Recent experience with TSA at San Antonio Airport (Post, Benjamin: buy, contractors)

[majormadmax]

If by the "full body scan" you mean the device where you stand like you are frozen in the middle of a jumping jack (feet spread about 3 feet apart, hands above head), then that's happened to me in almost every airport I've been in this year. And I am a late-40s regular white guy, usually wearing a shirt that has the logo from the government organization that I work for on it (since I normally travel back home in my "work clothes"). I've even had a TSA agent ask about it, then send me through the full body scan machine. So everything that I've seen has been random, but I did see a woman who looked to be in her 80s get "wanded" at the Denver airport on Friday. To keep it fair, everyone (to include military in uniform) should be subject to such a scan; and as far as I have observed at numerous airports it appears that no one particular race, group or any other distinction is being singled out.

I did get asked about the small luggage lock keys in my pocket in Atlanta. I had forgotten about them. You'd think they were an 8" Bowie knife from the way they reacted. Usually I clear out my pockets and remove any jewelry before going through security (except for my wedding ring, which no one has asked me to take off), but on this occasion I forgot.

I was initially tempted to re-enact the Cleavon Little scene from Blazing Saddles with those small luggage lock keys ("nobody move or..."), but on second thought figured it to be unwise...



Cheers! M2

[rd2007]

I think SAT's lines move pretty good and all the TSA people I've dealt with there were fine. Only issue I've had was the ICE people when I landed international in Seattle. They first took forever to get the passport lines running and weren't exactly friendly in the area between passports and customs. I got selected for a few random questions and it was no big deal, but they could've maybe been a little friendlier. I think a lot of the people with issues bring it on themselves in some sort of way, but that's just my opinion... I smile a lot and it pays off often.

and a woman with babies is not automatically dismissed as not a suspect. Terrorists and the druggies will do almost anything to get things through. They don't care about kids or women and will use them to accomplish their mission. You can't automatically let certain things go through without any inspections. That would be extremely stupid.

[perticusrex]

I used to travel often for work, and while it was a pain, I noticed the more I smiled and complied, the easier it was to get thru.

[smuboy86]

MadMax, the woman who was 80 may have a replacement hip, knee ect... Which must be wanded. My grandmother has had a hip replacement and has a plastic card with her name on it that she presents at airport security that explains she will set off a metal detector and why.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by smuboy86

MadMax, the woman who was 80 may have a replacement hip, knee ect... Which must be wanded. My grandmother has had a hip replacement and has a plastic card with her name on it that she presents at airport security that explains she will set off a metal detector and why.

She may have, and I for one feel that no one should be exempt. It's no fun getting the "extra treatment," but it is for everyone's safety and something we all have to endure.

Actually, I have yet to have a major issue while going through SAT's security area (knock wood! ); and I've sure as heck done it enough times! I'll be doing a lot more traveling for the foreseeable future, I hope my relatively good track record of going through security checkpoints continues.

Oh, I forgot to mention I remembered I had a small bottle of Visine in my carry-on while going through the Colorado Springs airport; the TSA folks there didn't make me dig it out of my bag. I was happy about that, because I had a lot of stuff in there and I know it was towards the bottom!

Cheers! M2

[datacity]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

She may have, and I for one feel that no one should be exempt.

Cheers! M2

Whatever side of the debate you are on the issue of effectiveness of these full-body scanners, the fact that groups of people are exempt is what IMHO makes this a "rights" issue.

Why let pilots and flight attendants off the hook? Pilots can point the stick down? So? Flight attendants (e.g. Steve Slater) and passengers alike can open doors, causing massive decompression.

Anyone can cause havoc, even after being cleared by security. Crew unions were appeased, but why should citizens of the largest union -- United States -- have to pay for security theater and be humiliated (by nudie-scan or grope) if they have not shown any suspicious behavior? If you exempt anyone, than you are making a decision to discriminate.

In any case, one only need to see the sheer number of arrests,etc. of airport employees and TSA agents to know that at any airport, someone can be bought or forced to move banned stuff pass security.

I know airline employees at SAT who say they are even shocked how it can be done with relative ease -- believe it or not, there is a huge contingent of people who bypass security all the time, every single day.

In other threads, I have posted about heat scans (to check for stress that accompanies a fear of getting caught) and things like random questioning and yes, behavior profiling that could be effective and perhaps more likely to find the bad people, and at a lower cost.

