Newark Airport experiences this weekend

[luvwinnie]

DH got in fine from W. Palm Beach except when I went to look at the screen that tells you what gate arriving flights will be at hs fligh was NOT there...I had a moment of panic, but then he called from the plane, but didn't know what gate they were at yet. I ask a security (using word loosely) person at the gate I was by where his plane is coming in and he says "I can't tell you unless you know the gate number." Yeah, thanks so much there Einstein! There was a woman there waiting for the same flight who said she asked THREE employees for help and no one could help her. And DH got on with a LIGHTER...he actually put it in the tray that goes through the machine and no one said a word!!! Meanwhile his paperwork stated "Lighters will be confiscated." I am flying next week...not feeling too safe right now!

 

[bicker]

The best place to ask for flight-related information is the customer service desk for the specific airline. I prefer if security guards restrict themselves to watching the crowd for suspicious activity, and not allow themselves to be distracted helping folks get the customer service they need from the airlines operating in the terminal.

Regarding lighters, this is a really strong indicator that we need to apply more resources towards security. I suppose the question is whether we, the flying public, are willing to pay substantially higher security fees in return for whatever is necessary to confiscate every lighter. I don't think we are. So the security we're willing to support, while valuable, isn't perfect.

 

[SetzKitten]

Regarding lighters, this is a really strong indicator that we need to apply more resources towards security

ALthough I agree with everything else you stated, I don't agree with this. There was a screener watching the tray where her husband put the lighter, he/she just didn't do her job. It has become acceptable to expect and receive shoddy service in every aspect of our lives. There's no pride in a job well done and no punishment for poor performers. What we need is people to say enough is enough. If I were her husband, I would have called them on it immediately and requested a supervisor to talk to about the lack of attention to security.

 

[LoraJ]

How did you get to the gate without a boarding pass? Which terminal was this? I would write a letter to someone at Newark airport.

 

[froglady]

On a similar note, I was waiting at a Southwest gate when an elderly couple came up and asked about their tickets...which were for a different airline. They knew this, but there wasn't anyone at their gate. The SW gate agent told them SW's policy, but told them they would have to check with their OWN airline as policies vary. She even looked up the number(of check-in) and called so they wouldn't have to go back to the main desk.

However, the gate agent very well could have told them that it wasn't her problem, and sent them away. It was quiet, with no one in line, so she had time; had it been busy, she might have turned them away. I KNOW security couldn't have helped them.

 

[bicker]

ALthough I agree with everything else you stated, I don't agree with this. There was a screener watching the tray where her husband put the lighter, he/she just didn't do her job.

More resources need not be more people -- resources include training and supervising the people that you've got.

It has become acceptable to expect and receive shoddy service in every aspect of our lives. There's no pride in a job well done and no punishment for poor performers. What we need is people to say enough is enough.

The problem is that to do so often requires a personal cost that exceeds the deficit from the poor service. Few people feel about any issue so strongly that they're willing to bear that cost personally, on society's behalf. And for those who are, they come-across looking like the outliers they are, and are marginalized, for their good works, regardless. That's a vicious circle of futility. The only way out of that circle is to change society. What's the incentive, though, without a clear path to success?

If I were her husband, I would have called them on it immediately and requested a supervisor to talk to about the lack of attention to security.

Regarding the lighter at the security check-point, absolutely NOT. You don't mess around with TSA in situ. If you have a complaint, you make it in writing, after-the-fact. TSA is not a typical service provider. If you're in a restaurant and you're not getting proper attention then yes, you should definitely raise the issue at the time management can do something about it. That's simply not the way it works at a security check-point.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

How did you get to the gate without a boarding pass? Which terminal was this?

I was wondering the same thing. I fly through Newark a lot on business and have always been asked for my boarding pass when going through security. I've never seen them let someone through who is not a passenger on a flight. I'd be more concerned about that than a lighter.

 

[LoraJ]

I was wondering the same thing. I fly through Newark a lot on business and have always been asked for my boarding pass when going through security. I've never seen them let someone through who is not a passenger on a flight. I'd be more concerned about that than a lighter.

Exactly. I always fly out of terminal C and they always compare my boarding pass with my photo ID. Ihaven't flown out of A or B in a while, but will be doing so at the end of the month. Since September 11th, I have been kind of leary of Terminal A.

 

[luvwinnie]

How did you get to the gate without a boarding pass? Which terminal was this? I would write a letter to someone at Newark airport.

I wasn't at the gate, I was at the security point before the gate.

 

[luvwinnie]

The best place to ask for flight-related information is the customer service desk for the specific airline. I prefer if security guards restrict themselves to watching the crowd for suspicious activity, and not allow themselves to be distracted helping folks get the customer service they need from the airlines operating in the terminal.

QUOTE]

You are right...and all the guard needed to do was point in the right direction of who to ask...not just refuse any help.