Airport security and you

[Jetboy]

Any other flight crew members out there sick of the harassment we as professional airline pilots are recieving form these so-called "security" agents?

Anyone have any good stories to tell/advice to share?

 

[I'm Q]

I've sanitized myself so I do not beep going through the metal detector. Everything, including belt, goes in my coat or hat and is sent through the x-ray machine. I've found if you beep, you're going to be harassed and I don't have time for that.

 

[328dude]

Well in CVG, they always make me take my shoes off, so I went through one day without any socks on. Should have seen there faces.
Another is Evansville. They made me drink about half of my water bottle. Guess they wanted to make sure I wouldn't die in front of them. and to top it all off, they had a fit about a US pin I was wearing cause they said the backing was to long and could be used as a weapon. I'm like " What the *&$%." I said, "Lady, I can choke you with my tie, and leave you for dead under your fancy screening table you have here." Leave me alone you scaly dragon.

Owell, another day, another dime.

 

[mattjenna]

328dude, I think you meant Orwell not Owell. ;-)

 

[T-handle]

Once some old lady in Roanoke took my nail clippers saying they weren't approved, that these could hurt someone. WTF is an "approved" nail clipper???

I just about said "Well yea and I could also just nose dive the airplane myself."

 

[starchkr]

As far as approved nail clippers go, I have an extra set of safety clippers we use on our one year old... maybe those will do the trick for ya.

 

[Bluestreak]

How nice to see the security goons are keeping the skies safe from flight crews.After surrendering my tweezers in LGA,I felt like yelling "I STILL HAVE A CRASH AXE AND A FLARE GUN ! I DRIVE THE FREAKIN' BUS,MORON ! I DON'T NEED NO STEENKIN' TWEEZERS !",but thought better of it.The day I hafta remove my shoes will be the day I show up wearing flip-flops.I saw it in "Impressions Of Excellence",honest.

 

[Ravengirl]

this was a fun one...

Well, I'm far from a career pilot. But at 5 Wednesday morning I was stopped going through security at LAX because my belt buckle set off the metal detector. Bad scene, man...

I was frisked not once but twice. I got the magic metal detecting wand, and then I was asked to take off my belt. They inspected my pager and phone, searched my books for something (razor blades?), and then went through my wallet (do they have the right? I'm not sure). When they saw my pilot certificate I got this look from all three of them. (Yes, three security personnel were on me). Then they wanted to see my tickets and itinerary. Then they asked about my eyedrops and water bottle. I had to put my eyedrops in and drink some of the water. Meanwhile, my sister was on the other side of the checkpoint laughing, and there were 500 pissed off travelers behind me.

Don't feel bad, it happens to us little people too. *chuckles*

Ravengirl

 

[siedkick]

There is a movement to train and deputize us as federal law enforcement officers so that we may legally be armed at all times.

There are arguments on both sides of this issue, but one compelling reason that I can see for doing this is that it would finally put an end to the ongoing humiliation of being frisked everyday.

Another benefit is that it may lead to a speedier return of our jump seat privileges since we would no longer be mere pilots who should not be trusted with fingernail clippers or to sit in a cockpit jumpseat.

Of course, there are also some who think that being armed may actually serve as an additional defense of the cockpit in the event of another 9/11. Just a thought.

 

[TurboS7]

Bend over and watch the bad guys go by

You sure hit on a sore spot. I will try to keep this civil so I will keep the board out of trouble and the FBI from my door. Since we are all suspect I am sure that this board is reviewed for secret messages. So much for freedom of speech and all that good stuff.
Number one-the FAA needs to get out of the security business. While I am knocking them I will say best decesion that was historically made by the FAA was 9/11. Getting all the aircraft out of our airspace and on the ground saved a lot of lives and I must commend the FAA on the decesion, my hat goes off to them. The FAA is around to promote aviation, so how are they suppose to get aircraft in the air yet make sure they are secure-they can't. All this security stuff is simply to make the public feel more secure. If waiting in line for 2.0 hours to go through security makes a passenger feel secure, the passengers need a lesson on terrorism. You will not stop a professional terrorist. They think diffrent than all of us. They have an objective and to achieve that objective they have no time limit. Profiling is useless, in no time a terrorist will figure out what the profile is then change his mo. Who needs weapons???Now I am going to shut up at this point. I just came back from flying 3 months in Europe, in Europe the passengers are searched-all of them at the gate-the captain has the option of negating that search if things are running behind. All bags are checked via machine for explosives and they are matched to the passengers. I have no problem with that, I hope our system gets to that point.
The weakness is that ramp security is non-exsistant, and that is the weak link.
As for problems as a pilot, bang you hit the profile, male,31-45, any type of mideastern name, air carrier background etc.etc. So all I can say is bend over enjoy the frisking why you watch the bad guys walk by. It is just disgusting that as professionals you have to put up with all this. I was on USair the other day and stood up, the guys two rows back about had a heart attack. I went to the rear to use the restroom as I didn't want a riot on the airplane if I used the front lav. People are scared and that is ridiculous, I blame the media for terroistic coverage for that.(they have been a tool of the terrorist, and they don't even know it) The only nice thing about that if someone stands up in an aircraft and says,"I am a terrorist, I hope that even the "grandma's" will jump on him and start hitting him with their in- flight magazine. Reguardless we are going to have to put up with it for a time. At least until the next airplane, then they will be chasing businessman with brief cases that bought thier tickets 2 months in advance. The bad part is that as a paying customer I wouldn't go anywhere near an airport for business or vacation-and that should concern all of us.Please forgive any misspelled words I miss my spell check.....