Althouse: "This is going to be a rough summer. There is no doubt about it. This is why we are talking about people getting to the airport a little earlier than planned."

May 2, 2016

"This is going to be a rough summer. There is no doubt about it. This is why we are talking about people getting to the airport a little earlier than planned."

Or how about a little later? Like... never.

(Quote in the post title is from Gary Rasicot, "recently appointed to a newly created position as the T.S.A.’s chief of operations," from a NYT article titled "Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security.")

72 comments:

Bill R said...: There are almost 3 million Federal employees.

If there is a shortage of airport security people, let's reassign a couple of hundred thousand rather than waste hours and hours of my time.

Besides, they'll do less harm at the airport.; 5/2/16, 11:46 AM
Owen said...: "…let's reassign…" I imagine they will round up the Parks and Forestry people first, so as to maximally frustrate everyone? Not only do you take days longer to reach your vacation spot, you find it closed due to staffing shortages.; 5/2/16, 11:52 AM
Original Mike said...: "Or how about a little later? Like... never."

I've been flying international business class lately. One of the perks is that some of the large airports have express security lines for business class passengers. Makes a big difference.

Another perk is the lounge. I allow lots of time between flights (I booked a 12 hour layover in Dallas last month) to allow for slow lines and diverted flights. Parking yourself in a lounge with reading material and free food and drinks ain't so bad, and it really reduces the time related pressure associated with flying.; 5/2/16, 11:55 AM
Curious George said...: Wow, finally a government agency that isn't efficient. I knew eventually one would turn up.; 5/2/16, 11:57 AM
buwaya said...: The EPA and DOE personnel would do to start.
Relieve airport congestion AND improve GDP growth by 1-2%.; 5/2/16, 11:59 AM
John Henry said...: I've been flying international business class lately. One of the perks is that some of the large airports have express security lines for business class passengers. Makes a big difference.

Not just business class, Mike. I can't get my clients to pay for business class and am too cheap to pay for myself. I do confine all my flying to American Airlines. 25,000 miles/year or more gets you Gold AAdvantage status. That gets you in the express check-in counter as well as the express TSA line.

Also other perks such as free baggage, free preferred seating and cheap upgrades to business/1st class when available.

I imagine other airlines are similar but don't know.

Agree 100% about the clubs. I've been Admiral's Club for about 10 years now. About $450/yr and worth every penny. Though now that they have closed in my home airport, I am going to be rethinking renewal. Looking into Amex Platinum.

John Henry; 5/2/16, 12:05 PM
John Henry said...: Another trick I found to get through the line faster:

In March I had to fly with a screwed up knee. I had a cane and was hobbling around the best I could. At check-in they asked if I wanted assistance. I said yes, they got me a wheelchair and we breezed right through.

John Henry; 5/2/16, 12:07 PM
rehajm said...: Invest $100 and some interview time in Global Entry/TSA PreCheck. If you travel it's really an upgrade to a better life.; 5/2/16, 12:10 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: This is why we are talking about people getting to the airport a little earlier than planned.

So are we supposed to just hope that we get to the airport a little earlier? Maybe keep our fingers crossed? We certainly couldn't choose to leave home earlier, as that would only change when we planned to arrive. Doing so would never get us there earlier than we planned.; 5/2/16, 12:17 PM
Jaq said...: I don't like to fly anymore. I have used up a couple of passports full of entry chops, my current one is all but empty. I am happy driving these days. I once waited in a line at Heathrow that was at least a half a mile long. It went from one end of the terminal to the other then doubled all the way back with some snake moves in between. Then I got questioned by security as I began to board at the gate. Seriously, who needs it? I love Vermont in the summer and don't really think there are many places better, as far as my wants and needs go. Here I will stay.; 5/2/16, 12:18 PM
david7134 said...: How about this, we get rid of the TSA and start profiling Muslims? Now someone, really bright, will say, but who are the Muslims?. Well, if we don't know the identity of all the Muslims in the US by now, then we don't have any security at all. In WWII, with the limited tech ability that they had, they knew the identity of most, if not all, Germans, Italians and Japanese. Also, note that Muslims are the only group of people that find it great to kill innocent people for no reason, or the further there warped religion (actually a cult). The fact that the US finds it necessary to hassle all citizens is repugnant and does not make sense. As I remember, we have the Constitution and this type of behavior is supposed to be against the law, but I realize that some judges thought different. We need the government out of our lives.; 5/2/16, 12:37 PM
david7134 said...: John Henry,
Why do you fly American Airlines? You do realize that you can get S&M services in most cities for far less than charged by American? Plus, you don't have to wait as long. I have yet to book an American flight that actually took off on time or was not canceled at the last minute due to any number of reasons, usually weather despite the fact that at the time no weather was active on the continent.; 5/2/16, 12:40 PM
Michael said...: New system in the works. Bomb-proof chamber that sets off any bombs on your person. Faster lines. Occasional open seats.

