TSA Wants to Eliminate Checkpoints at 150 Airports

[AZGrizFan]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/ts ... ocid=ientp

Security checkpoints would be eliminated at more than 150 smaller U.S. airports under a plan being considered by the Transportation Security Administration. Passengers would instead be screened when they arrived at larger airports after their initial flight.

The idea was first floated by the TSA two years ago and was seen then by critics as a transparent effort to get Congress to spend additional money on the agency.

“This is completely nuts,” said Mary Schiavo, former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation and an aviation expert. “Perhaps they want an outcry from the public to say ‘Oh, no, no, no, Congress, give them the additional $115 million that they say this would save.’”

The proposal raises questions about whether would-be terrorists could penetrate the nation’s air system at the airports lacking screening or commander smaller shuttle aircraft and use them to damage buildings or other infrastructure.

In September 2001, two hijackers began their travels in Portland, Maine, in an effort to escape notice. Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari flew on a commuter plane to Boston, where they boarded an American Airlines Boeing 767, took control of the jet in flight and crashed it into tower 102 of the World Trade Center, causing the deaths of more than 1,600 people on Sept. 11.

The TSA said no decision has been made on the plan. “There has been no decision to eliminate passenger screening at any federalized U.S. airport,” TSA spokesman Michael Bilello said in a statement. “Every year as part of the federal budget process TSA is asked to discuss potential operational efficiencies — this year is no different.”

Bilello’s statement described the discussions as “predecisional discussions and deliberations and would not take place without a risk assessment to ensure the security of the aviation system.”

CNN, which first reported the story, cited senior TSA officials and official TSA documents that said eliminating checkpoints at 150 unspecified airports would affect 10,000 passengers daily, or about 0.5 percent of those who fly from those airports.

“They say that only 0.5 flights would be affected, but on any given day that’s a lot of flights,” Schiavo said. “At each one of those [airports] you could have everything from a 19-seater to a 50-seater aircraft. Imagine if [terrorists] took out 10 regional flights in one day? You’ve had the largest loss of life, other than 9/11, in an aviation accident in decades.”

Schiavo said people would be afraid to fly if TSA ended screenings at their local airports.

“Not only will this destroy any reasonable security over American skies, it will destroy small towns and cities across the country because they will virtually have no air service,” she said.

“You poor folks from, say, Toledo, Ohio, you only have three regional flights a day,” Schiavo said. “We’re not going to do any security for you. Would anyone fly from Toledo? Absolutely not. What does it do to Toledo, Ohio? Destroys it. You’ll have no air service. No one’s going to get on a plane without security. It’s not only terrorists, it’s nut cases.

Schiavo pointed out that about 2,500 weapons are confiscated at TSA checkpoints from people who otherwise would have carried them onboard aircraft.

“It’s not like hijackers and terrorists and people with bad ideas will forget that we have smaller airports in America, and now with no security?” she said. “It’s just bonkers. It’s so crazy. It’s confoundedly stupid.”

Frederick Hill, spokesman for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has Senate jurisdiction over the TSA, said the proposal to end security at smaller airports has “been a recurring idea for many years” from the TSA.

“But they have not made any decision about moving forward,” he said. “Chairman [John] Thune (R-S.D.) “would expect TSA to engage with the Senate and House committees of jurisdiction if consideration of such a significant change to security advances beyond a preliminary discussion.”

The TSA is responsible for security at nearly 440 airports and its 43,000 officers screen more than 2 million passengers each day. In addition, they screen 1.3 million checked items and 4.9 million carry-on bags.

The agency provides security for more than 23,000 domestic flights per day and nearly 2,800 outbound international flights.

Afraid to fly? WTF? I would WELCOME it. In fact, I'd make it a point to fly through airports that didn't have TSA. I think the only thing worse than no security is the illusion of security, and THAT'S what TSA provides.

[Chizzang]

All that needs to happen is to privatize Airport Security... and simply have it "over seen" by the TSA
The lone major whit private security I believe is San Francisco and I fly through there a few times a year

It's considerably faster

phpBB [video]

[dbackjon]

You realize Z that once you got to a bigger airport (and majority of these small airports only connect to one city, sometimes two), you'd have to go through security there, while trying to make your 30 minute connection.

[AshevilleApp]

The wait here is less than 5 minutes, but at least provides some screening. No big deal to me either way though.

[AZGrizFan]

You realize Z that once you got to a bigger airport (and majority of these small airports only connect to one city, sometimes two), you'd have to go through security there, while trying to make your 30 minute connection.

Well I’m about to sit for three hours in SLC...I think I could make it through security in that timeframe...

[houndawg]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/ts ... ocid=ientp

Security checkpoints would be eliminated at more than 150 smaller U.S. airports under a plan being considered by the Transportation Security Administration. Passengers would instead be screened when they arrived at larger airports after their initial flight.

The idea was first floated by the TSA two years ago and was seen then by critics as a transparent effort to get Congress to spend additional money on the agency.

“This is completely nuts,” said Mary Schiavo, former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation and an aviation expert. “Perhaps they want an outcry from the public to say ‘Oh, no, no, no, Congress, give them the additional $115 million that they say this would save.’”

