TSA

Toss the TSA? 16 airports have done it; others mulling it over.

Airports, Security,

[An edited version of this story appears on msnbc.com: Airports toy with the idea of tossing the TSA.]

Writing a “We want a replacement” letter to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) tops the post-holiday to-do list of Larry Dale, president of Orlando Sanford International Airport.

“All of our due diligence shows it’s the way to go,” said Dale.

Along with Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, MT and several other airports around the country, Sanford International has decided to ask TSA to turn day-to-day airport screening duties over to a private firm.

“The TSA has grown too big and we’re unhappy with the way it’s been doing things. My board is sold on the fact that the free enterprise system works well and that we should go with a private company we can hold directly accountable for security and customer satisfaction,” said Dale.

In response to passenger complaints and encouragement from elected officials such as Rep. John Mica (R-Fla), who has referred to TSA’s “army of more than 67,000” as a “bloated, poorly focused and top-heavy bureaucracy,” airports in Charlotte, Los Angeles and even the Washington, D.C. metro area are among other airports toying with tossing the TSA as well.

This despite the fact that opt-out airports realize no cost savings: “TSA issues the RFP [request for proposal] and selects and manages the contractor” that steps in, said Michael McCarron, Director of Community Affairs at San Francisco International Airport, one of the first airports to switch to private screeners.

Nor will passengers at opt-out airports be able to sidestep the hassles of what many feel are far-too invasive security checkpoint procedures. According to TSA spokesperson Greg Soule, at the more than 450 commercial airports in the United States, “TSA sets the security standards that must be followed and that includes the use of enhanced pat downs and imaging technology, if installed at the airport.”

Still, airports studying the opt-out program believe there may be benefits worth pursuing.

“While Los Angeles World Airports has always enjoyed a very successful relationship with the TSA at our airports, we aim to ensure that the highest level of security is balanced by the most passenger-friendly service possible. Contracting private screeners could be a method to achieve this goal, and it is an option we are currently exploring,” said Nancy Suey Castle, a LAWA spokesperson.

Federal vs. Private: not a new option

The idea of switching checkpoint responsibilities from TSA screeners to employees of private firms is not new.

When the TSA was created, in 2001, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ASTA) mandated that a pilot program be put in place by November 2002 to allow screening by private companies under federal oversight.

Five airports signed up immediately: San Francisco International Airport, Kansas City International Airport, Greater Rochester International Airport, Jackson Hole Airport and Tupelo Regional Airport.

Eleven other airports, including Sioux Falls Regional Airport in South Dakota, Florida’s Key West International Airport and seven airports in Montana, have joined TSA’s Screening Partnership Program (SPP) since then.

“We’re very good at what we do,” said Gerry Berry, president of Covenant Aviation Security, the private screening company hired by the TSA for San Francisco International, Sioux Falls Regional and several airports in Montana. “By law our screeners have to get the same pay and benefits as government screeners and we have to do an equal or better job.”

Airport officials say few travelers notice whether the people doing the checkpoint scanning and the pat-downs work for the TSA or a private company. But so far none of the 16 SSP airports has chosen to opt back into the federal screening program.

“We love our arrangement,” said Ray Bishop Director of the Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming.  “It delivers better customer service and security.”

Unlike government workers, notes Mark VanLoh, director of the Kansas City International Airport, problem employees working for contract screening companies “can be removed immediately.” And when there is an issue, VanLoh appreciates being able to call up the president of the private screening company. “Because I am a client, I usually get a return call immediately. We are all in the customer service business, so that’s a nice thing to have.”

The bottom line, says SFO’s Michael McCarron, is that “we feel our passengers are as safe as at any other airport. And by allowing [the private screening company] to handle the personnel management of the screening process, the TSA staff at SFO can focus its attention on security issues.”

Federal or private screeners: which way is better?

ACI-NA, which represents most all U.S. airports, is in favor of airports having the option to participate, or not, in TSA’s screening partnership program. Beyond advising airports about liability and other opt-out issues, “It’s up to the individual airports to determine whether or not participation is in their best interest” said Christopher Bidwell, ACI-NA’s vice-president of security and facilitation.

Airports currently in the SPP program do share their experiences with others, but Bidwell says although there have been two reports, one completed in 2004 and another in 2006, that show “there were some efficiencies under the private model…it would be helpful to have another study to shed new light.”