I have Global Entry and am PreCheck on most domestic airlines. The precheck is not as good as it once was since Delta is now letting occasional fliers apply. Astonishing to be in the precheck line and see people completely baffled by the process.

I get to airports early and sit in the airline clubs and work. Middle of the day airports are less crowded. Ditto late in the evening. Early morning is to be avoided if possible. Go the night before to save extreme hassle.

They make these announcements every year. Always have, even before TSA and the kabuki.; 5/2/16, 12:51 PM
robother said...: As long as we're talking about unreported victories over al Qaeda, why not discuss the status of air travel 15 yeas after 9-11? Billions of dollars of direct costs on flying for TSA kabuki security. Hundreds of billions indirect cost in the form of lost productivity. All to prevent future attacks that were effectively prevented by the courage of the passengers on Flight 93 and locking doors to every cockpit.

Sure looks like a victory for al Qaeda to me.; 5/2/16, 12:52 PM
madAsHell said...: I had to look up the trave tag, although spell checker does not recognize the word. By definition, trave is a crossbeam, or a bay formed by crossbeams. Is trave really the word you want?? Perhaps, travesty?; 5/2/16, 12:54 PM
Titus said...: I have to fly today to DC. Go there once a month and absolutely hate flying. I am on the ground in the plane longer in Boston and DC than the plan is actually in the air.

I do like going to new cities though-sometimes, if close, because I am a new grinder girl in the hood.

I am staying in the New NOMA hood in DC. The hood used to be a shithole and now it all these new fancy condos, restaurants, hotels, clubs, etc.; 5/2/16, 12:58 PM
Michael K said...: I fly Southwest when I fly anymore and have been quite happy with them. When we went to England last fall, it was not bad either way. Of course, we stay away from holidays and try to avoid Monday and Friday. I was an American Gold member for a while and had an Amex Platinum for 35 years but got mad at them last year for poor service on a fraud complaint and cancelled. I get solicited by Amex once a week now.

I quit flying American after a couple of bad experiences. We're going to Alaska this year and will probably fly Alaska A.

TSA is still "Thousands Standing Around."; 5/2/16, 1:00 PM
jaydub said...: European airport security is more thorough but more efficient than the US/TSA version, and there is none of this talk of extended lines over here, even for next August. Many airports/airlines have lounges that will take Amex Platinum, and even on Ryan Air and similar discount airlines you can get early boarding and better seating if you take the slightly higer priced all-inclusive fare. For trips between the US and Europe, you can also get early boarding and premium leg room on most airlines for an extra $100 or so per ticket, each way, and you can precheck on the airline site. I never used to fly anything other than business class internationally, but don't see the point anymore. On an 8 - 9 hour transatlantic flight, you pay about $200/hr more to sit up front. Ain't worth it to me now that I'm retired, but I guess it was when a client was paying for it.; 5/2/16, 1:04 PM
Anonymous said...: We at Security Theater want to thank our public for making our production of 'Waiting for Godot' a success. Watch for Security Theater's new production, 'Long Day's Journey Into Night'!; 5/2/16, 1:04 PM
Coconuss Network said...: I think international travel is more fun. The last travel, I got to the airport 7 hours early. That's car rental check in, shuttle bus to the airport, and lunch and then a 4 hour wait to check my suitcase. It's a lot of downtime, but I met a lady and we talked for 2 hours and you could read a book, get a coffee, it's so comfy. And then I was first in line for baggage check-in and following, at 4:30 pm sailed right through security, maybe 15 minutes. And got to the most awesome terminal with shopping, cafe bars, newspaper stores, book stores, and restaurants. Phone worked too. So it was another approximately 3 hours wait at the terminal for the international flight, but in a comfy chair with coffee/internet and fun people watching, and not in a trailblazer line for TSA Security. I highly recommend arriving well ahead, more than 3 hours. Especially at summer. Kids too were around at the terminal way early and they were entertained.; 5/2/16, 1:11 PM
tim maguire said...: NEXUS. A pain to set up, but I hardly break stride going from the terminal door to my gate. Long lines at security? I can hardly stifle a chuckle as I walk on by. Have to take off your belt and shoes? I don't.; 5/2/16, 1:20 PM
Big Mike said...: @Curious George, you win the thread!; 5/2/16, 1:21 PM
tim maguire said...: rehajm said...
Invest $100 and some interview time in Global Entry/TSA PreCheck. If you travel it's really an upgrade to a better life.

