Yesterday at MCO

[safetymom]

Pinnie, I agree with you. There are so many things they need to tighten up on and they pick others to allow. Just sitting in airports I could tell them things they should do differently.

 

[bradk]

while they're busy ooh'ing and ahh'ing you with machines that can see you naked as you walk through them, ask them why puffers are so neglected.

 

[bavaria]

From my families experiences when they did the random searches at the gates they would announce that it will be happening to let us know about them, so if we were picked it would not catch us by surprise. When they did not announce it at the gates they never did it, because we never saw this happening while others were boarding since our row and the other rows around us were not called to board the plane.

I am not saying the information you found was false or anything, so all I can do is report on what I have seen.

This is one of the elements of security - to perform duties unseen to the common traveller. Without trying to reveal anything slightly confidential, in Canada, airport security may include the following (along with other things!)

• no random gate checks for a particular flight
• random gate checks for a particular flight; usually the CATSA agent(s) is positioned at the end of the jetway just before the entry door, and stands unobtrusively to the side until they request someone to step out for screening. Chances are that most infrequent travellers will never even notice, unless they themselves or their travel companion(s) are selected
• preflight safety inspections by Transport Canada which include 'hidden' items. Again, usually the amateur traveller will never notice, but a more frequent traveller may be aware. Transport Canada may hide certain items on board, and then perform a surprise inspection prior to boarding to see if the cleaning crew and/or cabin crew found the object(s). I can assure you that when the inspection fails, it is not pleasant for anyone involved. Again, however, the infrequent traveller will only be aware of a slight delay in departure time

We had a rather long thread on the CB a few days ago re lighters on planes, and hopefully we were able to reassure some people. Although I have not been a regular smoker for more than 15 years, I do carry a lighter and/or matches with me. Since I travel so much and do a lot of international travel, I sometimes forget to remove those items for certain countries (rules vary around the world) and have thus lost many lighters

 

[bavaria]

ok, one last security story before I go back into retirement!

In India, only passengers flying are permitted to enter an airport; the military guards every entrance and one must show a ticket and ID. Once inside, baggage is immediately screen and sealed, and cabin baggage is also screened and later screened again and tagged as cleared.

I was flying out of a very very small local airport a few weeks ago; due to the very frequent power outages I had a large baggie with about 20 batteries of various sizes in my suitcase. Next to it was an assortment of CDs, a headset with long cord coiled around, and two metal tin travel candles which JiggerJ had mailed to me. Apparently all of this together looked quite 'interesting' on screen, and a number of guards and military immediately rushed over to look at the scanner.

My suitcase was taken out of the scanner, and I was prepared to unlock and unpack it, when the ever polite military asked me 'are you travelling with many many batteries, madame?' I replied 'yes', and they all smiled, nodded and said 'ooooh'. Then my suitcase was sealed and marked, all without ever checking to see if what I said was true! I respect them for their politeness and assumption that I was honest, but......

 

[safetymom]

Wow, I am surprised that was all they did. I get screened a lot because I travel with lots of cables, computer equipment, etc. in my carry on bag. One TSA agent mentioned I would get stopped a lot because of that. I told I was sorry but that it was my job and those were my tools. I just smile now when they stop me.

 

[bavaria]

Smile at the men with machine guns . I learned that early on in India... don't be like the woman who was late for her flight in Delhi, and started screaming at every military person in sight, telling them how stupid/dirty/ugly their country was.

I don't think that they would let HER off so easily!

 

[safetymom]

I am always amazed at the people that talk back to the TSA or other security people. They must not realize how they can be detained, hassled, etc.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Stupid, stupid, stupid.
This is just a tacit admission that the checks they do to get air side are flawed. well, at least they are admitting it - in rescinding the lighter ban, they came right out and said that they were wasting time looking for lighters. Why does one need a lighter on a non-smoking flight from one non smoking airport to another? If only they will come to their senses about liquids.

 

[bavaria]

Why does one need a lighter on a non-smoking flight from one non smoking airport to another?

Sometimes a plane doesn't always go where you think it's supposed to go these days.

Ever seen survivor? It doesn't look like it's that easy to start a fire without one.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1522830&page=2

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I spend more time in airports than anyone else on this board... and while I have to respect the job that TSA is tasked with, I agree that their methods are flawed. Directives from management to rank and file employees seem never to be communicated in a way that each employee understands. There's often confusion at secondary screening areas and more than once in the past two weeks I've witnessed an entire terminal evacuated (and passengers deplaned) with the complete re-screening of all travelers and their carry-on belongings. This because TSA secondary screeners allowed a person with a bag marked for inspection to proceed without the inspection. Then they review video to see where passenger went. Then they can't find passenger. Then evacuation. Then delays. Yada yada yada. It gets old.

I think it's time to use some of those security fees you've been paying for the past couple of years and spend it on constructin inspection areas that won't allow such dereliction (and the subsequent inconvenience) to occur in the first place.

