General Consultant Discussion

Has the US government, namely the airport TSA, been fundamentally screwed by the purchase of some high tech equipment. Specifically the ""stand with your hands over your head"" machinery seems about one step from worthless. My folded three printed page boarding pass in my back pocket triggers a full body pat down. Something isn't functioning properly. My strong suspicion is that it's more of a "" we know we can't properly screen so enjoy the dog and pony show at the airport as we lull you into thinking we can"". The experience gets worse every single year.

This is the part that is scary. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/investigation-breaches-us-airports-allowed-weapons-through-n367851 And 73 people who WORK FOR THE TSA are on the no fly list...

I had no issue with security on Saturday night. Perhaps you're being profiled.

Oh, dang, I should have posted - when you get in the line (before the place they check your ID), there is a spot where it split into 3 lines. I took the left-most line and apparently got dumped into the TSA Pre-check area (even though I wasn't pre-check). I ALMOST opened my mouth to ask what was up because there were no bins and they were telling us to leave our liquids in, but I came to my senses (even at that early hour) and shut up and went with it. LEFT LANE. It's worth a shot!

This was for United's area - may not apply elsewhere and I don't know who else is in that terminal.

Getting my Global Traveler pass was a PITA, but now I can fly through customs when returning to the country and get TSA Pre. It's so nice. Of course its basically something closer back to the way it used to be, but it seems nice in a post 9/11 world.

If you set aside political considerations, I think the airport screening problem is an excellent example of the challenges in applying technology to a problem that contains many user profiles. It started, in 2002 with a screen everybody extensively and the same approach. In the past ~15 years it has become more sophisticated, attempting to lighten up the testing without letting any ""bad guys"" through (which it has succeeded at 100% so far). They applied randomization and serious consideration of how to treat the heavy-user segment differently from the occasional-users (80/20). TSA offers to heavy users pretty low-impact screening for a modest price. (value pricing). For those who go through normal screening, you'll find that the severity of the screening various from time to time and place to place. As near as I can figure, this is not accidental. As long as potential threats can't predict how/when the ""easy"" occurrences are, they can't take advantage of it, and the system has effectiveness as if no randomization occurs at all. In designing the system you also have to consider the cost of false-positives vs. false-negatives, and build the testing bias accordingly. From a real-life business technology consulting perspective, I think it is a fascinating thing to analyze. And yes, I get annoyed when I use it, too!

When you have a technical system that errors if you have Kleenex in your pocket (as I heard the TSA agent explain to another traveler) that's a pretty big problem and waste of money/time.

You are supposed to take crap out of your pockets because those machines are designed to look through certain materials. Any other material will get picked up. It's doing what it's supposed to do. Now ... whether or not, they are safe for passengers or effective for security, I doubt both.

Funny story but my wait in line was excruciating and then an agent walked through asking if anyone had a TSA precheck on their boarding pass. I hadn't looked since I didn't on the way out but I glanced down and sure enough, I was selected! He opens one of the barriers and tells me to walk down a different aisle - too bad the aisle he let me into didn't have an exit to the correct one but he opened another barrier and I was through. Makes you feel like you won a little jackpot. Of course, I was looking for the trays to put my laptop in and then remembered you don't have to!

And passengers are dumb. What compels people who are NOT actively boarding to stand like morons blocking the way for those whose section has been called? This happens in every airport I've ever been to.

Using randomization in managing behavior is a fascinating area which techies don't normally look at. If you don't pay for pre-check, you can randomly get it if you travel often enough. Since one's opinion of an experience is formed almost completely at its end, this practice has a couple effects. I think the whole thing is a fascinating system design puzzle.

I had a center seat yesterday and I felt a little claustrophobic. Can they make the space between rows any narrower? I don't know how taller/bigger folks manage. I guess you pay first class or economy +. The young woman on my left had very loud headphones on but was sound asleep for most of the flight (head bobbing toward my shoulder) and the guy on my right shut the window so he could watch a movie on his cell phone, thus the claustrophobia. <rant over>

I forgot to take out my plastic pocket comb and that warranted a pat down. I flew on a relatively new American jet (they announced it was a month into service) with seat back video displays. An interesting observation is if you start watching the premium entertainment while waiting for others to take their seat, it is provided at NO charge while under 5,000 feet.

I had a strange thing happen in Orlando a few weeks ago. I went through security and got cornered with my computer bag. Somehow a can of soda was in my bag. I still do not know how it got there. I am guessing that someone accidentally put it in my bag during my class thinking it was their own. TSA did not seem to buy it though....

I've had liquid in my bags and when they ask ""do you know you can't bring this through"" I just said no. They huff and puff but my house wasn't blown down. They just toss it in the trash and go to their neutral corner and all stare at each other and shake their heads.

On the way out to San Diego I must have been in a hurry. I was rushing through the TSAPre line when the metal detector went off. I decided it must be my belt and started to take it off when the TSA agent suggested that it could be my laptop backpack, which I was still wearing. I was not arrested, but they didn't think it was as funny as I did. That's a first for me, but I'm sure I'll do worse as I get older.

Well @WayneSchulz probably in your TSA profile there is a comment that you are an acquaintance of @MarkChinsky .... @ScottHickman You are from Missouri. Probably an easy mark the exploding ISIL soda can.....

I follow Alan Weiss' postings. Today he was talking about an event he did in Germany. His report about his experience LEAVING the airport had me think about this thread. "" The German airports in Hamburg and Munich are quite magnificent. When you exit in Munich a series of cameras takes a picture of your face from varied angles for comparison with terrorists. If you cover your face, two guys meet you at the bottom of the escalator. A pretty, smiling blonde had on a flak jacket and rested her arms on a submachine gun slung around her neck, standing at her security post. I decided sexual harassment was out of the question.