Ahhh!!! I can't take it anymore/SECURITY

[flight-crew]

Maybe I'm one of the members on this board who gets more pi.ssed than others when dealing with security (minimum wage McDonalds workers right off the boat, on their own little power trip), but I finally had one of the worst days of my life yesterday dealing with security.

The story is way too long to go into on here, but between getting all the random security checks when jumpseating and all the other bs, I'm just completely disgusted at what flight crews have to go through just to WORK and do their jobs. I wish ALPA would just decide to shut everything down with a complete work stoppage until the Universal Access System was implemented where flight crews could bypass security and avoid being harassed. I guarantee you that if ALPA did that, shi.t would happen quickly. VERY QUICKLY. Actions speak a lot louder than words. I say screw all of this lobbying "nice guy" stuff. It's time to get down and dirty. I'd like to see how long the country would function without air travel. The TSA and FAA would get their heads out of their a.sses very fast and come up with a system faster than a speeding bullet.

But obviously what I'm describing isn't going to happen. So all the flight crews will just continue to get harassed and deal with all the bs. So what do most of you guys do to handle it? Any techniques that you've come up with?

 

[328dude]

Since the TSA is slowely taking over, I can guarentee they are making more then most regional FOs and some CAPT's. Sad aint it.

 

[skypine69]

flight-crew....
yeah i agree with you....! if you look at some of my past posts i have been advocating a nation wide walkout of all crews to get this fixed. I was watching the "random" screening the other day in Fresno and was simply amazed to see the screener running the had wand over a persons bare arms and legs! What the he!! are they going to hide in there??? I went thru the employee check point at the UAL terminal in SFO and was not in uniform. I was "selected" for additional hand wand screening (i guess they are always supposed to be screening someone). At an employee check point!!! Who are they trying to impress??? All the employees already know the security is worthless...why not spend the resources trying to impress the general public. They are the ones they need trick into thinking they are safe again!

i get so pi$$ed off just thinking about!

 

[chperplt]

I must be the lucky one.. I never have a problem anywhere.

 

[1900laker]

We feel your pain brother,

One of the new TSA (shimmering light, and voices from heaven here) security gate screeners at BWI was doing another computer generated selection screening of me while I was jumpseating to work the other day. Opened my Flight case and immediately said uh oh, we got a problem.

This was after he had already groped me down, made me unbuckle my belt and TROUSERS to inspect behind, flipped through my wallet piece by piece and COMMENTED ON THE LOW AMOUNT OF CASH I HAD ON ME AT THE TIME!!!

Anyways back to the flight case. He was commenting on my FAA required 2 D-cell battery flashlight. He said, "Oh you can't take this; it's considered a heavy tool or a blunt force weapon." I kindly tried to explain that I am required to have that item with me a part of my equipment. He stood firm as did I. I was the last person to be screened and now the flight was being delayed. The 4 or so SWA gate agents were standing their in amasement of this screener guy. After 2-3 minutes of discussing the situation, I suggested he talk to the captain of this flight and see what he thought. So the screener and a couple of agents went down to talk to the captain. They came back and the screener said,"Well, OK, as long as you realize this is violating my regulations by allowing this!" The gate agent says, "Yeah, the captain said to all of us that he has that same exact model of flashlight in his flight bag as well."

I had time to think about it more as I stewed over it on the 1.5 hour flight to STL, and this is what I have decided. I'm furloughed now, so doesn't matter, but after recall, the next screener I begin having any problems with, I am going to immediately ask for his/her supervisor to arrive on location. I will hold up the operation until that time. I may ultimately lodge an official complaint against the screener. While these people will be impossible to get fired now that they are federal employees, their possible promotions might be affected in this manner, and while their buddies get to step up to making 60 grand a year, these idiots will be stuck making 35 for their career.

I believe some sort of organized effort to picket security on a nation wide effort would definately gain the media's attention no less, and might just get us that national ID and separate screening we are so desperately seeking. Who knows. But I do know that the longer the current system remains as is, the harder it is going to be to change it.

 

[herb]

I jumpseated on UAL the other day. They always screen the jumpseater, even though you still can't sit in the cockpit. The security screener took every single credit card, license, etc out of my wallet and looked at it. I've had them look through my wallet...but never take everything out. Yeah, I was mad, but glad to get the jumpseat.

 

[1900laker]

Hey Chperplt, do you commute or jumpseat frequently?

 

[Cornelius]

I'm one of the lucky few that is based at an airport where I don't have to go through security, but I have jumpseated a lot and seen screening at its worst and best.

Speaking of going through wallets, I was jumpseating from La Guardia last week and a business man on the flight who was randomly screened had most of his money ripped off from him by one of those TSA guys. While you're getting wanded there were about 4 tsa guys going through luggage, wallets, jackets, or anything else at another table you couldn't see. The problem is you can't see what those sneaky bastards are up to. The victim was pissed and then he started getting everybody on the plane pissed off as well.

 

[chperplt]

1900laker,

Not as much as most I'm sure, but I commute LAX/LAS to the east coast and back quite a bit.

 

[TurboS7]

I fly out of BWI all the time and have found the TSA guys there to be more than nice. They talk and joke and seem to enjoy their job. Maybe they picked up your bad attitude, that will cause just you a heap of trouble, so change it.