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

[Hovernut]

Blunt Object

What's the deal with the "blunt object" restriction. I'd never heard of this "hazard" until this morning and this thread. Is it simply an objective call, or is there a list of specific objects that are prohibited. I've never seen any guidelines on the checkpoint posters/warnings.

Reason I'm asking is because I just brought an old hand-crank telephone ringer generator down to Orlando from St. Louis in my carry-on. STL x-ray studied it for a while in the x-ray and then looked at it later and said "cool!" Boarded w/o incident. Next day in CVG, x-ray is dazzled again, does the visual bag search and calls for a supervisor. She comes over and says she won't allow it past because it could be used as a blunt weapon! The inconsistency is frustrating to me!! This thing is 10 lbs. and is just a series of horshoe magnets stacked side by side. I could do more damage swinging my carry-on around than with this thing!

I just wish everyone would get their stories straight. Is there a website that has decent guidance on what not to bring??

 

[dispatchguy]

I commute out of ORD, where the TSA just took over within the past couple of days.

A) So far so good. I was talking to an NAL employee yesterday and for the most part the passengers like the perceived professionalism of the TSA screeners. I will admit, like I have before, that its nice to see people who dont need to work on a green card doing screener work. I havent had to deal with them that much yet. You still have green-card types looking at your tickets or IDs, but not where it counts.

B) As for the screeners rummaging thru your wallet, I remove all of the following and throw it in my rollaboard (allow me to again plug the PNTCO rollaboard, gotta love all the external pockets)

My pen
My wallet
Wedding ring
belt
ID
any pocket change

No one has yet rummaged thru my wallet. The airline I work for thankfully doesnt do electronic listing for the jumpseat - we still use just the 3-part form, so no getting flagged for the last second strip search.

I do think that continuous screening is ridiculous. When I was leaving PHX a few days ago, I saw the screener wand a woman's naked feet, and for the life of me I couldnt figure out what the possible threat was - that her foot was removable, and that she had a 007-style gun in there?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I was watching her getting wanded (she was a little hottie) and her foot never made the wand beep, and neither did her birkenstocks.

I was passing thru a TSA airport not too long ago, and I had a $hitload of coins in one of the sidepockets in my rollabaord, that the screener couldnt see thru it, so they needed to check it out. Screener sees the image on the x-ray, sees my bag tag and asks if I'm crew - I tell him I'm a jumpseating dispatcher and that my license and airline ID is in the side pocket. He just hands me my bag and sends me on my way.

 

[Dep676]

What makes no sense at all is that "they the screeners" don't even think twice about the pen you have in your pocket. Do you know how many ways you can kill or injure a person with a simple ink pen? Yet they give a crew member crap about his required flash light. Meanwhile the middle eastern guy walks right through with his ink pen or pencil in his pocket.

Hey Fitz why don't you bring that up in your next meeting? Quit trying to make excuses for the TSA and just admit it's bunch of crap the way they pick people to screen. Instead of all the little old ladies and crew members go after the real terriost threats. Just because somebody has a oneway ticket makes them a suspect.

If anybody at the TSA had a half a brain they would know that's how crew members get back and forth to work, especially the guys at the frac's. Just because you buy a round trip ticket dosen't mean you intend to return. I don't know for sure but how many of the 9/11 highjackers had roundtrip tickets? Also how far in advance were they purchased?

As far as the idiots that ruined the guys logbooks and clothes on his way to an interview. They should be fired and have to pay him for new clothes and logbook. Then lets go over to there house and rummage through their stuff and ruin it. And we are paying these people with our tax dollars. Money well spent.

 

[skydash]

Screening

Mr. Fitzwell, Since you seem to be "on the inside",where can we go to find out what is or isn't "standard policy". I'd kinda like to know what my rights are(or aren't). Thank you

 

[RichardFitzwell]

What makes no sense at all is that "they the screeners" don't even think twice about the pen you have in your pocket. Do you know how many ways you can kill or injure a person with a simple ink pen? Yet they give a crew member crap about his required flash light. Meanwhile the middle eastern guy walks right through with his ink pen or pencil in his pocket.

