In all the talk about full airport security, TSA, full body scanners, and enhanced pat-downs, one element has been absent: the airlines’ role in all this. Today is national opt-out day and as of noon ET, doesn’t appear to...
Big Week Ahead on the Airport Security Front
Progress was made last week on the airport security front. Backlash over the TSA’s invasive full body scanners and pat-downs is rapidly escalating and a number of key news items suggest the public is finally starting to push back....
Why the TSA Violates the Fourth Amendment
Earlier today, Steven Frischling, author of the Flying with Fish blog over at Boarding Area, posted a piece entitled, How the TSA Legally Circumvents the Fourth Amendment. I am a big fan of Fish’s blog–he is a nuanced writer...
TSA Exempts Pilots from Intrusive Pat-Downs and Full Body Scanners
Hot off the press, The Transportation Security Administration agreed Friday to let uniformed airline pilots skip the body scans and aggressive pat-downs at the heart of a national uproar. The pilots must pass through a metal detector at airport checkpoints and present...
My Solution to the Full Body Scanner Dilemma: TSA Explosives Detection Canine Team
Whenever I discuss the TSA’s obtrusive screening procedures, I can usually get people to sympathize with my point of view or at least understand where I am coming from. The inevitable response, however, is “Yes, I see this as...
Picture of the Week #11: The Terrorists Have Won
I know, I know. The “terrorists” can dress up as nuns. Or children. Or seniors. But pictures like the one below just make me sad (even if it is a few years old). photo courtesy: Flicker user Morning in...
Full Body Scanning from the Eyes of the TSA
While Gary does a tremendous job summing up my thoughts on the matter while offering pithy commentary, I too want to review a Mom vs. The World blog post, which claims to offer insight on the full body scanner...
More Backlash Over TSA’s Body Scanners
More pilots and now a group of university scientists are protesting a TSA security directive that will soon make full body scanners the primary method of passenger screening at airports across the United States. If my constant haranguing about civil liberties...
Should the TSA Ban Wi-Fi and Cell Phones Onboard Airplanes?
Obviously, my answer is NO. But it’s not like the TSA takes my opinions to heart… Here’s the latest buzz: mobile phones and Wi-Fi may be used to blow up an airplane, so the TSA is considering banning them....
TSA to Ban Toner Cartridges Tomorrow
Security Directive 1554-10-05 is out: starting tomorrow, November 8, the TSA is expected to announce that airline passengers will be prohibited from flying with printer ink and toner cartridges, sized at 16oz (by volume) or larger. This ban will cover...
AA Pilots Revolt Against the TSA
Check out this letter from Captain Ed Bates, president of the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents 11,000 American Airlines pilots: Fellow Pilots, In response to increased threats to civil aviation around the world, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has...
TSA’s Mysterious New Pat-Down Policy
Even before news came about the plot to blow up US-bound cargo jets on Friday, the TSA had announced another security enhancement: a "new hand-sliding technique" when it comes to pat-down searches. The TSA is smart enough to know that Americans...
ExpressJet Pilot Faces Job Termination for Refusing to Walk Through TSA Nude-O-Scope
First, you’ve got to read Michael Roberts’ account of the incident. Roberts is a Houston-based ExpressJet pilot who recently refused to walk through the TSA’s Advanced Imaging Technology (a clever Orwellian term for machines colloquially known as Nude-O-Scopes) at...
TSA Misses 200,000 Volt Stun Gun in Woman’s Carry-On Bag
Another story to add to the "TSA competence" file. Earlier this month a woman named Jen (who fearing reprisals from the TSA, has refused to provide her last name [yet still proactively contacted a local television station…]) forgot to...
The Story Behind the Nine Passengers Thrown Off a United Flight Sunday Night
For two days, all we heard was that UA refused to transport nine passengers on a Sunday evening flight from Dulles to Tampa due to security concerns. Few details filtered out and we were left to speculate what really...
What NOT to wear when you are flying in first class!
Maybe the guy was just protesting intrusive TSA search protocols or lost a poker bet, but I have to question what motivates someone to wear this on a plane. Then again, I am they type of traveler who won’t...
United States Will Charge Tourists $14 to "Promote Tourism"
Sometimes, I wonder why members of Congress display so little common sense. Then I remember what it was like to work for them. In an astute move displaying superlative wisdom and unparalleled foresight, Congress has voted to levy a $14 tax on...
Feds Come Clean: Admit to Storing Body Image Scans
Last week on Upgrd 66 I voiced skepticism about TSA assurances that body scan images are immediately deleted and never stored. After all, if something was found on a passenger wouldn’t the image have to be stored to have...
Continental tests self-boarding at IAH
Tired of the grouchy attitude or bad breath of your gate agent? Well now there’s a solution if you’re flying through Houston! Self-boarding is being tested select Continental gates at IAH. Lufthansa has already offered self-boarding for years, as do...
TSA Antics at Washington Dulles
I returned home from Buenos Aires today and had to endure a torturous 45-minute wait in the immigration line today at Dulles. After my poor experiences in Montreal, I vowed to apply for Global Entry: only $100 for five...
