posted on September 12, 2001 01:43:28 PM
I watched the news today about the new FAA
Rules for airports and it got my thinking,
I fly over 150 thousand miles a year
Just on domestic flights,
And all over the country, so I go through many airports, and I tried to remember how
Many times I was stopped to be searched,
... Not ONCE!
One time after getting my carry on xrayed
They asked me to remove zippo lighter fluid
I had for my zippo.
That's it, no one asked me to boot up my laptop more the twice in this year,
(and maybe total 3 times last year)
No one wanted to see my digital camera bag
Or my Paml case or any of the items
I carry with me all the time,
The point is that the rules came way to late,
In almost the 2 milion miles I have
From flying all these years I always wondered about the knives and all the stuff
Some crazy person could carry on if they wanted to as we've seen it happen just day ago...
And now, no more curb side check in,
No more knives no more anything...
If the rules were better before this could have been prevented at least to some point.
I would like to hold FAA and all the people at airports responsible for letting someone board an airpline with a weapon.
How many times were you checked?
All texas airports, Kentucky airports
(gun county not once did I see anyone
Pulled aside, just empty your pockets please...
Atlanta, when you land in the international terminal you can go anywhere in the airport, basicly you can bring almost anything in to the US and then have in in the airport,
Last time it took me only 5 min to clear customs....
Salt Lake city, the same thing,
All the people doing the checks really hate their job or something,
Cause no one EVER gets checked!!!
posted on September 12, 2001 01:45:44 PM
My husband, myself, and my daughter and oldest son made the flight from Cleveland to Chicago this past May.
Only my son was stopped, and they looked at his Game Boy and his Elf camera, having him turn them both on to make sure they were actually working items.
Coming back none of us were stopped. All of our luggage was carry on, we didn't check anything.
posted on September 12, 2001 02:06:55 PM
Once I was asked to boot up my laptop and the battery was dead, so they let me go ,
(no xray or sniff)
Do you know how much stuff you can put into hollow latpot?
(well, I dont, but it's large enough for
Lots of dangerous stuff, lets put it this way...)
posted on September 12, 2001 02:32:12 PM
All true enought but would Americans be willing to wait for hours at an airport to get checked in for security? This came up the other day by an aviation guy who said that the security at the airports is absurdly sad but if they beefed up security to the level of international flights they would reduce air travel to a 1/5 of what it is now because no one would want to wait in line to get checked in. Today they said that at the tunnel connecting MI to Canada the wait was 3 hours since they stopped everyone and checked Id as well as the vehicle. How many people would like to spend 6 hours a day extra driving to work and 8+ hours at work. I don't know what the answer is.
posted on September 12, 2001 02:48:23 PM
You mean LAX has security???
Didnt see any 2 weeks ago...
In the past 2 years I traveled only US
But before that I lived in Europe 25 years and traveled back and forth for 4 years before moving here and I never felt it took too long,
we have more employes at the airports in europe and all bags almost are sniffed, takes only few seconds and it's done...
Israel is the only one that takes 2 hours to get in and out and I'm very happy that they check everyone there!!!
(even I get stopped and questioned and my passport sais BORN IN: JERUSALEM )
I will miss curb side check in, since I am platinum medialon and they just took my bags away for me and gave me boarding pass in less then 30 sec, but I'll gladly do it to insure safety,
But after while it will go back to normal
Again...Sadly,
It will not make the flights slow down,
It will speed it up in my mind,
2 weeks ago at LAX they had one Xray open,
Line all the way down the escalator and 2 people doing the (no ) checks,
It took me almost 20 min just to get through
And that's whithout search...
If the have to beef up security they will have to get more people so they can also
Open more lines, so I think it will be the same time or tiny bit slower at most...
Besides they recomened being there earlier...
(no more 15 min before take off arrivals
posted on September 12, 2001 03:38:37 PM
We recently flew to Buffalo. I had my cell phone in my purse and my husband had his on his belt. They scanned my purse and didn't say anything. They had my husband turn his cell phone on, etc. Other times we have flown they have let his box cutter go through without notice. Other times they take it from him or ask him to remove the blade.
We passed very easily through customs at Niagara Falls -- no show of ID, we were in a rental car, just a few innocent questions. Coming back into the US just south of Montreal was even easier, we barely had to slow down.
When I travel on business, I always have my laptop with me. Never once have they asked me to power it up.
posted on September 12, 2001 03:47:55 PM
The security at the airpost are barely paid minimum wage. There is also a very high turnover. No one wants to hold up the line by searching every bag.