But then we can't show an ignorant and fearful public nice shiny technological hardware. And we can't make former TSA heads rich as they lobby for the manufacturers of this equipment.

[ged_782]

Originally Posted by datacity

Why let pilots In any case, one only need to see the sheer number of arrests,etc. of airport employees and TSA agents to know that at any airport, someone can be bought or forced to move banned stuff pass security.

I know airline employees at SAT who say they are even shocked how it can be done with relative ease -- believe it or not, there is a huge contingent of people who bypass security all the time, every single day.

Anybody, not just passengers, who are post-security at an airport, are subject to random searches & screening. That includes badged airport employees, and airline crews.

Although employees who have undergone background checks, and have been issued airport ID badges may be able to enter secure areas of an airport through unmanned access-controlled entry points when on-duty, they may be met on the other side by TSA agents wearing latex gloves, and holding a wand.

[plwhit]

More insanity from the TSA goons, dated 6.27.2011:

"The Transportation Security Administration stood by its security officers Sunday after a Florida woman complained that her cancer-stricken, 95-year-old mother was patted down and forced to remove her adult diaper while going through security.

TSA Has 95-Year-Old Remove Her Diaper For Screening

I am sure nobody would mind this happening to a member of their own family, right?

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by plwhit

More insanity from the TSA goons, dated 6.27.2011:

"The Transportation Security Administration stood by its security officers Sunday after a Florida woman complained that her cancer-stricken, 95-year-old mother was patted down and forced to remove her adult diaper while going through security.

TSA Has 95-Year-Old Remove Her Diaper For Screening

I am sure nobody would mind this happening to a member of their own family, right?

No, I'd rather they die a horrible death when terrorists highjack the aircraft and fly it into a building!

Maybe you don't understand the mentality of these terrorists, but they are fanatical towards killing Americans. They've used the elderly in Afghanistan, knowing they arouse less suspicion than younger suicide bombers (same with children), so it's not unfeasible that they'd use the same tactic in trying to sneak a bomb aboard an aircraft.

And perhaps you forgot this article from a few months back...

Mexican woman, 94, tries to smuggle drugs in US - San Antonio Express-News

So no one should be exempt from being searched. If this offense anyone, then maybe they should find alternative modes of transportation...unless, of course, you're OK with another day like this...

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by datacity

Whatever side of the debate you are on the issue of effectiveness of these full-body scanners, the fact that groups of people are exempt is what IMHO makes this a "rights" issue.

Why let pilots and flight attendants off the hook? Pilots can point the stick down? So? Flight attendants (e.g. Steve Slater) and passengers alike can open doors, causing massive decompression.

Anyone can cause havoc, even after being cleared by security. Crew unions were appeased, but why should citizens of the largest union -- United States -- have to pay for security theater and be humiliated (by nudie-scan or grope) if they have not shown any suspicious behavior? If you exempt anyone, than you are making a decision to discriminate.

In any case, one only need to see the sheer number of arrests,etc. of airport employees and TSA agents to know that at any airport, someone can be bought or forced to move banned stuff pass security.

I know airline employees at SAT who say they are even shocked how it can be done with relative ease -- believe it or not, there is a huge contingent of people who bypass security all the time, every single day.

In other threads, I have posted about heat scans (to check for stress that accompanies a fear of getting caught) and things like random questioning and yes, behavior profiling that could be effective and perhaps more likely to find the bad people, and at a lower cost.

But then we can't show an ignorant and fearful public nice shiny technological hardware. And we can't make former TSA heads rich as they lobby for the manufacturers of this equipment.

Ummmm, I don't know where you are getting your info about aircrews and such, but I can assure you they are not exempt from security screenings when they fly! They may not go through the same area as passengers, but the security at airports is strict for everyone who works there, not just the passengers.

Random questioning and checking for stress are no better deterrent than the current screening process. I do believe that good intelligence efforts increases the chances of catching the perpetrators of such acts; but as we learned with 9/11 their actions can easily fall below the radar of such efforts.

That is why it is important to have strict security controls at airports, and it is not unique to the US. Anyone who has traveled overseas knows it is just as strict if not greater at those locations as it is in the US. One can easily argue that it is these measures that has prevented a repeat of 9/11 over the past decade. It is easily to get complacent due to the lack of a similar type of attack, which is why it is so important that these measures continue to protect us all!