Many of the 200 airports that received a letter from Rep. Mica in November urging them to switch to private screening companies may be waiting for such a study.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, spokesperson Allan Siegel said “There are no discussions about using a private company to handle screenings.”

Detroit Metropolitan Airport spokesperson Scott Wintner said “We’re decidedly not interested in going back to private screening…We’re very happy with the service TSA provides to our customers!”

And Patrick Hogan at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport said after receiving the letter from Congressman Mica, “Our board discussed private screening in response to one of our 2011 strategic plan initiatives of keeping security wait times to 15 minutes or less. A private firm would still have to follow all TSA regulations and procedures, so it’s really just a matter of whether they could do the job more efficiently, streamlining the process. At this point, we don’t have a clear sense of whether that would be the case.”

For his part, Stewart Baker, a former official with the Department of Homeland Security and the author of “Skating on Stilts: Why We Aren’t Stopping Tomorrow’s Terrorism, is skeptical private screening is the way to go. “Ordinarily, as a Republican, I’d be more enthusiastic about more privatization. But private screeners won’t solve the problems we have. It may just create some new ones.”

“Contracting with private screening companies offers staffing flexibility and a few other advantages,” said Robert Poole, director of transportation policy for the Reason Foundation, a free market think-tank, “But the system is still very centralized and run too much by TSA.”

“The screening partnership program may be a step in the right direction,” said aviation consultant Michael Boyd, of Colorado-based Boyd Group International, “But ultimately, it doesn’t change the fact that people at the top are idiots. The real problem is that TSA needs to be totally rebuilt.”

“Regardless of who’s performing security, they’re working with a government process that is generally outdated and less efficient,” said Steve Lott of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The international organization, which represents the airline industry, recently unveiled a proposal for a redesigned “security checkpoint of the future” that uses biometric data to speed travelers through the airport experience. “We need to think a little more long term here,” said Lott.

What’s next?

Late last month, in an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said security measures now in place are “objectively safer” for airline passengers and will continue to be part of the airport experience for “the foreseeable future.”

Also last month, Rep. John Mica was named chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he will surely continue to press for TSA reform while continuing to urge airports to opt-out of the federal screening program.

But real change, notes the Reason Foundation’s Poole, could from Congress. “2011 is the 10th anniversary of both the 9/11 attacks and the TSA. There’s a good chance we’ll have TSA reauthorization in Congress that will provide the opportunity to take a look at how TSA is working.”

In the meantime…

Meanwhile, back in Florida, Larry Dale of the Sanford Airport expects to have private screeners on duty in less than a year. “I’ve talked with John Mica, who is the congressman for our district, and we expect things to move along in an orderly fashion.”

That timeframe may prove unrealistic.

Cindi Martin, airport director of Glacier Park International Airport in Montana said her airport sent the TSA an SPP application in October 2009.

“We believe that for GPI this is best for the traveling public. Security standards will be met and the airport will have more input on staffing and customer service,” said Martin.

However, along with three other Montana airports, Martin reports GPI is still waiting for action.

And she says that delay is creating a new set of problems.

Knowing that a private contractor will eventually take over, “TSOs are retaliating against authority and the airport management staff,” said Martin, “And we’re getting no help from TSA management.”

[An edited (better?) version of this story appears on msnbc.com: Airlines toy with the idea of tossing the TSA.]

Note: After this story appeared on msnbc.com, I’ve received an email from Valyria N. Lewis, President of AFGE Local 555, which represents TSA workers in four states.  In responding to some of the points made in the story, she addresses the comment made by Cindy Martin, airport director of Glacier Park International Airport in Montana, about “TSOs retaliating against authority and the airport management staff.”

Ms. Lewis said:

Put yourself for just a moment, inside the mind of that officer, who from day to day, does not know if they will have a job, or if their child will have a meal, or if their new insurance would cover their child’s rare medical condition.  Place your feet in the shoes of the officer, who when told that their airport will privatize; don’t know if they will be among the millions of people, dreading the thought of receiving unemployment benefits that teeter on the vote of agenda driven republicans. Am I surprised that the employees are acting out; absolutely not.  Change all by itself is uncomfortable, but Uncertainty, when it comes to providing for your family is unbearable.  I would think the very idea would be stressful enough for me to not be able to focus on my day to day duties.  I sincerely hope that this pressure is not affecting their performance of their screening duties.  I can only imagine the amount of sleep lost with the worry.  I pray that the officials, who make these decisions, consider these things.

