Tips on taking young children through the security checkpoint

by Scott Carmichael on

If you plan to fly with a young child this Summer, you may want to watch the video embedded above. It shows the ordeal of a three year old child who was selected for a secondary screening. As is often the case, the TSA shows how not to deal with a child who is obviously scared of what is being done to her.
The video mentions a couple of things you can do to make the experience more relaxing for them. Some of the things I would add are:

  • Be sure to empty their pockets – little kids often add coins and other metal objects to their pockets, so just like you go through your own pockets, do the same for your kid(s).
  • Tell your child that they’ll need to put their teddy, dolly or other comfort item in their bag, taking items like that through the checkpoint will only delay things. Be creative, and tell your child that their teddy needs a checkup. I suggest putting their item in your luggage well before you reach the checkpoint, that way they’ll have a couple of minutes to get used to the idea. Let them know that they can get it back as soon as you reach the other end of the checkpoint.
  • If you do run into a TSA agent that demands to subject your child to a secondary screening, try and make sure you explain to your child what the (bad) man or women is going to do, and if possible, turn it into a fun game.
  • If the TSA agent is clearly being too rough with your child, make some noise, demand a private screening and request a supervisor. Do not accept anyone at the checkpoint that is rough or rude to your child.
  • I would not recommend recording the screening with your mobile phone (like done in the video above) as it may only make matters worse. If something really bad is happening, the TSA supervisor will be able to review their own video material.

Good TSA news: fewer SSSS victims. Bad TSA news: more gate searches

by Scott Carmichael on

The TSA giveth, and the TSA taketh away. Never has that been more clear than with the way the agency deals with pulling people aside for a secondary search.

For years, some random and usually incorrect computer algorithm would pick victims for its “secondary security screening selectee” program. The dreaded “SSSS” on your boarding pass would mean someone at the checkpoint would yell out for a secondary search, and would pull you aside for a thorough screening.

Thing is, the whole scheme was broken, and scores of people would end up on a secret list of terror suspects, without any obvious way of being removed. Back in February, the new administration voted to fix the system, which should mean fewer people would be harassed at the checkpoint.

Of course, the whole thing also meant more of the agencies workers joined the “Thousands Standing Around”. So, in order to protect our airlines from potential terrorists, the agency is stepping up its gate screening activities.

Obviously not content with screening passengers once, you now run the risk of a random search at the gate, before you board your flight. A similar system was in place right after 9/11, but ended after a couple of years.

The new scheme does not make much sense, especially for passengers who walk from the checkpoint to the gate, only to be screened again. In their usual “scare people” response, the TSA reply is that this gate screening takes place because “security is our No. 1 priority”.

Some aviation consultants theorize that the increased screening is taking place because airline workers are not always screened, and may be able to pass weapons on to passengers. Of course, the logical solution would be to step up the screening efforts of airline workers, instead of harassing passengers. Especially when baggage handlers can steal computers and guns, and even TSA screeners are not always to be trusted, it would make more sense to screen everyone, and not just passengers.

Wacky finds from the New York customs lines

by Scott Carmichael on

Last week I wrote about some of the stuff US Customs officials found on passengers arriving at Dulles International airport.

Turns out that some of their finds are nothing compared to the insane stuff people try to sneak past the Customs officials at the various New York area airports.

The photo you see above is not of the newest South American peanut bar, but of 7 pounds of the purest Bogota Smack (Heroin). The bars were all packaged perfectly, down to the indentations found on the real candy.

Other finds include $1.2 Million in diamonds from a passenger who claimed he had nothing to declare (bad idea), $600,000 worth of Cocaine in cans of vegetables and even a family who tried to wheel a dead relative through customs to avoid paying the fee for transporting a body.

Of course, the poor agents also find their fair share of downright disgusting stuff, like a dead cat filled with drugs, a frozen monkey head and a suitcase filled with cockroaches.

It would appear that there is no shortage of stupidity at the checkpoint, and while I’m sure some people get lucky and manage to sneak that extra bottle of booze past the watching eyes of the US Customs officials, I’m not convinced I’d take the gamble with drugs or dead animal parts. The penalties involved with these kind of offenses are pretty severe.

Say cheese! Tulsa airport starts screening with full body scanners

by Scott Carmichael on

It was only a matter of time – the first airport in the nation has switched to full body scanners as a replacement for the usual metal detector at the checkpoint.

The scanners use electromagnetic waves to create an image of you – sans clothes. The image is viewed by a TSA agent in a nearby room, which should at least mean you don’t hear their chuckles as you pass through the scanner.

A TSA screener who operates the machine reported that the images “are not pornographic at all”, and that she merely sees them as “a thing that could have something on it”.

But make no mistake – the 3D images will show all your parts to the screener, right down to the size of your breasts and genitals.

The trial aims to determine whether the full body scanners can be a true replacement for metal detectors, and whether the use of the scanners increases, or decreases efficiency at the checkpoint.

During the first day of operation, only 2 out of 1039 passengers declined to use the scanner. Of course, this could simply be because the general public is not fully aware what these new machines are, and just what the images reveal.

Personally I don’t really care what they see, I’m in favor of anything that will help me get from one end of the checkpoint to the next as fast as possible. If this technology is what it takes, then I’m all for it.

After Tulsa, the next airports scheduled to receive the new scanning technology are San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque.

(Via: USA Today)

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Angry pilot drops his pants – asks checkpoint staff to “search this”

by Scott Carmichael on

Get this – a pilot for Swiss International Airways decided that enough was enough at the London City Airport security checkpoint.

Instead of complying with all staff instructions, he dropped his pants and underwear, completely exposing himself, and asked whether they wanted to “search this”.

I’m not sure what part of being asked to take off his belt and shoes prompted the outburst, but a source is on record saying nobody understood why the pilot lost his cool and that he might have been “having a bad day”.

His antics meant 37 passengers were delayed for 2 hours while government staff investigated the matter.

It could have been worse though, the incident happened at the staff-only checkpoint, so no passengers had to come face to face with the half naked pilot. Of course, if this happened in the US, they probably would have emptied the terminal for fear of a terrorist penis attack.

(Via: The Sun)

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