Hey Fitz why don't you bring that up in your next meeting?

Come on man. Do you just want to argue or what? I was explaining the TSA screening process but your right. You could kill someone with a pen and pencil. Should we ban pens and pencils? How about your bare hands? People can kill other people with their bare hands. Should we ban peoples hands? Don't take it too far.

People with valid concerns can access TSA travel tips at...

[url]https://www.tsa.gov/trav_consumers/trav_consumers_index.shtm[/URL]

There you will find links to lists of prohibited and permitted items.

 

[Dep676]

No I am saying screen the people that need screened and not flight crews and little old grandma. Instead of wasting my money screening the flight crew trying to get home and see his/her family. Screen the real threats and if that means profiling to bad.

 

[RichardFitzwell]

Sorry that link didn't work. Try...www.tsa.gov

Then link to Travelers & Consumers in the upper left corner.


Dep676,

Like I said, you can't blame the screeners for NOT profiling. WE are not allowed to profile. I agree that would probably be more effective but IT IS NOT ALLOWED yet. I understand a 'legal' system of profiling is in the works but it is not currently being used. Until it is, WE as screeners are doing what WE can to make sure ALL prohibited items stay out of the sterile area.

Let me run a scenario by you to try to express my point. Lets say tomorrow we stop screening flight crew. Now a flight attendant decides he wants to protect himself by carrying a 12" blade strapped to his leg. Great!

Here's the problem. The next time he goes to the bathroom he finds can't sit down. He sets the knife on the back of the toilet in the men's room at the gate. Boarding is called and he runs out of the bathroom leaving the knife for the next passenger to find. Can you guess who will get blamed for the knife being in the sterile area? Answer = TSA.

I realize this might be an extreme example but it could happen. You can't please all the people all the time. Right now WE are trying to be more safe than sorry. Our jobs and future depend on it.

The fact that this is an inconvenience to you when you are jumpseating is simply tough sh!t! Being furloughed for me has also been an inconvenience. Live with it!

 

[Dep676]

R Fitzwell

Fitzwell,

Rationalizing. That what your posts sound like. You being a pilot and a supervisor should have some voice in profiling and hurry it up. Instead of profling flight crews and grandma. That's what it looks like right now. If the people that fit the profile don't like it move or don't fly.

I am not saying that flight crews shouldn't go through metal detectors. That is where the 12" blade would be found.

I have a flight crews tell me that they get picked at the first check piont and the gate. There should be a way to tell of a person has already been screened. Unless they don't trust the first screeners to do their jobs. Which we know how government workers do their jobs.

Explain how all these reporters got through checkpoints this weekend with knives and pepper spray? I have a feeling the screeners overlooked them because they weren't in uniforms or a 80 year old lady.

Now lets not say profiling isn't going on. Let's just start on the right people.

 

[1900laker]

Fitz,

Thanks for posting that link to the TSA. I read through the list and now see where the screener "interpreted" my maglight as a heavy tool, and thus should prohibit it.

But I also realized that instead of just bashing you on this website to speak up within the TSA with 1 voice, that website has an excellent way for us to send the TSA our thoughts.

So that is what we should be doing as flight crew with complaints.... go to the TSA website and send them e-mail from there. Perhaps after enough complaints, the managers will realize the big problems we are sometimes having. And be honest... It doesn't take any longer to complain by typing here than it would there. Just cut and paste....

What do you think guys/gals?

 

[katanabob]

Perhaps I missed an address to this point earlier, (and while it's not exactly related to screening of flight crews, it is quite pertinent to security in general) but who screens the screeners? Yes, this is another Catch-22 type element, but when the aforementioned screeners show up to work in the morning and are the first ones there, (in the cases of those airports which may not operate 24/7) how is there any guarantee that they won't become agents to smuggle items across the invisible line?
It seems to me that the reason for screening pilots is ridiculous, however, it would seem relatively easy to get hired as a screener and funnel things through. No?
-charlie