That's the one. Good for 5 years and worth every penny.; 5/2/16, 1:23 PM
Nonapod said...: Why anybody flies anywhere these days, unless there's absolutely no other choice, is beyond me.; 5/2/16, 1:39 PM
narciso said...: the part about security theatre, that is unsettling is the enemy doesn't believe in it, as we found out this spring,; 5/2/16, 1:41 PM
John Henry said...: David,

What are S&M services? I know one meaning but not connected to travel.

As for American, I've flown almost 800,000 miles on them in the past 30 years and have had generally good experience as far as on-time. Only had a couple flights cancelled and both because of hurricane/hurricane threat in SJ.

Only ever had one flight "cancelled" for equipment that I can recall and even that was was only technically delayed overnight. Because it was delayed they put me up in a Holiday in and fed me.

Another reason is that AA has lots of flights out of SJ and I can usually get within driving distance of where I am going in a direct flight.

I did fly several trips on Jet Blue last year and found the planes comfortable and on-time. Although on-time with Jet Blue is often some fairly odd hours. 3AM departures anyone? Nice if you have a morning meeting in NY. Not so great otherwise.

John Henry; 5/2/16, 1:45 PM
Birches said...: Flying with five children next month. Start praying for me now.; 5/2/16, 1:50 PM
whitney said...: I'm with you. I hope to never see the inside of another airport for the rest of my life. I've seen the pyramids and angor wat and I even been to Antarctica. I'm done. The tedium of travel to get someplace where 1000 other people are on the same "spiritual journey" is overwhelming. I've never seen Machu Picchu or even been to S. America and I'm okay with never seeing either before I die. I live in the southern US. I'm surrounded by beauty but if I want a change of scenery I can drive 4 hours and get it. I'm very content with this decision.; 5/2/16, 1:52 PM
damikesc said...: And people thought letting the GOVERNMENT handle airport security was better than airports doing so...why?

The airports and airlines, bare minimum, have a financial desire to not see planes blow up but also not to utterly inconvenience passengers.

You couldn't pay me enough to fly.; 5/2/16, 1:54 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Owen said I imagine they will round up the Parks and Forestry people first, so as to maximally frustrate everyone? Not only do you take days longer to reach your vacation spot, you find it closed due to staffing shortages.

This comment makes zero sense. My travel time to go to a National Park or visit a forest is not affected by how many government employees are working at the park.

Maybe some of the developed amenities at the National Park or Forest might be unavailable. So what? Is the lack of a snack bar going to keep me from looking at the mountains, walking along a stream, camping. I don't need a government employee to help me look at the birds or scenery. You might be able to close some of the developed areas of a National Forest. You can't close the forest. It is impossible.

We just got back from several days of camping. Didn't need any help or government employee to hold our hands.; 5/2/16, 1:57 PM
Hagar said...: Robother is right.; 5/2/16, 1:59 PM
Michael K said...: "And people thought letting the GOVERNMENT handle airport security was better than airports doing so...why?

The Democrats wanted all the government union members. They were the ones that insisted on the TSA,; 5/2/16, 2:27 PM
Michael K said...: I don't need a government employee to help me look at the birds or scenery. You might be able to close some of the developed areas of a National Forest. You can't close the forest. It is impossible.