The proposal raises questions about whether would-be terrorists could penetrate the nation’s air system at the airports lacking screening or commander smaller shuttle aircraft and use them to damage buildings or other infrastructure.

In September 2001, two hijackers began their travels in Portland, Maine, in an effort to escape notice. Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari flew on a commuter plane to Boston, where they boarded an American Airlines Boeing 767, took control of the jet in flight and crashed it into tower 102 of the World Trade Center, causing the deaths of more than 1,600 people on Sept. 11.

The TSA said no decision has been made on the plan. “There has been no decision to eliminate passenger screening at any federalized U.S. airport,” TSA spokesman Michael Bilello said in a statement. “Every year as part of the federal budget process TSA is asked to discuss potential operational efficiencies — this year is no different.”

Bilello’s statement described the discussions as “predecisional discussions and deliberations and would not take place without a risk assessment to ensure the security of the aviation system.”

CNN, which first reported the story, cited senior TSA officials and official TSA documents that said eliminating checkpoints at 150 unspecified airports would affect 10,000 passengers daily, or about 0.5 percent of those who fly from those airports.

“They say that only 0.5 flights would be affected, but on any given day that’s a lot of flights,” Schiavo said. “At each one of those [airports] you could have everything from a 19-seater to a 50-seater aircraft. Imagine if [terrorists] took out 10 regional flights in one day? You’ve had the largest loss of life, other than 9/11, in an aviation accident in decades.”

Schiavo said people would be afraid to fly if TSA ended screenings at their local airports.

“Not only will this destroy any reasonable security over American skies, it will destroy small towns and cities across the country because they will virtually have no air service,” she said.

“You poor folks from, say, Toledo, Ohio, you only have three regional flights a day,” Schiavo said. “We’re not going to do any security for you. Would anyone fly from Toledo? Absolutely not. What does it do to Toledo, Ohio? Destroys it. You’ll have no air service. No one’s going to get on a plane without security. It’s not only terrorists, it’s nut cases.

Schiavo pointed out that about 2,500 weapons are confiscated at TSA checkpoints from people who otherwise would have carried them onboard aircraft.

“It’s not like hijackers and terrorists and people with bad ideas will forget that we have smaller airports in America, and now with no security?” she said. “It’s just bonkers. It’s so crazy. It’s confoundedly stupid.”

Frederick Hill, spokesman for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has Senate jurisdiction over the TSA, said the proposal to end security at smaller airports has “been a recurring idea for many years” from the TSA.

“But they have not made any decision about moving forward,” he said. “Chairman [John] Thune (R-S.D.) “would expect TSA to engage with the Senate and House committees of jurisdiction if consideration of such a significant change to security advances beyond a preliminary discussion.”

The TSA is responsible for security at nearly 440 airports and its 43,000 officers screen more than 2 million passengers each day. In addition, they screen 1.3 million checked items and 4.9 million carry-on bags.

The agency provides security for more than 23,000 domestic flights per day and nearly 2,800 outbound international flights.

Afraid to fly? WTF? I would WELCOME it. In fact, I'd make it a point to fly through airports that didn't have TSA. I think the only thing worse than no security is the illusion of security, and THAT'S what TSA provides.

How come our small government friends never want to get rid of this useless Federal Bureaucracy?

[CID1990]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/ts ... ocid=ientp



Afraid to fly? WTF? I would WELCOME it. In fact, I'd make it a point to fly through airports that didn't have TSA. I think the only thing worse than no security is the illusion of security, and THAT'S what TSA provides.

How come our small government friends never want to get rid of this useless Federal Bureaucracy?

Which ones?

I’d can the entire thing tomorrow if it were up to me.

[89Hen]

Maybe I'm just lucky, but I don't think I've had to wait more than 5-10 minutes in security lines. Since 9/11 I've flown out of: BWI, Reagan, Dulles, Savannah, Charleston, Ft Myers, Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Charlotte, Philly...

[∞∞∞]

If you fly a lot and haven't already, get TSA-Precheck. $85 for five years is worth the price.

CLEAR is also a VERY nice alternative to Precheck, but it's $150/year. However, even Precheck lines can get long sometime; with CLEAR, you just skip the line and go through the machine.

[AZGrizFan]

If you fly a lot and haven't already, get TSA-Precheck. $85 for five years is worth the price.

CLEAR is also a VERY nice alternative to Precheck, but it's $150/year. However, even Precheck lines can get long sometime; with CLEAR, you just skip the line and go through the machine.

I have CLEAR, but it's not in enough airports yet. Still gotta get bags x-rayed. Still gotta go through a full body scan, etc., etc.

[Chizzang]

TSA Pre and Global Entry combined pass works perfectly

[Winterborn]

Longest I have waited was in Vancouver. Got to the airport at around 5am and didn't get though the line till almost 6:30. Luckily they opened another line and I was able to make my flight. But on average I probably only wait about 10 minutes for most of my flights (have been though just about every major airport in the U.S. since 9/11). Granted I do have TSA Precheck. But overall TSA can go fly a kite, about all they do is catch the obvious stuff. I would rather have air marshals on a flight.

