A Frequent Flyer’s Humble Advice to TSA: Colleen McAllister
So on Christmas Day 2009, a man who was on a government watch list (but not on a “no-fly” list) and brought to US officials’ attention just one month ago unsuccessfully attempted to ignited a “crotch bomb” on an international flight from Nigeria to Holland to Detriot, Michigan. If you haven’t been following, here’s the recap: This man had put an explosive chemical called pentaerythritol into a condom and then sewed that into his underwear. About 40 minutes before landing, the man went to use the restroom and 20 minutes later returned to his seat, pulled a blanket over himself and lit the explosive. I’d tell you the rest of the heroic stuff but I’ll save that for the movie. It had a happy ending though, trust me.
As a result of this latest attack, TSA (America’s Transportation Security Administration) has come out with a fun new set of rules to basically punish all of us innocent travelers. Yes, I say punish. Why? Because these new measure don’t so much protect us any more than before but just offer more restrictions. The new security measures include the following:
- Passengers are no longer allowed to get up for the last hour of an international flight and on some domestic flights.
- For the last hour of a flight, passengers are also no longer allowed to have anything on their lap, including a book or electronics.
- Physical inspections of all carry-on bags at the gate on all flights and “pat downs” of passengers concentrating on the “legs and torso” area. [Source]
- Air Canada is restricting passengers to only one carry-on bag instead of one carry-on bag and one personal item. US airlines have been recommended to adopt the same regulation. [Source]
TSA just doesn’t get it. Neither does the government or President “I’m Too Busy Vacationing In Hawaii to Rush Back When There’s a Suspected Terrorist Attack” Obama. I half-jokingly said the other day, “I’m not sure that anyone making the rules even flies on airplanes regularly like us ‘common’ people do.”
These new rules feel like the gut reaction of a new parent who is at their wit’s end and just making up rules to deal with one situation instead of the overall problem. Here’s my response to each of these new regulations, corresponding to their listed number above:
- At the most basic level: How is this going to stop a terrorist from just blowing up an airplane 2 hours before landing? Even on a flight to Detroit, US soil starts more than one hour prior to landing. Just saying. Other things to point out: What if someone is legitimately ill and needs to be in the restroom? A businessman flying into Detroit yesterday caused a huge panic after he became belligerent when flight attendants dragged him out of the restroom at that one hour mark. What if a passenger is diabetic and suddenly needs to inject themselves with insulin during that last hour? Are flight attendants going to hand them a glass of orange juice and say, “Hope your sugar level raises!”? What if an elderly person has a bladder or prostrate problem? What about a pregnant woman who feels ill or a woman who may have a UTI or her time of the month? Can you imagine asking a flight attendant to use the restroom and when asked just why it was such an emergency when there was still 58 minutes of flight left and you simply pointed to your crotch area? I’d be cranky as heck if I had to wait what’s really an hour and a half after you land, get to a gate, deboard, then find a little girls room.
- Again, how is restricting passengers from even being allowed to read a book going to stop the problem? Keep in mind: After the economy went south & people stopped flying because airlines were overcharging them like woah, airlines had to cut back. Some airlines removed their in-flight TVs and games and starting selling beverages, food, Internet, blankets and pillows. If you can’t use the blankets, pillows, and Internet that you paid for on the last hour of the flight, then you’re going to want to read or listen to an iPod to stay entertained. But…you can’t. That makes for some cranky passengers who paid a lot of money (let’s face it, prices went back up again). Oh, but that shouldn’t get in the way of our safety, right? A passenger who lights himself up in the back of a plane before the attendants even get back there isn’t going to be worried that he had to put his copy of “The Lost Symbol” away.
- I am not even going to touch this one. No pun intended. But patting down the torso/legs won’t stop crotch bombs.
- Finally, the one that hasn’t happened yet is making me the angriest. So they want to limit carry-on items to one. This means we’ll have to start checking more bags. Delays aside, if you’re not flying Southwest or JetBlue, I hope you’re wealthy because airlines now charge AT LEAST $15 per for the first checked bag and even more for the second. If TSA regulations are going to force us to check more bags, then airlines need to stop charging for the first checked bag. It’s just too expensive.
I do have some suggestions on what can work to prevent or at least lessen the threat of an attack:
- If TSA is that worried about our safety, instead of punishing travelers, why not put US Air Marshals on board on international flights? Create some more jobs, help the economy, and make us feel protected. After Colin Ferguson shot up the Long Island Rail Road in the early 1990s, police officers were encouraged to ride the train for free so theoretically there would be more cops on board to take action if there was ever a problem.
- This is just a suggestion, but if a passenger is in the restroom for more than say 15 minutes on a flight, perhaps doing a little inquiry on the bathroom situation is wise.
- If airlines are going to go down to one carry-on bag per person, take away the checked baggage fee for the first bag.