Don't you recall how they barricaded the parks' parking lots in the shutdown ?; 5/2/16, 2:28 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Don't you recall how they barricaded the parks' parking lots in the shutdown ?

Yes I do. It was a chickenshit move to annoy people.

However. You think that those are the only roads or the only ways to get into the park or the forest? :-); 5/2/16, 2:38 PM
Michael K said...: "You think that those are the only roads or the only ways to get into the park or the forest? :-)"

It depends on the park. I know plenty of parks that have only one way in unless you are a backpacker.; 5/2/16, 3:13 PM
Dan Hossley said...: It's going to be a rough summer because after 6 years, they're still not very good at what they do.; 5/2/16, 3:19 PM
Anthony said...: TSA Screening = Kabuki Theater.; 5/2/16, 3:23 PM
Alexander said...: Keeping the peasants from flying by making it uncomfortable is as much a feature of our elite as endlessly delighting in what it will take to make them stop eating beef and start eating bugs.

Don't expect them to change it when it makes sense... especially when it makes sense.; 5/2/16, 3:35 PM
Wilbur said...: Wilbur only flies to visit friends or relatives who can't be seen otherwise. Tourism flying is out of the question - I can see pictures.

I will not fly if I cannot get an exit-aisle or bulkhead seat. My legs simply do not fit in the space allotted for a regular coach seat. The extra expense is not only worth it, it's a necessity.; 5/2/16, 3:49 PM
Hunter McDaniel said...: About 60M passengers fly in the US each month. If each passenger has to spend an hour on this security theater, that is 60M hours wasted.

An average life is about 500K waking hours (16 per day * 365 per year * 80 years). So in effect the TSA is killing 120 people every month.; 5/2/16, 4:31 PM
Sydney said...: I prefer to drive. I have no overwhelming desire to travel to any particular destination. I live vicariously through my children who are now old enough to go on vacations I could never afford. They send nice photos. I'm satisfied with that.; 5/2/16, 4:36 PM
The Godfather said...: Am I correct that TSA screening hasn't caught a single would-be terrorist? If so, does that mean that we've solved the terrorism problem?; 5/2/16, 4:43 PM
David said...: So they didn't have anyone in charge of operations before?

Veterans Administration
Postal Service*
Amtrak*
Flight Controllers
Highway Maintenance
DEA
Health and Human Services
Secret Service
Homeland Security

And other stuff the govt can't do right.

*"Private" but subsidized and strangled by government.; 5/2/16, 4:49 PM
David said...: "European airport security is more thorough but more efficient than the US/TSA version, and there is none of this talk of extended lines over here, even for next August."

Not in August except at the beginning or end because they are all on vacation in the middle.

Paris De Gaulle was a nightmare last fall BEFORE the terrorist attacks. My wife was back there last month and it was worse.

WSJ had an article last week on the difference between Canadian Air Traffic Control and American. Canada privatized. USA still resists that and is far behind what Canada can do.

Stupid stupid stupid.; 5/2/16, 4:54 PM
Big Mike said...: @John Henry, I used to fly American but after a while I realized that if I was on a trip with four segments there would be one of those segments where the plane was late. Inevitably. And there was a 50-50 chance that it would be the first segment of the trip out or the trip back, meaning that I'd miss a connection. Then the corporation I worked for made United our preferred carrier, and I only had one missed connection and one cancelled flight in the fifteen years since then. The cancelled flight gave American a chance to shine, because it was a flight out of Dallas-Ft. Worth. But they blew it -- my American flight was not merely delayed but super-delayed, getting in at 2:00 AM (5 hours after the scheduled arrival).

You can keep American Airlines, thank you very much.; 5/2/16, 4:58 PM
Big Mike said...: @David, you left out EPA, which through negligence and utter stupidity polluted the Animas River with heavy metals.; 5/2/16, 5:00 PM
Sammy Finkelman said...: Bill R said...5/2/16, 11:46 AM

There are almost 3 million Federal employees.

If there is a shortage of airport security people, let's reassign a couple of hundred thousand rather than waste hours and hours of my time.

