More TSA Tomfooley!

[T-Bird76]

More proof this organization is manned and managed by breathtakingly inept humans..

http://consumerist.com/2011/06/tsa-ruin-couples-honeymoon-over-bottle-of-contact-lens-solution.html

[emshighway]

Why Thank You!!!

[emshighway]

TSA Statement:

"TSA has reviewed the time stamped video surveillance of the Miranda's screening experience at Port Columbus International Airport. The couple's entire screening experience from start to finish took a total of 24 minutes. The airline confirmed that the couple picked up their boarding passes at the ticket counter at 5:04 a.m., but the surveillance video shows the couple did not arrive at the beginning of the security queue on the B concourse until 6:09 a.m. They completed screening through the Advanced Imaging Technology machines at 6:22 a.m. and 6:23 a.m. respectively. A bottle of contact solution in their carry-on bag alarmed and, in accordance with standard procedure, TSA officers utilized our Bottled Liquid Scanner technology to resolve the alarm -- a process that was complete at 6:33 a.m., at which time the couple departed the security checkpoint for their gate."

So it took 10 minutes for the Bomb Appraisal Officer to respond, analyze, retest and make a determination. Yep, that's about right. 24 minutes from the back of the line through the checkpoint is within norms for some checkpoints.

[Derf]

Rock on.... Thanks for the very nice breakdown. TSA has done some bonehead moves in the past, With so many people it is hard not to have a certain percentage of employees that make bad decisions. An airport is an extremely stressful situation for most (including me). I am glad you were able to debunk this for us so quickly. After reading the article it is hard not to feel bad for the Bride and Groom but after your explanation it is easy to understand and almost feel bad for smart people at the TSA. I just wish the people on the front lines were as smart as you to diffuse the situation.

It makes perfect sense now and all is ok with the world again....Thanks

[T-Bird76]

almost feel bad for smart people at the TSA.

When you find some please point them out. I was seeing marked improvement in the TSA last year but this year especially at LGA's C Concourse its like a Key Stone Cops segment. Two weeks ago they held up the line so they could move 6 racks of Donuts through sercurity, over a freaking an hour to get through...all because of Dounuts... I standby my Tomfoolery statement!

[moose135]

When you find some please point them out.
You don't have to go far...just check this thread!

[yankees368]

The quality of TSA agents drastically varies by region and airport. At JFK (especially Delta T3) and LGA, the "agents" just look and act like rent-a-cops and do not care. I have never been stopped once, patted down, had my bag opened up, etc. Most of the time the agents at T3 JFK are on their personal phones or screwing around with each other. (has anyone ever seen more than one line open there?)
Then there are other airports I frequent, like Lansing, MI. The TSA/Customer ratio is about 1/3. Every 50 person max Delta Connection flight has 5-7 TSA agents at the check area. They are incredibly (annoyingly) intrusive. I have had multiple issues with them. They will sometimes make you take each individual bottle of liquid out of your larger zip lock bag to strictly enforce the ounce limit.
Another time, they approached me while I was waiting at the gate to run a test on my bottle of soda that I purchased. Another time, they decided to give me a pat down and inspect my bag after I passed through security and was about to board.
It is really a crap shoot depending on where you fly from.

[megatop412]

No large group of organisms is free of nincompoops that just cannot seem to act right. That includes Congress, the company you work for, your high school graduating class, the TSA, a flock of seagulls, whatever. I have read many of emshighway's posts and he seems to possess a wealth of knowledge about the screening processes in place and seems fluent in how they are applied. You just cannot have all members of a large group do the exact things that are in the rule book, there will always be variability.

But, some are downright lazy, if not negligent in their duties. So, the JFK T3 agents suck. I hope I don't have to deal with them on my Virgin flight to LHR next week. But every instance I've had to deal with them in the past, they've been professional. I go to the airport, and I check the attitude I carry around on the Earth's surface at the door. I have been stopped for a SECOND screening right before boarding the plane almost every flight I've taken in the past few years. I don't make a scene; I hand over my camera bag, they go through it while saying "this should just take a minute" while I say "take all the time you need", the frisk me again, I say "thanks for being thorough, please keep it up" then I get on the plane for fun time while the lady they pulled out of line behind me is all "I don't see why I have to be searched again! They just did it back there! This is ridiculous! I didn't do anything! Ca Caw! Ca Caw!"

Any large organization like this is going to reek of bureaucracy and even ineptitude at times. That doesn't erase the fact that there are many individuals that show up each day to live the mission and do the best they can within the constraints that are in place. The soda thing sounds weird for sure, but I always think, what if they would have checked that radio that made it onto Pan Am 103? What if some cop in Heathrow had had a dog that was trained to sniff out semtex?

This isn't to kiss anyone's ass, but as with most things in life, the actual truth lies somewhere in the middle.

[emshighway]

When you find some please point them out. I was seeing marked improvement in the TSA last year but this year especially at LGA's C Concourse its like a Key Stone Cops segment. Two weeks ago they held up the line so they could move 6 racks of Donuts through sercurity, over a freaking an hour to get through...all because of Dounuts... I standby my Tomfoolery statement!

The problem at the CTB is that the vendors have to bring their items through the checkpoints because appearently in 1964 when they built the terminal no one had the concept of elevators. Also there weren't checkpoints so the items free flowed down the second floor hallway. Things have changed and the PANYNJ hasn't. There have been many discussions on restricting vendors from bringing items through the checkpoint and there isn't a way except for going airside and carrying them up stairs. The times the vendors can bring items through has been restricted and they complain to PANYNJ and the money talks...

As far as the amount of TSO's at one Airport opposed to another you can thank Congress for that. The house wants to decrease the number nationwide by 5000. Being there are only 43000 now that is a big chunk. The places where the representative have the biggest mouths will get the personnel while our representative are busy taking photos of themselves.

You also get what you pay for. A City gets, well city people. Places that have less people the job market is tighter and the type of people that would take the job could be different.

If you have a specific issue please PM me and I'll try to look into it.

I like Tom Birdery better than Tomfoolery :wink: