TSA: Thanks"

That wouldn't surprise me, lets hope that this is the final straw and we a mass privatizing of of security in airports as a result.

You would expect that an agency tasked with the security of citizens might be a data-driven organization so the fact that this current shortage of staff while there's an increase in the flying population is just inexcusable.

Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#236

Post by bogomipz »

dragontamer wrote: post #179
ams6110 wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is definitely a personal profit motive for the people involved, i.e. promotions and raises, having more reports (huge in the government sector), not to mention to crony pork handed out to companies providing the xray/detection and other equipment.

How does avoiding xrays and registering in pre-check create more reports and support pork-barrel contracts to x-ray scanner manufacturers?

They're two separate concerns but they both contribute to the bloat and scope creep of this farce of an agency.

Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#237

Post by bogomipz »

ArkyBeagle wrote: post #77
two2two wrote: post #29

TSA is the number one reason why I don't fly and drive instead. From my POV most of the world's industries have progressed positively, but not air travel. I took a train a couple of years ago and it was a beautiful example of old merging with new. Walking through an antique of a train station, iPhone in hand, with my digital ticket ready to board; so easy and pleasant. At that point I realized that air travel is by f…

Independent of the security theater problem, we (collectively) beat the air travel system like a rented mule.

Do we? Because I feel like the airlines beat passengers like pieces of cattle. I know I'm not alone in that sentiment.

Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#238

Post by bogomipz »

sehutson wrote: post #167
cloudjacker wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I arrive at the airport in a Lyft. I walk up to the security checkpoint checkpoint, where I show the agent my phone. They see my boarding pass with the green checkmark and send me to the empty TSA Pre line. I walk through the metal detector with no adjustments to my attire. I am at the gate in 5 minutes. I like how trains basically let you show up last minute, and a 3 hour train ride actually means a 3 hour train rid…

I do the same, but some airlines don't participate in TSA Precheck (like Frontier), and it's not uncommon for the Precheck lanes to occasionally get shut down, especially later in the evening. It's also possible to randomly NOT get Precheck, even though you're flying with a participating airline and you are in the program. On top of that, I've seen a number of recent reports from people who said that the Precheck lan…

Can someone explain this - occasionally the TSA will put people who are not pre check into the pre check line. Sometime s they will randomly select people to use the precheck line and sometimes they do this to expedite long lines. So if they can selectively flout their own rules why have them in the first place? Isn't security an all or nothing proposition?

Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#239

Post by mindslight »

Mendenhall wrote: post #231
mindslight wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When they then exit the scan they clog up the line by standing right there trying to put everything back on or away Um, excuse me? If I've just been made to disassemble my person and be less secure, you can damn well bet I am going to take my time reassembling myself and making sure I have everything back in its rightful place before proceeding. I'd recommend everybody do the same, even if that means holding your g…

Why would someone bring things they would have to disassemble then reassemble? (medical condition etc aside), when they know they are going to have to fly ? that is inconsiderate IMO To each there own, I just know they are part of the problem.

Because people like wearing shoes, having entertainment on the plane, and carrying valuables that would be unwise to check?

Re: The TSA is a waste of money that doesn't save lives and might actually cost them

#240

Post by yincrash »

schoen wrote: post #30
pmontra wrote: post #27

> Airports should kick out the TSA I'm not American and haven't been there for a long time so forgive my ignorance. TSA is an agency of DHS so I believed that its presence in airports was mandated by the government. Can airports really replace it with anybody they like? If this is the case, why they didn't do it before? Only because TSA is for free and airports have to pay private security companies?

There's still an option for airports to hire private companies which are overseen in some respects by TSA. I think only two or three airports are doing it; notably at SFO the screening is performed by Covenant Aviation Security (CAS), not TSA.

There are over twenty. Half are international and the other half are smaller ones including my local airport.

https://www.tsa.gov/for-industry/screening-partnerships

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