TSA offers medical notification cards

Medical, ,

Travelers with medical conditions should check out a new TSA medical notification card that can be presented to airport security screeners.

The new cards do not exempt a passenger from screening, but they do provide a way to discreetly inform and alert a security officer about a health issue, disability or medical device that may affect screening.

TSA Medical Notification Card back

“Travelers can write their disability information on the wallet-sized card and hand it to the security officer,” said TSA spokesperson Greg Soule. He said the agency worked with a coalition of about 70 representatives from disability and health organizations to develop the cards.

The TSA first released the cards in October to some disability rights groups and on disability.gov.

The wording on the front of the new TSA notification card says: “I have the following health condition, disability or medical device that may affect my screening” with a box marked “optional” for travelers to write in. Below that, the card reads, “I understand that presenting this card does not exempt me from screening.”

The reverse side of the card reiterates screening may still be necessary and says the “TSA respects the privacy concerns of all members of the traveling public” and that “alternate procedures which provide an equivalent level of security screening are available and can be done in private.”

Travelers can find more information about the cards on a link on the TSA’s website under “Travelers with Disabilities & Medical Conditions.”

‘Great first step’

“Wow! I love those cards,” said Kate Hanni of the airline consumer organization FlyersRights.org. “We receive complaints every day from folks with all types of disabilities who felt completely disregarded and/or violated during their security checks. These cards will be a great first step in alleviating the disabled flying public’s concerns about their medical devices and the ability to communicate with the TSA before there is another disaster like Tom Sawyer and so many others have encountered.”

If he’d known about the new TSA notification cards, Guenter Roesch, 71, and his wife might be packing for their vacation in Las Vegas.

The Roesches, of St. Marys, Ga., canceled their trip after they read about Thomas Sawyer, a bladder cancer survivor who was left covered in urine on November 7 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport following a security pat-down in which screeners refused to let him explain his medical condition. TSA Administrator John Pistole later called Sawyer to apologize.

“We’d finally saved enough frequent flier miles for the tickets,” said Roesch. “But I’m also a bladder cancer survivor who wears an ostomy pouch to collect my urine. And I just didn’t want to be put in the same situation as Mr. Sawyer.”

Some doctors, patient advocacy groups and medical-equipment suppliers created their own notification cards and letters long before the TSA’s new stricter security screening rules and enhanced pat-downs went into effect. But Linda Aukett of United Ostomy Associations of America  said: “Some TSOs (transportation screening officers) responded with ‘Don’t bother showing me that paper. Everyone has a printer. You could have forged that letter.’ So that had a lot to do with the TSA coming up with its own card.”

News to TSOs

Because the cards are so new, many airport security screeners haven’t even seen them. Chris Soulia, president of AFGE 1234, a union representing TSA workers in California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii, said officers at many West Coast airports he contacted on Monday weren’t yet aware of the cards.

But Soulia says he can’t wait to see the cards in action. “Any mechanism that helps facilitate better communications between the passengers and the federal security officer to address a passenger’s special needs is a great idea. This card is an idea long past due.”

“I think doctors, nursing homes, rehab facilities and organizations with websites that get millions of visitors, such as Susan B. Komen [a breast cancer site], should know about this card,” said Eric Lipp of Open Doors, a disability rights organization. He’d also like to see the card on airline websites.

In his phone call apologizing to Sawyer, Pistole asked for input on how the TSA can do a better job in its dealings with travelers with medical conditions. In response, last week a coalition of 24 patient advocacy groups sent the TSA a letter outlining suggestions that include better training for TSA employees, clear and uniformly applied policies “that reasonably limit the use and scope of pat-downs” and better publicity for the TSA’s notification card.

Digging deeper

For his part, Sawyer is planning to fly to Washington, D.C., in January to meet with TSA representatives and give them his own suggestions for improved service.

“I think the coalition nailed it with their ideas,” said Sawyer. “But I want TSA to dig deeper.

“I’m going to suggest that even without being handed a card, TSOs ask any passenger getting a pat-down if there’s a medical condition they should know about.”

Sawyer also plans to suggest that a nurse be available at all airports for travelers who’d like to request one during an enhanced pat-down, and that people with medical issues participate in TSA training.