[Ibanez]

TSA Pre and Global Entry combined pass works perfectly

This. Returning from Morocco last year, the line at JFK was a mile along - except for the Global Entry line. We were through customs in about 5 minutes.

[HI54UNI]

The last time we flew boarding was called and TSA then announced that they would be doing random searches of carry on luggage as we board. My wife gets pulled aside and the search was the TSA agent asking her if she had any weapons in her purse. She said no and they let her get on the plane. Didn't even look in the purse. I felt much safer after that.

[css75]

If they get out of airports I might consider flying again.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[∞∞∞]

I get "randomly" searched every time, without fail. I'm definitely on a list, just not sure which.

This despite being approved for TSA Precheck and holding SIDA badges at airports all over the country. There's nothing more enjoyable than going through the Precheck line only to get "randomly" searched.

[Ibanez]

The last time we flew boarding was called and TSA then announced that they would be doing random searches of carry on luggage as we board. My wife gets pulled aside and the search was the TSA agent asking her if she had any weapons in her purse. She said no and they let her get on the plane. Didn't even look in the purse. I felt much safer after that.

I was flying back from Europe about 8 years ago when I landed in JFK. TSA searched my carry-on bag and found a corkscrew. They said those weren't allowed on planes. He then gave it back to me and told me to have a safe trip. I still had 1 more flight that day and didn't have to go through security again.

[∞∞∞]

The last time we flew boarding was called and TSA then announced that they would be doing random searches of carry on luggage as we board. My wife gets pulled aside and the search was the TSA agent asking her if she had any weapons in her purse. She said no and they let her get on the plane. Didn't even look in the purse. I felt much safer after that.

I was flying back from Europe about 8 years ago when I landed in JFK. TSA searched my carry-on bag and found a corkscrew. They said those weren't allowed on planes. He then gave it back to me and told me to have a safe trip. I still had 1 more flight that day and didn't have to go through security again.

Here's a not-so-secret secret: airport security still sucks. I won't put out any details on the internetz so it can't be mined by the wrong people, but I've experienced some pretty appalling lapses that question the entire system...beyond just the visible TSA checkpoints.

[Ibanez]

I was flying back from Europe about 8 years ago when I landed in JFK. TSA searched my carry-on bag and found a corkscrew. They said those weren't allowed on planes. He then gave it back to me and told me to have a safe trip. I still had 1 more flight that day and didn't have to go through security again.

Here's a not-so-secret secret: airport security still sucks. I won't put out any details on the internetz so it can't be mined by the wrong people, but I've experienced some pretty appalling lapses that question the entire system...beyond just the visible TSA checkpoints.

Yeah. SPend a few hours waiting for a flight and most vigilant people will figure it out

[css75]

I was flying back from Europe about 8 years ago when I landed in JFK. TSA searched my carry-on bag and found a corkscrew. They said those weren't allowed on planes. He then gave it back to me and told me to have a safe trip. I still had 1 more flight that day and didn't have to go through security again.

Here's a not-so-secret secret: airport security still sucks. I won't put out any details on the internetz so it can't be mined by the wrong people, but I've experienced some pretty appalling lapses that question the entire system...beyond just the visible TSA checkpoints.

On this we agree, they should do it the way Israel does, after a person buys a ticket, they research them. None of this TSA nonsense there.


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[AZGrizFan]

I get "randomly" searched every time, without fail. I'm definitely on a list, just not sure which.

This despite being approved for TSA Precheck and holding SIDA badges at airports all over the country. There's nothing more enjoyable than going through the Precheck line only to get "randomly" searched.

I was flying back from Europe about 8 years ago when I landed in JFK. TSA searched my carry-on bag and found a corkscrew. They said those weren't allowed on planes. He then gave it back to me and told me to have a safe trip. I still had 1 more flight that day and didn't have to go through security again.

Here's a not-so-secret secret: airport security still sucks. I won't put out any details on the internetz so it can't be mined by the wrong people, but I've experienced some pretty appalling lapses that question the entire system...beyond just the visible TSA checkpoints.

a) I have zero problem with profiling.
b) as I said, the only thing worse than NO security is the ILLUSION of security. And that is ALL the TSA provides. Just like the illusion of security provided by police, security guards, and the federal government.

[∞∞∞]

a) Cool. I'll remember that when I'm voting for candidates wanting to hassle white people at large gatherings because they might shoot up the place, or having the IRS/FBI scrutinize white people because they might be evading their taxes or doing other financial crimes.
b)

[css75]

a) Cool. I'll remember that when I'm voting for candidates wanting to hassle white people at large gatherings because they might shoot up the place, or having the IRS/FBI scrutinize white people because they might be evading their taxes or doing other financial crimes.
b)

No problem with that, if you are clean, chances are you won’t be bothered.


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[∞∞∞]

No problem with that, if you are clean, chances are you won’t be bothered.

I'm not sure you understand what profiling is...

[dbackjon]

If they get out of airports I might consider flying again.


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Have a plane you want to hijack?