I recently went to Europe and was suprised that French officials never checked my passport. I had to ask for a stamp for my passport. I was pretty much allowed to walk right through security in France.
The UK did check my documents as did the US. I was also asked to provide a photo ID in the U.S. I usually fly out of LAX.
posted on September 12, 2001 03:51:44 PM
I flew from San Francisco CA to Heathrow airport in London a week after the Lockerbie
disaster. All of my bags were hand-searched
both going and coming, including checking
cameras, binoculars, etc. to make sure they were what they appeared to be.
If this is what it takes to fly safely, I am
all for it.
What the latest incident proves to me is that (1) airport security is too lax (in fact, one of the news channels was saying that American Airlines had recently been reprimanded for having lax security), and (2) if somebody is determined to perform a terroristic act, they will find a way to do it.
Much saddened (and stuck several states away from home, as I was supposed to fly on 9/11),
posted on September 12, 2001 04:21:42 PM
I have personal experience with the security crew at Newark. I've flown on flt. 93 and have gone thru Terminal A, United many times.
The specific security crew involved would make a McDonald's reject look good. As I remember them, there was only 1 person of perhaps 6 that had a look that wasn't that of a complete retard.
posted on September 12, 2001 04:42:01 PM
I carried an opened bottle of water through a security check point in Santa Barbara not too long ago and was asked to drink from it.
A checkpoint person at JFK made a MAJOR ordeal out of checking a backpack, too--not the contents, but every zipper, clip, and strap had to pass her thorough inspection.
I sometimes travel with a surveyors' wheel in my carry-on bag (tbough not if I can squeeze it into the checked bag) and that always gets some sort of comment from the x-ray machine attendant, but only once did someone insist I unpack the bag so he could inspect it--I can't imagine what sort of overt act I was contemplating with a surveyors' wheel.
posted on September 12, 2001 05:33:15 PM
One of the security measures being discussed is that no one will be allowed to carry anything at all onto planes, not even women's purses. Nothing like locking the barn door...
The ineptness of airport security has been proven time and time again but when presented the evidence the FAA has always claimed it would be too expensive to do anything about it.
posted on September 12, 2001 05:42:11 PM
I would like to add my perspective as a flight attendant with a major U.S. carrier, fortunately not American or United. Probably the number one reason for lax security is that the American public won't stand for it. I could tell stories for days of grown adults acting like tempermental infants when asked for their I.D. at the gate or asked to part with their purse to have it scanned or some other minor security detail. We have grown into a culture with an inherent but mostly undeserved sense of entitlement without the corresponding responsibility.
"Why didn't you hold my flight, I got caught in traffic!"
"If I have to stand in line to check my bags I'll miss my flight!"
Hey bud, how about leaving yourself enough time to compensate for unexpected delays.
"Why don't you have a vegetarian meal for me!"
Cuz you didn't order one.
"Why can't I sit in first class, you have an empty seat."
You have a coach ticket.
You want airtight security? Are you willing to put up with what that entails? Not just for a few months but forever?
I have my doubts....
The scariest part of this whole episode is that the unthinkable happened. I sit through security training on an annual basis and one subject that has been discussed a number of times in regards to a hijacking is that if someone was REALLY determined to undermine security that a way could be found. Up until now, knives with a 4" blade or shorter were allowed. Now I've heard reports that the perpetrators may have had ceramic knives, something that could be carried in a pocket without detection.
What would you do, strip search everone? The bottom line is that these maniacs were willing to sacrifice their lives to succeed as they did.
Unthinkable?
Not anymore!
We now have to approach this with the sense that ANYTHING is possible as it has just been proved.
We have to accept the inconveniences of tight security for the privilege of travelling by air.
And we should do this with a sense of duty, a sense of responsibility, a more over, a sense of awareness.
Leave yourself enough time. Be organized, alert, and co-operative.
And the next time you feel anxious or impatient in line, remember the horrific images of yesterday.
posted on September 12, 2001 07:14:25 PM
I'm on the road about 280 days a years,
Fly about 4 times a week, and only on Delta
(I hope you work for them I love delta
And I still hate flying....And airports.
Yes, many people are angry and act stupid in the lines,
But every one must show their ID to get a boarding pass at the airport
So that's not new,
>>>We have to accept the inconveniences of tight security for the privilege of travelling by air.<<<
Security at the airports is the last thing that would inconveniece me,
Lack of emloyess, long lines,
Idiots working there, angry people,
And delayed flights is what gets me,
>>> asked to part with their purse to have it scanned or some other minor security detail.<<<I wont put my purse through either,
I'm too worried that someone will steel it because of lack of security.....