They can't do that. A president has only a limited ability to move people around. And then maybe there's the union. THE FAA couldn't even move air traffic controllers from little used airports to busier ones.; 5/2/16, 5:16 PM
Milwaukee said...: Real easy. I just need a business backer to sell "Burqa minute gowns". Between parking and check-in, buy a full burka made from the material used in protective hospital gowns for employees. Hospital protective gowns hang in boxes on the doors of some patient rooms. Nurses put them on to go in, take them off and throw them away on exit. Well, make black burqas from the same material. Once through the check-in line, and before security, put on the top-of-head to shoe burqa. One that totally covers the face, and with gloves. Nobody questions anyone, male or female, fully covered in a burqa. Once through security, doff the burqa and be on your way. Word of warning. Might want to step into a restroom to put it on, and be out of sight of security to take it off. They are totally humorous.

The Iranian Woman's Soccer team was nailed a while back for having men pose as women playing on the women's team. Same thing. No biggie.; 5/2/16, 5:25 PM
Sammy Finkelman said...: robother said...

All to prevent future attacks that were effectively prevented by the courage of the passengers on Flight 93 and locking doors to every cockpit.

They could harm people aboard the airplane, but not crash the airplane. But if they wanted to harm aierline passengers, that could be done before boarding too, as was done Tuesday, March 22, in Brussels, Belgium.

They're aso checking for bombs. The usual precaustion is making sure nobody puts luggage aboard the plane and then doesn't board, although there is the rarare possibility of a suicide bomber. And they've got this almost ridiculous worry about somebody putting together abomb aboard the plane. Outside of the hands of a real expert, this wouldn't work. I am not even sure any bomb that could do ore than minor damage can even be theoretically made from the small liquid containers.

Maybe you could offer the option of faster check-ins with less security.
Sure looks like a victory for al Qaeda to me.; 5/2/16, 5:29 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "You do realize that you can get S&M services in most cities for far less than charged by American"

Yeah, you pay any hooker less to squeeze your balls hard looking for a hidden boxcutter or illicit bottle of water.; 5/2/16, 5:30 PM
Sammy Finkelman said...: The Godfather said...5/2/16, 4:43 PM

Am I correct that TSA screening hasn't caught a single would-be terrorist? If so, does that mean that we've solved the terrorism problem?

Yes, just like we solved the hijacking problem for about 30 years. It wasn't so much security, as it was deterrence.; 5/2/16, 5:30 PM
Marty Keller said...: The comment in the article about TSA's alleged budget problems is a head-scratcher. Under federal law TSA gets to charge $5.60 per one-way trip on each and every ticket sold for US travel. Last year Americans logged 2.155 billion one way trips, so TSA's haul was over $120 million. If travel is increasing, then so too should TSA's pool of money--yet their ranks are dropping because of budget "issues"? What am I missing?; 5/2/16, 5:45 PM
sinz52 said...: I have a couple of suggestions:

1. The Government should issue travel clearances, similar to security clearances.

To get a travel clearance, you would need to undergo a thorough background check, maybe even a psychiatric interview, just like applying for a top-secret clearance. If you pass, then from then on, you can get right through security without waiting on line anymore.

2. Ocean liners should make a comeback.

If I had to travel to Europe on vacation, I would much rather travel on the Queen Mary 2, with its staterooms, movie theater, live theater, luxury restaurants, library, even a planetarium, than jammed into seats cheek by jowl on an airplane. Getting there is more than half the fun.; 5/2/16, 6:09 PM
sinz52 said...: damikesc: "And people thought letting the GOVERNMENT handle airport security was better than airports doing so...why?"

Because private security companies did such a rotten job before.

Argenbreit Security had the contract for Boston's Logan Airport, which is where two of the hijacked jetliners on 9-11 originated.

On top of which, their guards were crooks. Hidden cameras showed that the Argenbreit guards were making off with passenger valuables.; 5/2/16, 6:11 PM
Michael K said...: "Paris De Gaulle was a nightmare last fall BEFORE the terrorist attacks. My wife was back there last month and it was worse."

DeGaulle is always busy as hell but the security wasn't too bad. I was at Heathrow last September and it was not bad. A bit off peak season helps.

