WHY IS THE TSA NOT CONSISTENT ACROSS AIRPORTS (VANITY)

VANITY | 01/03/2004 | IRISH_LAD

[irish_lad]

What is the story with the TSA? I flew from one airport and during the screening process they stated, "You don't need to remove your shoes." At another airport, they stated, "You must remove your shoes." I was wearing the same shoes in both cases.

About 10 months ago, I asked a TSA screener if I should remove my shoes. He said, and this is a direct quote, "Do you want to?" I responded that removing them was his call not mine.

What is the story with these guys. Seems like we need more training for consistency across the nation.

[CharlotteVRWC]

I don't know,,,but they always make my 76 year old frail Mom
remove her shoes.

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[hole_n_one]

I heard that the decision as to whether or not to have that degree of scrutiny given to any individual is dependant on whether or not the socks match.

[irish_lad]

Of course, she fits the profile of an Arab terrorist. Wasn't it Dennis Miller who said, "When 15 of the 19 9-11 hijackers were from one country [Saudi Arabia], and you notice that, that's not racial profiling, that's being minimally aware."

[_Jim]

A 'tactical' technique I'm sure - it allows a more varied 'pattern' that keeps those on the outside knowing *truly* what practice and procedure will be that day at that airport.

Either that or it's just plain, straight-away inconsisntrant enforcement of policy by on-site management.

Either way, the look from the 'outside' looking in would look be same - chaos or organized chaos.

[Restorer]

Believe it or not, variable enforcement actually makes it harder to plan how to beat the system.

[AQGeiger]

An airport screener at BWI tried to make my husband remove his combat boots when he was going through the screening process on the way to a flight home at the beginning of his mid-tour leave. Nothing happened to him when he refused to take them off, but I'm not sure he would have gotten away with it had he not been decked out in DCUs.

[Beck_isright]

"WHY IS THE TSA NOT CONSISTENT ACROSS AIRPORTS?"

Simple reason:

some are hired from the burger flipper duties here:


And some are hired from here:

[cyborg]

I refused to take off my boots by the metal detectors because I didn't have socks on. Oh well, you think they discovered me carrying plutonium or something. I simply said the chief I am barefoot and don't care if rifle through my things. I noticed it depended on what kind of shoes people were wearing too, whether it was flats or chunky heels, or something a sole.

[Gunrunner2]

I am a regular, frequent and weary traveler, domestic and international.

Removing shoes before passing through the metal detector is your option.

When it appears to the TSA screener I am about to pass through the detector with my shoes on they always, ALWAYS, ask if I want to take them off. I say, “no.”

They then ask why.

I tell them I don’t want to step in my sock feet where thousands of other stinking, sweaty, fungus-ridden feet had just stepped. I then step through and set the thing off.

I am then sent to the bad-boy line.

I then sit down. They ask for my shoes, which I give them. They then ask me to stand up. I say, “I want my shoes back first.”

This request startles them a bit, but about half just shrug their shoulders and run my shoes and then give them back to me and we proceed (with me in my shoes).

The other half of the time the screener tries to make an issue of it and I ask them if they would stand in their sock feel where thousands of other stinking, fungus-ridden feet have stood. I also ask if they would take a shower in a public gym and NOT wear some sort of flip-flops to protect their feet from fungus and such.

Usually they understand my point and don’t make any more of an issue.

Now, also, before I let them pat me down I ask them to change their rubber gloves. Why? Same reason they are wearing the darned things in the first place. All I want is the same level of sanitary protection they have. If they won’t pat down someone without wearing their gloves this tells me they are concerned about something. Okay then, I don’t want to have them pat me down and give me whatever they are worried about picking up.

Now, In the interest of full disclosure, I have a rather nasty and persistent foot fungus that will not go away and cracks the skin on my feet so that they bleed on occasion. Now, do YOU want to walk though shoeless after I did? No. Now, think about it, how many other people are not so courteous and give no thought to spreading whatever they have?

Final:

a) You have the right to refuse to take your shoes off before walking through the detector.
b) You have the right to wait until you get your shoes back before you stand up
c) You have the right to insist they change their gloves before patting you down.

Oh, if at any time you have a rude or otherwise unfriendly screener, ask for a supervisor. In my expereince they have always been attentive and polite and run-off the bad guy.

TSA screeners are generally drones and not the brightest, and some (a lot?) like to push whatever "power" they have, but don't put up with it. Don't the the terrorists win nor the screeners.

[Eala]

There may be some screening that requires a judgement call involved.

On a recent trip the couple in front of me, obviously infrequent flyers and befuddled by the procedures, were required to take their shoes off.

But when I walked up with "elite status" (frequent flyer) ID tag on the laptop bag -- and probably other frequent flyer indicators evident, I was merely asked if my shoes were "airport friendly."

[RedsHunter]

Just an observation as I went through LAX, JFK, Miami, and Atlanta early last month, travelling with my wife. I was wearing tennis shoes and she was wearing a type of harder hiking shoe. I was consistantly waived thru without removing my shoes, she was not. My conclusion: as a general rule, TSA doesn't ask people wearing tennis shoes to remove them; not so for other types of shoes.

