Are lengthy tarmac delays happening more often? It certainly feels that way, with several frustrating incidents having gone viral in recent times in which passengers were stuck on planes for hours before their flights were eventually canceled.
TSA Reiterates, Explains Checkpoint Rules
27.07.2023 - 18:54 / smartertravel.com
It’s been almost 15 years since Richard Reid, better known as the shoe bomber, failed in his attempt to bring down an American Airlines flight with an explosive hidden in his shoe. And yet here we are, all these years later, still shuffling through TSA checkpoints in our socks or bare feet. Why, you might ask, are we still forced to do this?
It’s simple: A pair of sneakers may look harmless, but still, you never know. That’s the message TSA spokesman Michael McCarthy delivered last week at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Referring to a normal-looking pair of sneakers, he said, “These look like everyday shoes, but they feel a little bit heavier. That’s because if you peel back the tongue there’s a mock explosive inside there and here’s the ignition.”
Related:Is the TSA’s Precheck Overpriced and Overcomplicated?McCarthy was holding a demonstration to show why the TSA does what it does, following years of frustration and critiques over its guidelines and screening procedures. Travelers are understandably weary of processes put in place following 9/11 that, fairly or not, have come to be seen by many as more security theater than actual security.
McCarthy contends this is not the case, saying his organization’s protocols are “based on real-life events that occur or when intelligence tells us we should look for those items.” As an example, McCarthy displayed a normal-looking laptop that had a mock explosive device hidden inside. He also showed how a soda can could be hollowed out to accommodate a small explosive device that, in turn, could ignite a larger and more destructive one.
This is all true, of course, and important to remember. No one can reasonably dispute the necessity of an agency like the TSA or the importance of vigilant airport security. Recent airport attacks in Brussels and Istanbul prove that airports and the airline industry are still prime targets for terrorists.
Perhaps, though, whatever negative feelings the public has about the TSA have more to do with the perception that it’s slow to evolve. Take shoes, for example: Perhaps travelers aren’t dismissive of shoe bombs as a genuine threat, but skeptical that there isn’t a better way to screen for them? Why, in 15 years, haven’t we figured out a better solution? Why do some countries let you keep them on? We know the TSA has been working on this issue for years—I reported on it way back in 2010!—and that the technology exists in some form. And yet here we are.
To make matters worse, most travelers probably have probably slipped something past the TSA on one or two occasions, perhaps deliberately. I can recall a streak of three or four consecutive flights a few years back where I brought non-compliant liquids onto planes. Couple that with
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Autors
Popular Topics
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:55
Is the TSA’s PreCheck Overpriced and Overcomplicated?
With no sign of relief in sight, the TSA’s inability to effectively and efficiently manage airport security screening promises to remain this summer’s biggest bad-news travel story.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:55
TSA Warns Travelers About Airport Wait Times
The TSA has been in the news lately, and not for a good reason. As you may have noticed, the security lines at most major U.S. airports are ridiculously long—so long that many people are actually missing flights despite arriving at the airport within the typical two-hour window.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:52
The New Rules of Travel Rewards Programs
For most of the 35 years since American Airlines’ AAdvantage program made its debut in 1981, U.S. travel-rewards programs have measured loyalty in miles. Fly 1,000 miles, earn 1,000 miles. Earn 25,000 miles and redeem them for a free domestic coach ticket.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:46
Automated TSA Lanes Debut in Chicago
Give thanks! Just in time for the busy holiday travel season, American and United have launched automated security screening lanes at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Two of American’s 18 lanes have been converted, and United has added three automated lanes of its own.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:42
Heads Roll, but No End in Sight to the TSA Mess
The long lines, missed flights, and traveler outrage have been front-page news for months. And there’s little prospect that the bottleneck at the TSA’s airport security checkpoints can be ameliorated in time to for the summer travel crush.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:41
Can Delta Save Us from the TSA?
Not to be outdone by American’s $4 million lifeline to the TSA, Delta has gone a step further and actually designed and implemented new security checkpoints at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:37
Coming to a Security Checkpoint Near You: Fingerprint Screening
What is likely to become the new era of airport security began this week at Atlanta and Denver airports, where the Transportation Security Administration is real-world testing a new way to confirm travelers’ identities.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:37
Long TSA Lines Are Gone, But for Good?
It was only a handful of months ago that we were posting headline after headline bemoaning the seemingly sudden onslaught of schedule-and soul-crushing lines at TSA security checkpoints. Back in May it seemed as if travelers might be in for a prolonged quagmire of unknown duration at the country’s airports.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:35
TSA Testing Potentially Time-Saving Changes
The TSA and American Airlines are about to launch a joint test of new, partially automated screening checkpoints at a handful of the airline’s hub airports.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:34
TSA’s PreCheck Coming to Spirit, Frontier
Flying ultra-low-cost airlines like Spirit and Frontier means a bare-bones experience in many ways, not all of them expected. While most customers know they’ll be shoehorned into no-legroom seats in exchange for rock-bottom ticket prices, they are often surprised to discover a less-publicized tradeoff: Neither Spirit nor Frontier participates in the TSA’s PreCheck program for trusted travelers.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:33
Congress OKs Funding to Ease TSA Wait Times
This year’s ongoing security difficulties (read: long TSA wait times) are about to get a multi-million dollar fix. Earlier this month, Congress approved $28 million in funds to convert 2,784 part-time officers to full-time, which will open an additional 53 security lines nationwide. The funds will also expedite the hiring of 600 new officers before the end of September.