“If TSOs knew the whole story, I can bet you a million dollars everyone would have a whole new understanding of why we’re so sensitive about this topic,” said Sawyer.

(A version of this story appeared on msnbc.com: TSA embraces new medical notification cards.)

Santa’s helpers at Spokane Int’l Airport? The TSA.

Air Travel, Fun Stuff, Holidays, Kids, Kids travel, , , , ,

This weekend I was an embedded elf for the Spokane Fantasy Flight to the North Pole.

North Pole

The event, now in its 12th or 13th year, scoops up 60 disadvantaged children from the Spokane, WA area and brings them to the airport for a very real flight to a very realistic-looking “North Pole.” There, they find reindeer, an all-you-can-eat buffet of candy, gifts galore, oodles of elves and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Nort Pole - candy

For me, the real magic took place at the security checkpoint at the Spokane International Airport.

TSA checkpoint - Spokane Airport

While ‘regular’ Saturday afternoon passengers were trying to catch their flights, the TSOs (Transportation Security Officers) on duty cheerily processed dozens of kids taking their first airplane trip and 100 or so chaperone-elves decked out in outlandish, heavily jingled-belled costumes.

TSA checkpoint - Spokane Airport

Even the enhanced pat-downs seems downright jolly .

Spokane Airport TSA

Spokane elf pat-down

Going to the North Pole as an embedded elf

Airlines, Airplanes, Airports, Events, Fun Stuff, Kids, Kids travel, , , ,

Today, about 60 kids from the Spokane, Wa. area will be going on a flight to the North Pole.

Spokane Airport Fantasy Flight to North Pole

Each year, with the help of more than 100 elves and incredible amount of local and regional support, the Spokane Fantasy Flight takes about 60 kids from shelters and community programs in the Spokane area to the airport, onto an airplane and, after about a 30-minute flight, to the North Pole for a full day of magic, complete with reindeer, all the candy you can eat, a visit with Santa and, of course, piles and piles of presents.

I went along as an embedded elf last year and it was so much fun that I’ve signed up to join the elves again.

Before we can get on that flight to the North Pole, of course, we’ll have to get through the security checkpoint at the airport.

TSA sign for North Pole

And then, of course, we’ll have to make sure to find the right gate for our flight.

I’ll report back tomorrow on whether or not jingle-belled elves are subject to enhanced TSA pat-downs and, of course, I’ll let Santa know that you’ve been very, very good.

“Notes,” the embedded elf…

Airports celebrate the holiday with discounts & entertaining diversions

Air Travel, Airport shops, Entertainment, Food, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Holidays, , ,

Santa visits Munich Airport Christmas Market

With its full-body scanners and enhanced pat-down procedures, the TSA is a shoo-in this year for the Scrooge role during the busy holiday travel season. As a counterpoint, many airports will be doling out candy cane kindness in the form of festive decorations, dining and retail discounts, giveaways, contests and entertainment.

Here’s a sampling of what’s in store; check your airport’s website – or Facebook page – for more.

Tunes in the terminals

TSA choir at Austin-Bergstrom Airport

TSA Choir at Austin Bergstrom Airport

Airports stretching from San Diego and Sacramento to Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale will be hosting holiday carolers, choirs, crooners and yes, Virginia, karaoke.

Nashville International Airport is hosting half a dozen holiday-themed performances between now and December 22nd, while at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, the holiday entertainment program once again includes the Judy Lee Dancers (all dancers are 60 years old and up) on December 16th and, on December 22nd, the Austin Airport TSA Chorus. See the full schedule for Nashville airport and the Austin airport.

LAX TSA CHOIR

LAX TSA CHOIR

Los Angeles International Airport also has a TSA chorus and this year has concerts scheduled December 14th on the Terminal 2 mezzanine, December 15 in the Tom Bradley Terminal, December 16th in Terminal 7 and Dec 21 (post-security) in the American Airlines rotunda in Terminal 4. “Our goal is to sing put the human face of the TSA in the public. So it’s not just the ‘Hey, take of your shoes’ image” says chorus organizer and terminal screening manager Raul Matute.

San Francisco International Airport’s ‘You Are Hear’ music program presents free concerts each Wednesday and Friday throughout December (except on the 24th) from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the International Terminal, Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Apropos of the season, on December 22nd, the Golden Gate Bellringers will be in the International Terminal. See the full schedule.