- If security has to be tightened prior to the flight, then so be it. It’s sorta alarming that TSA has such doubts about people getting through the already strict screening process (no liquids over 2 ounces thru security but you can buy them after the checkpoint, no shoes, no jackets or sweatshirts, etc.) that we have to still be restricted in air.
This is just all my humble opinion as someone who flies more than 15 times a year and has dealt with all the airline and airport hassles over the last 3 years that you can imagine [see here, here, or here for some examples]. Don’t continue to take away our privileges because we’ll stop flying as often. And when we stop flying so much, our economy will take another hit. And when that happens, then the terrorists have won.
Then again, maybe I’m just being whiny. Maybe sitting and talking to the person next to me for the last hour of my expensive flight isn’t such a bad thing, either. Perhaps I’ll end up sitting next to someone who wants to buy out nuDia.tv and YuBlog.org and then I can have enough money to buy my own private jet to fly on. Hey, it could happen.
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I completely agree with everything you said above!
I rarely ever have to fly anywhere, but I completely agree! I don’t think they were really thinking things through from all perspectives when they decided this.
There were several more restrictions from the news reports that I’ve read, or at least some that were considered or implemented and scaled back.
One was that for flights originating overseas, the Navigation Map channel or video display was to be unavailable so that someone wouldn’t be able to know when they were over US territory. It was pointed out that all you needed was a stopwatch to time how long the plane had been in the air for. Another was that in flight entertainment and in flight WiFi was to be turned off.
And I agree with pretty much all your points. Regarding the >15 minutes in the bathroom, we saw how more vigilant aircrews are now with what happened on Sunday with the same NWA/Delta flight coming in from Amsterdam. I agree that airlines will need to relax the checked baggage fees. The reason why so many people are trying to fit so much onto their carry on bags is precisely because of those fees.
And no, you’re not being whiny.
I am really concerned about the bathroom restrictions. They already block you from getting up at the very beginning of the flight. It sounds like this is just for international flights, but it seems like just a matter of time before all these restrictions apply to all flights. Flights are expensive and uncomfortable enough already! People are being treated like cargo and I really hope the TSA gets its act together or gets canned. They are just reacting to prevent the identical type of attack AFTER it happens, not before. Is a terrorist really going to try the same thing twice right after one failed attempt? There is no way I am going to fly anywhere for a long time.
Good luck flying to Hawaii!
It is infuriating that you cant use the bathroom, ipod, or even a paper book for the last hour there is no way that I am going to be flying until this crap gets fixed
I actually forgot to add that being that this latest terrorist had NO PASSPORT before boarding any of his flights out of Nigeria and Amsterdam, wouldn’t it just be easier to pay attention to the “watch-list” BEFORE they board a plane rather than risk an episode or tragedy? With the amount of money and emphasis placed on Homeland Security in this country, you’d think that they’d actually do their job prior to someone even being allowed to get on the plane. If my 79-yr-old grandma has to go thru a “random” security check why can’t someone who is on the watch-list? It’s not profiling if you’re already a suspected threat.
The problem with the new measures is that, this flight did not originate in the US, it originated in Nigeria. Until every single airport in the world starts to follow the same safety regulations, it will not matter how many safety strategies are in place. Instead let’s stop flights to countries that have known terrorists. Until the issues are solved. When I was watching the news they said in Isreal that they profile Muslims and do not apologize for it. Because not all Muslims are terrorists, but almost all terrorists are Muslim.
I believe there are Air Marshals on at least some international flights but unfortunately the job of AM has an incredibly high turnover rate. Imagine having to fly long flights and never truly arriving anywhere. Also the point that this man did not board the plane in the US is the most important one. Why should US citizens pay the price domestically for failures in Nigeria and Amsterdam? Perhaps instead of the Muslim community rioting and murdering over cartoons and other minutia, they could stand up just as loudly and violently against terrorists born of their faith. Where is the outrage and condemning of radical clerics? I realize far far less than one percent of Muslims are terrorists but the network of support and empathy extends much further than that. I never have a problem with tighter security and if it means 20 more minutes at security, thats fine. Let’s also understand that nothing is 100% and no matter what procedures are in place not every terrorist can be stopped.
What I don’t get is why they just don’t start profiling passengers. Look at the passport, oh you’re from a known terrorist country? Perhaps you won’t mind stepping to the side here for a few minutes while we check you. Mom and Dad with 2 kids? Go on through.
If you are from a terrorist country you’re going to have to start getting used to it.
The problem was this guy wasn’t on the no-fly list. His family was concerned that he had gone all Johnny Walker Lindh and called up the US Embassy in Nigeria regarding this. All they did was open a file about his being linked to terrorism and note his visa file to watch him should he renew his visa. So he wasn’t red flagged when KLM transmitted the passenger manifest to the TSA 30 minutes before the plane pushed back.