I make them wait for me to cross the line and
Manualy search it in front of me ...
I lost one purse and one carry-on
Leting it go through and then I got stuck
In the line cause of a check (remove your coins please!)and someone else on the other side snatched it.
The reason why you didnt need to show your passport in Europe is that all countries
In EU (european union ) allow
Free movement between them,
I have a Belgium passport and I had to beg the people in London and in Denmark to give me a stamp too,
They just do dont stamps anymore,
Unless you are from one of the very few countries that require visa to EU
You dont need your passport in any of them,
(and since you were coming from USA you didnt have to either)
It takes only 6 seconds to "sniff" a bag
So that will not slow us down too much.
Love that seat argument,
Actualy last time I boarded
With the last row they called,
And I had to wait forever to get to my seat
Cause of some luggage stowage problem,
And someone was there, my boarding pass
Said 4 C and his was like 28 E
And he said that since one one was sitting there and they were calling the last rows
He figured he would move to first....
posted on September 12, 2001 07:38:04 PM
I've been irritated all day by the media accounts of security, so I just need to vent a little. If someone could explain to me how even one of the discussed "new" security measures would have stalled, let alone stopped, yesterday's tragedy, maybe I'd change my mind. Banning the use of plastic knives in the airport? Please. Curbside? That's always the first to go, and all it does is inconvenience people (as if I can't leave after my bag is checked inside). Not allowing anyone to carry anything at all on the plane may work, but the security (yeah, I'm going to see my purse again) and shear boredom with nothing to do on a flight (can you imagine several hundred people trapped for 6 hours in a terminal then on a plane with nothing to do?) are enough to shoot that one down, I can only hope.
None of this is meant to minimize this tragedy, which has had me crying for two days. But it just makes me mad that the media are running around like all these measures will stop it from happening again. They won't. That's what terrorism is about -- it's unpredictable and unstoppable without completely restricting everything. I don't particularly want to live like that.
posted on September 12, 2001 07:50:49 PM
Removing curbside wont do any good,
Just anger people, I agree, no purses or bags?
You might as well loose all female customers...You can check in the luggage 2 hours before take off and just simply not board,
We could find thousands of ways
How to do all of that, I'm just saying that security should be stronger,
I've been saying that for 8 years now,
But today after this terrible tragedy
More people might agree with me,
But half of the stuff they say on news that FAA is planing is not gonna help, you are right about that.
Knifes have been a problem for a very long time though, that is why I'm so
Surprised that they wont do something about them.
posted on September 12, 2001 10:38:32 PM
This is something that happened to me in 1987. I was working as a law enforcement officer for a very large university. I had made arrangements to travel to Florida during the spring break to visit a friend. I had made arrangements with a local friend who drives a taxi to pick me up from work, stop at my house so I could pick up my bags and head to the airport. The flight was at 4:30 in the afternoon.
I quickly got things finished up at work and changed out of my uniform and my friend picked me up. I ran in the house and grabbed my bags and out the door I went.
When I got to the airport I stopped at the ATM to grab some quick cash for the trip and headed for the security check-point. Airport foot traffic was pretty light and they did a once through in the x-ray with my carry-on bag and I was off to the gate with about 20 minutes to spare.
The flight had one stop in DC to pick up extra passengers. Somewhere after we left DC and we were well in the air my side was a bit uncomfortable. I shifted around but it still felt like something was digging me in the side. I reached around to my right and felt a lump and then felt under my jacket. At that point I was in shock. I hadn't realized that in my rushing around I had never taken my off-duty gun from the concealed pancake holster under my waistband. I was absolutely stunned.
As I sat quietly in my seat for the remainder of the flight it occured to me that I had heard the metal detector go off and I hadn't paid attention to it. Apparently the security people were also sleeping that day.
Now I was stuck in Florida with a gun I didn't intend to have there. I ended up buying a gun box and making arrangements with the airline to have it shipped on my flight back.
I guess that one was stupid times three! Me and the two security people at the detector/xray station.
posted on September 12, 2001 10:52:27 PM
What they should do is make the cockpit doors non-penetratable. Then accept the loss of lives in the event of a highjacking. Pilots are not to open the cockpit door no matter what. One can also issue firearms only to the pilots.
In the event of a highjacking, military jets can then be scramble right away.
There is no way you can prevent determined terrorists. All you can do is minimize the loss.
I think all these new precautions are not going to do stop anything. Any organizations with resources to field teams of highjackers and pilots can easily find ways to get around these measures.
not once did I see anyone