What was really tight was my return through Heathrow the week after Lockerbie. I was on Pan Am and the security was amazing. We did survive, though

American was late quite a few times when I flew them. The last straw was arriving five minutes after the cutoff for checkin a few years ago. It was still 45 minutes before the flight was scheduled to board but not only would they not check me in but they would not even reschedule me to a later flight.

I went home and booked Southwest. I didn't even ask for a refund for my American ticket. A friend is an American captain but I have never told him about it.

Expedia put me on an American flight back from London last fall but that was them and not me.; 5/2/16, 6:16 PM
Michael K said...: "two of the hijacked jetliners on 9-11 originated."

The hijackers boarded at Maine to avoid security. The checkin guy at Portland saw Atta and thought he was a scary guy but Islamophobia had everybody cowed. When he saw the planes go into the WTC he was sure it was Atta and it was.

Tuohey said he will never forget the anger in the eyes of Mohamed Atta after he refused to give boarding passes to him and accomplice Abdulaziz Alomari for their connecting flight in Boston, which they crashed into the World Trade Center hours later on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

Five years later, the reason Atta and Alomari drove to Portland rather than begin their deadly journey at Logan International Airport remains a mystery.; 5/2/16, 6:20 PM
narciso said...: the tsa is the squirrel that ignores this reality,

http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a99tworadicalised#a99tworadicalised; 5/2/16, 7:11 PM
BN said...: When i was in high school we used to get fucked up and roam the airport late at night.

Youth fleets. And then it's gone in an instant.; 5/2/16, 8:47 PM
Birkel said...: Bill R @ the. Very first comment:

Obama has added 900,000 federal workers. There are now 4.2 million federal employees.

Leviathan is self-aware and it hates you.; 5/2/16, 9:01 PM
Anonymous said...: Maybe TSA's budget wouldn't be so bad if they didn't waste inordinate amounts of time groping every other passenger in a pat down who has already walked through the expensive machine that supposedly is supposed to catch most of the problems. And hey, they could replace the worker whose only job seems to be belting a loud monotone spiel about the shoes and bins with a recording to save another few positions at every airport.

Or maybe we could outsource security to the NFL. They seem to manage to screen tens of thousands of people rather efficiently into sardine-packed venues without being anywhere near as crazy or elaborate as TSA.; 5/2/16, 9:01 PM
jeff said...: Best thing about retirement is not having to fly anymore. Youngins will never know what a pleasure flying was in the 70's & 80's. Now there's literally nowhere I want to go if I have to fly comercial.; 5/2/16, 9:17 PM
Alex said...: Every time I fly my blood pressure is 250 over 200.; 5/2/16, 10:01 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Never have liked American. If you aren't a frequent flyer, you get treated like cattle, on hard, small seats. Never have lived in or routinely flown to one of their hubs, so never became a frequent flyer. Was so with United, flying to Denver every other weekend for a decade and a half. But, if you are in the west, they would get late on their first flight of the day into or out of SFO, and stay late all day. Then I flew Southwest. First trip was from Austin to Dallas and back. Plane was 20 minutes late arriving in Dallas, and on time by the time we got to Austin. Half of the time made up was on the ground, the rest in the air. I don't know where - the trip is so short. But they did it. Firm I was in in NV required that we fly SW because of no change fees, and it was a straight shot to most of our offices. So, I would think nothing of a client asking on Wed for a meeting in Vegas Thurs. would pop up there on SW, runner would meet me at the airport, 2 miles to the office, reverse it, and I woul be back at my desk by mid afternoon. Last couple years, I was doing better than 100 segments a year (including the trips to Denver). They still don't charge for your first two bags, and are still on time, but I no longer fly enough to be an early border and too many people now pay for their early bird boarding passes. So, last week, got the last guy to board in our middle seat. Short, and extremely stocky, having to put up the arm rests. Which is why I get isle seats any more.

Have been TSA Pre-check since they started the program, and reasonably happy, as long as I am traveling alone. But my partner is not, and her passport in in MT. Which means that more often than not, I am stuck in the slow line with her. Rubbing in the salt - walked right by the TSA PRE-check signup kiosk in PHX last week, and couldn't stop because she didn't have her passport.

