Long TSA Lines - Air Travelers Fault

TSA Says Passengers Only Have Themselves to Blame For Long Lines

More absurdity from the TSA.
TSA gets something like $7B a year, yet has not been shown to provide any actual benefit to the air traveling public.

Take the train.

I think its a well known fact that for the most part airport security and the checks associated with it are of no benefit to airline security whatsoever. Look at the recent Airfrance downing, if it was a terror attack/bombing, no matter how well airport security is that can't possible search 100% of planes 100% of the time simply because airline turnaround times are so fast.

As you saw in Belgium these guy attacked the quays set up by security to prevent airline terrorism. The only mistake travellers make is assuming that the powers that be can string things together.
 
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When was the last time you heard of an American airplane being hijacked? TSA isn't perfect, far from it, but if they stop 90% or 50% or 25% or even 1% of the items that shouldn't be on aircraft from being there then they most assuredly have worth. If you don't believe me ask the people that would have been on those airplanes.

I don't like standing in lines any more than the next person, but I do it and then I thank the TSA guys for being there.
 
When was the last time you heard of an American airplane being hijacked? TSA isn't perfect, far from it, but if they stop 90% or 50% or 25% or even 1% of the items that shouldn't be on aircraft from being there then they most assuredly have worth. If you don't believe me ask the people that would have been on those airplanes.

I don't like standing in lines any more than the next person, but I do it and then I thank the TSA guys for being there.

Things like toothpaste and such, there was that guy who pulled off a hijack with vest of sausages but that wasn't in a western country I don't think. Its intelligence that prevents attacks by stopping them at source.
 
The "pre-check idea".

"Imagine a dream world in which you can skip the majority of the airport security line, keep your shoes and belt on, your liquids and laptop in your bag, and breeze right through. This is called TSA PreCheck, and you are automatically eligible when you pay $100 for Global Entry.."

How long before the terrorists get wind of this?
 
The "pre-check idea".

"Imagine a dream world in which you can skip the majority of the airport security line, keep your shoes and belt on, your liquids and laptop in your bag, and breeze right through. This is called TSA PreCheck, and you are automatically eligible when you pay $100 for Global Entry.."

How long before the terrorists get wind of this?

Like with everything the process of making money overrides security needs.
 
More absurdity from the TSA.
Recently the head of the Veterans Administration waived off criticism by likening the wait times to those at Disneyland.

Correction, Imbecile: Yes, there ARE long wait times at Disneyland AND they have a DIRECT BEARING on one's satisfaction of the experience.

BUT NOOOOO..... Nobody in government is ever held accountable for incompetence or stupidity.

Take the train.
If only.
 
In route home from San Diego as I type this. TSA at San Diego was 3 people deep in our line when we got there. The wife and I are Pre Checked, just had to take our metals out of our pockets and put them in our carry on. No shoe removal, no belt off, no fuss, no muss, no worries. Took about 2 minutes total.

Yes, airlines charge for everything including the air in the tires and yes a drink as $4.00 once you get past TSA but the money it cost to have Pre Check ( actually we have the global check) is worth the money.
 
When was the last time you heard of an American airplane being hijacked? TSA isn't perfect, far from it, but if they stop 90% or 50% or 25% or even 1% of the items that shouldn't be on aircraft from being there then they most assuredly have worth. If you don't believe me ask the people that would have been on those airplanes.

I don't like standing in lines any more than the next person, but I do it and then I thank the TSA guys for being there.
Strawman argument?
 
TSA isn't perfect, far from it, but if they stop 90% or 50% or 25% or even 1% of the items ...
They have an embarrassing record of failure in this regard.

Besides; stopping ITEMS is not nearly as important as stopping TERRORISTS. There will always be some newly designated item over which to hassle people.

Meanwhile, we never hear of any actual terrorist that has been discovered and arrested.

None.

And the terrorists still do manage to blow up airplanes.
 
They have an embarrassing record of failure in this regard.
Besides; stopping ITEMS is not nearly as important as stopping TERRORISTS. There will always be some newly designated item over which to hassle people.

Meanwhile, we never hear of any actual terrorist that has been discovered and arrested.

None.

And the terrorists still do manage to blow up airplanes.

I agree, they do have an embarrassing record and are far from perfect as I said in my original post. However due to so many people being more concerned with political correctness as opposed to safety TSA isn't allowed to directly "Profile" people, as I recall. To the best of my knowledge, all they CAN do is find contraband items, NEVER people. That isn't a failure of TSA.

I read articles from time to time regarding people being caught trying to smuggle items onto airplanes. Likewise I read articles regarding people being able to smuggle items onto airplanes. However I have not heard of an American airplane being blown up since 9/11 and TSA is an American agency. They aren't world-wide so what happens in other countries is outside their jurisdiction and should not be used against them.

I'm not explicitly defending TSA. They are a typical bureaucracy with more failures than successes. They are a pain in the ass every time I have to fly somewhere, but I'd rather have them there than have the concourses wide open for anyone to carry anything they desire onto an airplane that I'm flying on. I stand by my original comment that if they stop even 1% of the contraband items that people try to smuggle onto airplanes then that is likely a victory to the people on those airplanes.
 
Profile: the problem with that practise is it only works when agencies communicate, this is always the failure in modern anti terror. After an attack stories always surface about these people being identified before hand by (A) but they never think of telling (B), this happens globally take the most recent attacks in Belgium several different countries where aware of those guys planning something but nobody cared until after the attacks.
 
I stand by my original comment that if they stop even 1% of the contraband items that people try to smuggle onto airplanes then that is likely a victory to the people on those airplanes.
Using your hypothetical, you're okay with spending billions of dollars to stop one contraband item in every hundred?

What about the thousands of people on the other 99 planes?
 
For those who fly often, which I do, you quickly realize that the TSA is there to provide the appearance of security rather than actually preventing incidents.

But like every government funded program it will continue to exist despite accomplishing nothing.
 

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