My guess is that if they suspect that your shoe has a metal strap in the construction of the sole, they'll ask you to remove it before going thru the magnatometer.

[Fish_Keeper]

My observations are the same --- must remove and x-ray your shoes, except for tennis shoes. I've been hassled about some dumb things going through airport security too. I had a small (couple inch long) laser pointer on my keychain for a long time. The TSA in Seattle confiscated it - but not because laser pointers are prohibited (plus the battery was dead anyway). Their reasoning was that it was a chrome, elongated object that "simulates" a bullet and is therefore prohibited. Go figure. A couple years ago I was traveling during Hannukah and had my "compact" menorah in my carry-on. It is small with a heavy solid brass base, I guess it looked threatening to the screeners in Pittsburgh. They let me keep it when I explained it was one of those "Jewish candle holder things". Also, I noticed that different airports have different policies about showing ID at the gate prior to boarding. In Phila. this is required, but not in some other airports.

[Henrietta]

"The TSA in Seattle confiscated it - but not because laser pointers are prohibited (plus the battery was dead anyway). Their reasoning was that it was a chrome, elongated object that "simulates" a bullet and is therefore prohibited."

They can't just confiscate your stuff; they have to allow you the option of mailing it home (unless it's obviously a prohibited weapon like a knife or a gun.) I think that the drone just wanted your goody; I would've called over a supervisor over the b.s. "it looks like a bullet" line. What a crock!

[Karyn M. PhD]

When I flew out of Philly this past Christmas I was not required to show ID at security, "only at the gate," as the security person told me. They had some sort of gadget set up just outside the metal detector with a footprint on it. The screener told me to put my foot on the footprint and if the machine beeped, it would be "advisable" for me to remove my shoes and run them through the X-ray machine. My shoes made the machine beep, as did everyone else's that I saw. I've never seen or heard of anything like this before, and I was very surprised not to have to show ID before passing through security. Since I had a one-way ticket I expected a lot of extra scrutiny, as I've gotten every time post-9/11 that I've flown one way, but getting through was a breeze.

[Fish_Keeper]

I think you are right. The pointer was a cheapo, freebie thing I got at a tech conference so it was no big loss. If it was something of any value I would certainly have complained. It's astonishing that these guys are getting paid to pull this crap.

[Fish_Keeper]

I flew out of Phila a couple days after Christmas. Was asked to show ID three times: at checkin, going through security and at the gate. I didn't see the footprint metal detector thing but they wanted shoes other than tennis shoes "on the belt".

[cardinal4]

I understand the jokes about the old ladies and all but consider this; a terrorist gets wind of your upcoming buisness trip to SFO. They snatch one of your kids from her school and demand you smuggle contraband onto the flight if you want to see your child alive again. I pray to God that doesnt happen to anybody, but that is why no one is immune from searches at airports. Im an airline employee, and I get searched quite often. In SEA, just the other day, my wife and I got the full monty. I felt I should be immune from the scrutiny, becuase of my annual background check and and bi monthly drug tests. The TSA head at STL explained the blackmail angle. Just food for thought.

[Karyn M. PhD]

My experience has been that every time I fly there are different requirements to get through security. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's a big hassle. I'm just so glad they stopped the extra screenings at the gate because somehow, I always ended up being flagged. EVERY time.

Here's another story.... In mid-November my father had a massive cerebral aneurysm. My sister called me and told me to get to Providence as soon as possible. At the Atlanta airport I was lucky to get a very sensitive person at the ticket counter, and he got me my ticket quickly and left his post (despite the long, long line) to take me to the front of the line at security. I was literally in tears as all this was going on, and yet the security people let it be known that they were not happy and were not going to cut me any slack to get me through quickly so that I could make my flight. I didn't think they would even let me go ahead of other people but the ticket counter guy insisted. They had me take off my shoes and so on and I ended up running to the gate clutching my coat, wallet, ticket, and so on with my laces trailing behind me. I guess in light of this experience I was especially surprised that security at Philly was so easy.

Finally, if I may add another observation that is completely off-topic, I thought it was rather cruel how they handled the reduced fare thing for family emergencies. When I explained to the ticket counter guy what had happened, crying like a baby the whole time, he told me that in order to give me the reduced fare he needed my father's name, the hospital to which he had been admitted, and a contact number there so they could verify his condition. I vaguely remembered the name of the hospital and did not have a number for them. He was extremely apologetic but told me he had to charge full price unless I had that information right then and there. (I asked if I could call later and give the information and he said he had to have it then in order to put it into the computer.) To make a long story short, I told him I absolutely had to get on that flight no matter what the cost. It ended up being $800 for a one-way ticket from Atlanta to Providence, RI.

I know there are plenty of people out there who would take advantage of this reduced fare policy if given the chance, and thus the airlines are more or less forced into having these rules, but it seemed very cruel.

My father died two days later. His wife and my sister and I were present, and for that I am eternally grateful.