Unfortunately jlyn is right in that standards of security vary greatly throughout the world and even here in the US. Last month when I left Manila, I had to go through the following. Metal detector #1 at the terminal door & luggage x-rayed #1. No one except ticketed passengers get inside the terminal. You have to say goodbye to whoever at the curb. Then you line up to check in. After check in, you have to bring your check in luggage to x-ray #2. Once that’s done you go thru immigration-departure. After that it’s x-ray #3 for your check in bags. Shoes & coats go onto the conveyor as well. You walk thru metal detector #2 and then you stand on a box while you get patted down #1. (Yup, everyone gets patted down even if you don’t set off the metal detector). From there you head to the gate. But before the gate, your carry on gets scanned by x-ray #4 and you go thru metal detector #3 and experience pat down #2. Then you’re good until you get to your destination.
The Philippine Gov’t has no qualms about this since Ramzi Yusuf (’91 WTC Bomber) and company blew up a “test” bomb on a flight originating from the Philippines for the planned Operation Bojinka. And since they have their own homegrown Communist and/or Muslim Separatist problem, they don’t apologize for it either. They’ve even jailed/deported foreigners who “joked” about having a bomb at the airport. (I just wish they’d do something about the damn ferries though).
I’m of the opinion that even though people will have to get to the airport hours before, is to institute the same security procedures that El Al does. No more random nonsense. Everyone goes through a secondary and tight screening procedure. And they should make it so that when you buy a ticket for travel within or to the US, you give consent to such procedures.
Correction: X ray 3 is for your carry on bags.
Jlyn that is very offensive, there are just as many Christian terrorists as Muslim terrorists
Mike what you are asking for the profiling of passengers is racist. Also by what standards will you count countries as terrorist countries? The US has domestic terrorists like white supremacists and other similear groups, the IRA in Ireland has been implicated in terrorist attacks. The US has also been known to support rebellious forces to overthrow democratically elected governments to replace them with leaders who support the American government and her business intreasts even if those leaders replacing may be tyrants, remember the Uranian contra scandal.
@Michael Kirschner
I have to disagree, while I wouldn’t call someone fighting in their homeland a terrorist, the exportation of terror attacks is almost exclusively a Muslim problem. Tea Partiers (hwo I consider radical and angry) are not blowing themselves up on the subway or in markets. Yes we had Eric Rudolph committing acts of terrorism but the numbers of people involved with him as compared to 9/11, Madrid, Bali and the thousands of other suicide/murder attacks is not even comparable. People were murdered and threatened with murder over a Danish cartoon. Yes, the vast majority of Muslims are fine citizens but as a community you cannot disown the radicals that have been allowed to flourish in Muslim religious institutions.
The new restrictions, if put into place, are horrible. Horrible, knee-jerk reactions.
Perhaps we should look into why El-Al has ever had a terrorist attack.
My suggestion: Have a bomb-sniffing dog search through each and every plane when the passengers have boarded.
Michael that is no excuse for racism, and it is racism if you judge a person based on what they look like before you know them that is racism. Statistics to agree with you or not judging based on race is the definition of racism
@Michael Kirschner
I disagree, it has to do with a belief system not race. Indian Muslims were responsible for the Mumbai attacks not Sihks or Hindus. Radical Muslims come in all colors as we have seen from N Africa, Central and South Asia, Indonesia, Europe and America. It has absolutely nothing to do with skin color but with a religion that has a large violent radical side. This is not the same as an African American being stopped for walking in a “white” neighborhood. People choose their ideology not their race or sex.
Ok so from now on let’s not allow Christians to enter the continents of Africa and Asia as they have been known to steal and plunder from those lands. No let’s not do that, I thought we were all passed that. And renmiked you have disappointed me after reading your blog I thought you were a rationally thinking person, apparently I was wrong.
If I were African I would be very leery of Christians who have done so much harm to the continent from lying about the safety of condoms to prevent AIDS to the imperialism of the past. My only issue is the Muslim community not standing up to clerics who promote murder of innocent people. Just as I wouldn’t let a Catholic priest alone with my child I would have strong concerns about anyone who has ties to radical clerics. I consider myself pretty objective and don’t think that every person of Middle Eastern descent is a terrorist. All I would really like to see is the same level of anger toward murderers as there is toward cartoonists.
Many people of Muslim descent have said that terrorists did not just hijack airplanes but hijacked their religion. This is actually an intreasting debate that I am very passionate about so I will save the rest of my views for a future post but to say that there is no Muslim outrage towards people who use religion as an excuse for murder is just arrogant and naive. There is alot of outrage despite what Fox News may say.
I will leave it at that as it seems this is starting to get off-topic but I will save this for a future post and renmiked I will invite you there to make a response for you to show your side in a respectful way if you so choose.
That’s not fair, I think I’ve shown throughout my posts and comments that I am respectful even when I vehemently disagree. In this case I don’t vehemently disagree but maybe I deffer on the semantics.
I look forward to your post.
Why does it matter if a plane blows up over American airspace vs. over someone else’s airspace? It shouldn’t matter. Which is why keeping people in their seats 1 hr before the plane lands makes no sense at all.
There was an article in USA Today about heavier screening for certain countries of origin.
http://usat.me?37164752
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