New TSA Directives

[ExPirateShopGirl]

This from the world of the federal security director...

Orange is the new yellow. Seems there are no plans to reduce the current threat condition level back to yellow anytime soon. Surprise surprise. New directives have been sent to the airlines and will be implemented in the coming month:

1) Random gate screening of random passengers. Just when you thought it was safe to board the aircraft, once again you may find yourself subject to additional gate screening prior to boarding. You will not have to dump out liquids purchased post security in the sterile area.

2) Random pre-boarding visual inspections of pre-selected aircraft. That's right, before you (or the crew) board, the TSA will be inspecting overhead bins, lavatories, seatbacks and underseat areas. The airline station manager will receive a 10-20 minute warning before the subject aircraft lands. Once it has been deplaned and cleaned, TSA will hop onboard. TSA estimates this will be a 3-5 minute procedure. I am taking a wait and see stance on this one.

3) All flying airline employees and crew members must enter the sterile area via security checkpoint. Airline employees NOT flying can still utilize direct access security coded doors (which have been subject to random screening for the past several months by the TSA already.) This is actually a moot point in many airports as access is controlled by the airport AOA and flying employees are already required to pass through the security checkpoint.

Now... I know CarolA will be sleeping better tonight. Who else?

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Number 2 seemed to catch my eye. I think I'm with you on taking the wait and see stance. There are positives and negatives to everything, it's just a matter of which outweighs the other. Thanks for posting!

 

[CarolA]

Have they ever heard of the little boy who cried wolf??? Orange is the new "low level" what happens next RED??

I swear they are incompetent!

 

[bradk]

you may find yourself subject to additional gate screening prior to boarding. You will not have to dump out liquids...

i thought this was going a totally different way for a minute there

does #2 have anything to do with cleared airport employees smuggling guns and drugs?

 

[amejr999]

Seriously... where do they come up with these things??!!

 

[DVC-Don]

#2 is probably the result of the ground crew guy here in Orlando that smuggled something like 17 guns and drugs onto a plane recently.

 

[bavaria]

re #2 - in Canada they currently do random inspections of aircraft - I was waiting to board a flight and the inspector arrived and found several items intentionally planted on board and overlooked by the cleaning crew. This created a significant hoo haw and the airline had to send down representatives to meet with the inspector and the crew. (The gate agent gave me a minute by minute play by play of what was happening )

The usual 3-5 minutes became 60 minutes or more.... hopefully future inspections will have better results!

 

[bavaria]

re #1 - at least it will be random, and not as in the post 9/11 days when the first person to board was pulled aside. There would be back ups of elite members waiting to board, each of us saying 'go ahead, no you go, please go first' while none of us wanted to be the 'lucky first' to board. (of course, those days have passed and the pushing and shoving by elites to be first to board has returned)

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

i thought this was going a totally different way for a minute there

does #2 have anything to do with cleared airport employees smuggling guns and drugs?

It absolutely does. It also seems the TSA completely overlooked those flights which arrive with passengers who remain onboard for the next leg. Another airline representative in the meeting brought the point up and they admitted they hadn't thought of that aspect yet. For the record, each airline was adamant about 2 things: one, the TSA should not conduct the inspection around passengers and their carry-on baggage and two, the passengers should NOT have to deplane. As far as this airport goes, TSA agreed not to begin the screening of aircraft until this was worked out. We don't have any fly thrus here, but I know Southwest and Alaska do.

 

[safetymom]

I can remember those "random" screenings at the gate. It was usually passenger #3. You knew not to rush the gate until after that person was selected.

 

[ducklite]

Seriously... where do they come up with these things??!!

The higher-ups need to come up with new policies to implement every few months to make it look like they are doing something to earn their bloated salaries.

Anne

 

[mom_rules]

I can remember those "random" screenings at the gate. It was usually passenger #3. You knew not to rush the gate until after that person was selected.

No-It's usually me-no matter where in the line I am!

I can take you through "The procedure" with my eyes closed now.

 

[Starr W.]

No I think it is me. My sister tells me I get called out for extra screening because I insist on wearing underwire bras all the time! She thinks that sets off some sort of warning and I get pulled off to the side.

 

[CarolA]

#2 is probably the result of the ground crew guy here in Orlando that smuggled something like 17 guns and drugs onto a plane recently.

Yeah and the TSA just announced that at MCO they will no longer screen all airport employees.... I mean if the plane is hijacked by an airport or airline employee then the TSA has done it's job, it wasn't a passenger...
(Please contact your elected officials if you think as I do that this is INCOMPETENCE run wild at YOUR expense!)

 

[Disneyjosh229]

(Please contact your elected officials if you think as I do that this is INCOMPETENCE run wild at YOUR expense!)

I second this one! What exactly will be accomplished in 3-5 mins aboard a 767 that will make our flight any safer?

 

[bradk]

well, in theory, they could use dogs...

of course.. they could also use puffer machines instead of using them as feng shui devices.

 

[Edd]

You are wrong. Two weeks ago MCO put in a plan to screen all employees going into the sterile area. It is only the 2nd airport in the U.S. to do all this. Miami is the first to screen all employees entering sterile areas. The was covered in the Board meeting this afternoon. The cost is an extra 10 million per year. No other airports screen all their employees at the present time.

Not even Atlanta. The biggest airport in the USA.

 

[bradk]

that's because no other airport has been found to have cleared employees smuggling guns and drugs when we're flying so safely since 9/11.

actually, that may not be entirely true. i think i remember a big bust here at JFK not too long ago. gotta look that one up.

but we like to be reactive, not proactive.

ETA: okay, found a large drug bust involving baggage handlers in 2003, having to do with gyuana and jamaica i think. also found a case where TSA workers committed identity theft after stealing a wallet from a firefighter.

guess JFK has a lot to learn from OIA.

 

[Edd]

Well, I suppose no one else would think of smuggling guns to the Caribbean other than Central Floridians.

 

[CarolA]

You are wrong. Two weeks ago MCO put in a plan to screen all employees going into the sterile area. It is only the 2nd airport in the U.S. to do all this. Miami is the first to screen all employees entering sterile areas. The was covered in the Board meeting this afternoon. The cost is an extra 10 million per year. No other airports screen all their employees at the present time.

Not even Atlanta. The biggest airport in the USA.

Friday your local media reported the TSA was abandoning the plan unless MCO paid for it. Yes, it's happening but NOT becasue the IDIOTS that run the TSA think it's required, but becuase the folks at MCO are smarter. So that means the terrorists will just go to work at another aiport.

The TSA continues to think that "we did a good job" those guns didn't get by us.....
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed14107mar14,0,7027181.story

KIP HAWLEY IS AN IDIOT and he is wasting your tax dollars!



The TSA won't do ANYTHING until something horrid happens. Being proactive and responsible is against thier plan! Wasting tax dollars, that they are really good at.