 

[bradk]

re: the battery thing, they know. that actually happened to me at an airport, but don't recall which, but it was in the US. same exact thing.

they stopped me as i cleared the metal detector and the TSA agent asked me if i had a lot of batteries in one compartment of my camera bag. evidently it just shows up as one black mass on the scanner.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

And the media is NOT helpful:

AP says the seizures that concerned federal officials included items with "wires, switches, pipes or tubes, cellphone components and dense clay-like substances. ... The unusual nature and increase in number of these improvised items raise concern," says the bulletin, which urged security workers to watch for "ordinary items that look like improvised explosive device components." The 13-paragraph alert was first reported by NBC Nightly News, which posted a copy of the bulletin (PDF file) on its website. AP says an unnamed federal official confirmed the authenticity of the document. TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe says: "There is no credible, specific threat here. Don't panic. We do these things all the time."

Below is how AP says the four "curious seizures" were described in the alert:

• San Diego, July 7. A U.S. person — either a citizen or a foreigner legally here — checked baggage containing two ice packs covered in duct tape. The ice packs had clay inside them rather than the normal blue gel.


The real story? 65 year old woman was attempting to keep her medication that required refrigeration cold. The ice packs were leaking. That's why it was inspected, not that they 'found' it in x-ray. Big threat.

 

[kribit]

I was just reading the article posted today on the TSA website and the threat level is raised to orange? Has it always been orange or was it just raised as a result of these findings?

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I was just reading the article posted today on the TSA website and the threat level is raised to orange? Has it always been orange or was it just raised as a result of these findings?

It's been Orange since last August.

 

[safetymom]

It has been orange for quite a while.

 

[CarolA]

I think we are going to face this type of random search forever. I just hope the government knows more than I do and are taking the necessary action to protect us.

The "goverment" might. The TSA....... Unless the terrorist walks up an "introduces" himself.....

The TSA has formally announced that ORANGE is the "normal" level. (Does anyone remember the boy who cried WOLF???? At this point they have "wasted" whatever crediblity they had!)

My favorite is the "puffers" that check for explosives. The TSA uses these SO WELL!!!! First in some cities (JAX for example) the passenger PICKS the machine. (So if I am a terrorist who has been playing with explosives would I pick (A) the old fashioned machine or (B) the puffer that detects explosives. TSA VOTES B....) And then experts say that the most likely place to detect explosive residue is on the SHOES. So what does the TSA do? Have you take your shoes OFF and put them in the xray bin which CANNOT detect explosive dust while you walk through the puffer which CAN!!!


Are we safer today then pre 9/11? Sure. But IMHO its due to the work of REAL law enforcement not that "pseudo" group called the TSA!

 

[kribit]

The "goverment" might. The TSA....... Unless the terrorist walks up an "introduces" himself.....

The TSA has formally announced that ORANGE is the "normal" level. (Does anyone remember the boy who cried WOLF???? At this point they have "wasted" whatever crediblity they had!)

My favorite is the "puffers" that check for explosives. The TSA uses these SO WELL!!!! First in some cities (JAX for example) the passenger PICKS the machine. (So if I am a terrorist who has been playing with explosives would I pick (A) the old fashioned machine or (B) the puffer that detects explosives. TSA VOTES B....) And then experts say that the most likely place to detect explosive residue is on the SHOES. So what does the TSA do? Have you take your shoes OFF and put them in the xray bin which CANNOT detect explosive dust while you walk through the puffer which CAN!!!


Are we safer today then pre 9/11? Sure. But IMHO its due to the work of REAL law enforcement not that "pseudo" group called the TSA!

I know... what you mean. I just hope they know more than me. I pray they know more than me.

That's just one of the reasons I asked if it was always orange? I seriously don't pay attention to it, but in all fairness, I don't fly often so I don't have a reason. I thought "normal" was yellow. You know, I'm laughing right now, but it really isn't funny.

I have to be honest though...the threat of a new terror attack does frighten me. It's been 5 years and we all know they haven't been twiddling their thumbs over there (or here for that matter). Scary.

We are smarter than them though, right? eeekkk......

 

[CarolA]

I am apparently completly unconcerned. I just booked an international flight to Brussels for 9/11/07 Didn't even bother to worry about the fact that it was 9/11 (Actually didn't hit me until my boyfriend told me)

I still feel DRAMATICALLY safer in the air then I do on the Atlanta interstates.......

 

[bavaria]

I still feel DRAMATICALLY safer in the air then I do on the Atlanta interstates.......

I agree completely. The fact that I commute to work via airplane instead of via automobile makes me safer as well.

 

[Pinnie]

I know statistically I have a greater chance of being in an accident on the way to the airport than I do on the plane. Today I have to make a drive from the Detroit area to Indianapolis. Trust me, I would rather fly, but because I am delivering a trunkload of snacks to a drum corp, flying is out of the question. Next week, I am going to be on a plane at least 6 times, heading out to Houston, San Jose and then down to ONT.

My only gripe is that the media hypes up these incidents and then we become numb to them. Yesterday the incident at Santa Barbara was nothing more than a video game. While I am happy about the outcome, did it have to be covered on MSNBC/CNN/FOX constantly???

pinnie