TSA was a boondoggle from day 1. Apparently, the Republicans traded something they needed legislativelyts (PATRIOT Act?) for a new agency filled with low skilled union employees, who all have a big incentive to vote Democratic. But, they didn't really start the absurd theater. I remember flying out of SLC every other week back to Denver right after 9/11, and they had National Guard all over the place with their M-16s, but without magazines or radios. I guess they were trained to club future hijackers with their rifle but, but clearly couldn't shoot them, and had to depend on the occasional armed cop with a radio to find out that something was happening.; 5/2/16, 11:16 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: American took pleasure in denying me a flight back Midwest from West.

They took pleasure in it, though I always assumed unschaedenfreudian in the sense these agents didn't show dignity or decency when laughing at my intoxicating reasoning: shit.

My buddy made the flight. We had been at the airport for two hours. I thought I had time. It was three minutes. No PA announcement, nor concern.

Frontier is best out of DIA. A concourse skips other security and usually isn't slow.

Cheap beer for DIA too.; 5/3/16, 1:41 AM
BudBrown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/3/16, 2:04 AM
Jaq said...: Funny how when Obama did it with National Parks it was a clever move, and when Christie did it with the George Washington Bridge, it was an impeachable offense.; 5/3/16, 6:27 AM
Brando said...: Flying has gotten progressively worse. The security theater (would be nice to see a candidate promise to get rid of that), the regular to the point of expected delays, the increasingly limited seating space, the inconsiderate passengers who fly with loud kids or invade your personal space (or take up too much room in the overheads). But the fault is ours--we're the ones who shop by price, elect the morons who still think you can hijack a plane with a normal sized tube of toothpaste (but not a smaller one!) or a nail file, and we treat each other like crap while in confined spaces. This is what we did to air travel.

Avoid it as much as possible.; 5/3/16, 6:45 AM
MadisonMan said...: I've been flying a lot for work lately. I'm on a trip now, watching the sun rise in a different city. TSA doesn't bother me too much, 'cause it's not too bad in Madison. I get TSA Pre-check a lot, but that's really inconvenient at the Madison airport, so I usually go through the regular line, rarely more than 10 people in it.

TSA, yes, is a waste of time and money. It's essentially an employment service. Gotta keep employment numbers up somehow. Why not tax the rich with their plane tickets to fund it. (Yes, that was sarcasm).; 5/3/16, 7:19 AM
kjbe said...: It's essentially an employment service.

It's also theatre.; 5/3/16, 9:15 AM
mikee said...: I don't think the TSA has ever once considered how rough the summer will be, should a terrorist, or just a plain old crazy person, chuck one hand grenade or a single Molotov cocktail or one Glock magazine of bullets into the crowded, nonsecure airport lobby where people wait to pass the damn faux security screenings.; 5/3/16, 11:28 AM
Brando said...: "I don't think the TSA has ever once considered how rough the summer will be, should a terrorist, or just a plain old crazy person, chuck one hand grenade or a single Molotov cocktail or one Glock magazine of bullets into the crowded, nonsecure airport lobby where people wait to pass the damn faux security screenings."

That's because they're always fighting the last war. Hijacked planes with boxcutters? Now we must prevent boxcutters from getting on the plane so that exact scenario (which could never happen again, now that passengers believe a hijacking would mean a suicide crash) doesn't happen. Guy puts explosives in his shoes? Make people take shoes off. No one has bombed a crowded airport terminal yet, so they don't have to think about that. No one has attacked a train either, even though Amtrak trains carry more people than airliners and can clog the whole system if they go off in a tunnel.

But don't worry, if something like that happens they'll react then, and fail to anticipate the vulnerabilities they create with the next precaution.; 5/3/16, 11:40 AM
JamesB.BKK said...: It's not about security. This is a go-slow as part of a concerted effort to put us off transport by making it too costly, in order to, of course, create surrender so that they may save the planet and also by the way tax the elemental basis of all life, carbon. The attacks and serial shakedowns on auto manufacturers are of a set. Heck, if it's too hot to swim according to them, what over troubles lurk? Of course, the present troubles right here and now are spendthrift governments that are already broke. This explains the dire need for the huge new tax on life itself.; 5/5/16, 4:22 AM