At the Philadelphia International Airport, Victorian carolers will sing and stroll through the airport terminals on December 11 & 12; 18 & 19; and 22 & 23. Santa’s PHL strolling stretches from now through the 24th and, while out and about, he’s happy to stop and pose for photos with travelers.

In addition to its regular Terminal Tunes Entertainment Program, which emphasizes holiday tunes during December, Fort Lauderdale International Airport is hosting its Winter Festival of Music. The program stretches from December 13-17 and features children from local schools dancing, singing and playing instruments during morning and afternoon performances in all four terminals and in the Rental Car Center.

At Montana’s Missoula International Airport, entertainment on tap for December 15 – 24 includes holiday music on piano, harp and woodwinds. Performances will be held in the airport lobby.

Mondays and Fridays through December 17th, Sacramento International Airport hosts five performers a day in Terminal A, beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m. See the full schedule. And from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on December 18th, characters from Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer TV show will be at the pre-security Civic Plaza at Indianapolis International Airport taking photos with kids. There will also be a coloring contest and a sweepstakes to win tickets to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Any adult who fills out an entry form will win free parking.

San Antonio International Airport will have 60 different music groups from local area schools performing everything form choral performance and jazz music to mariachi between now and December 17. At the San Diego International Airport, the monthly calendar of airport entertainment gets a December boost with roving entertainers on December 22nd (The Rockin’ Cranberries and the Full Measure Carolers) and the San Diego Children’s Choir on December 23rd.

Houston Airport Karaoke

In addition to musical performances by area high school bands and choirs and occasional visits by Santa, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport will once again be hosting airport karaoke. All-ages karaoke sessions will take place December 9th and 18th and there will be a special kids-only karaoke event on December 22nd in Terminal A.

Fresno Yosemite Airport holiday tree

And the Fresno Yosemite International Airport is taking over the long-standing Central California Christmas tradition once held by Fresno’s Metropolitan Museum: the display of 12 uniquely decorated Christmas trees. The airport is also presenting a lighted Victorian Christmas Village display, entertainment and surprise visits by Santa Claus.

Coupons and contests

The TSA warns travelers that wrapped gifts may get unwrapped at the security checkpoint, so airports in San Francisco, Phoenix, Philadelphia and several other cities are providing free post-security gift wrapping stations.  Travelers will also find some promotions and treats at many other airports:

Through December 31st, all airport Vino Volo shops that sell wine are offering 10% off on the purchase of 3 or more bottles. And in both the Food & Shops at LaGuardia airport’s Central Terminal and at Philadelphia airports’ Philadelphia Marketplace, travelers who spend $100 or more in the shops can pick up a complimentary silver snowflake necklace from the Taxco Sterling shops in those airports.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is handing out a free coupon book full of almost 80 discounts and/or gift-with-purchase offers for dining and retail outlets throughout the airport.  Download the booklet from the airport website or pick one up at an airport information booth. Las Vegas International Airport is also offering travelers a discount holiday coupon book this year. Look for the red Travel Advantages booklet at the airport or download a copy.

During its annual Holidays Take Flight festival (now through Jan. 2) Oregon’s Portland International Airport offers food and beverage samplings, store promotions, live entertainment and special events. With Air Canada, the airport is also giving away a pair of round trip airline tickets from Portland to Toronto. Enter at the airport or on the PDX website through January 2nd.

Christmas Market and a Magical Teapot

The holiday spirit extends beyond US airports.

The Christmas Fantasy at Singapore’s Changi Airport includes giveaways, song and dance performances, activities for kids and fanciful décor that includes a ‘magical teapot’ that lights up with special effects and dispenses colored balls that can be exchanged for prizes.

While the traditional Christmas Market is no longer held at the Frankfort Airport, the airport continues the tradition of hosting a holiday sweepstakes for a car. This year, airport shoppers can Win the Fastest Christmas Mini.

Munich Airport

Through January 2nd, the Winter Market at Munich Airport, underneath the roof of the Munich Airport Center features nightly entertainment, free ice-skating and curling rinks, 300 Christmas trees and 45 booths selling Bavarian specialties and handicrafts.

Munich Airpot ice skating rink

This article was originally prepared for USAToday.com.

More airport holiday events listing tomorrow….

National Opt-Out Day a dud

Air Travel, Security, , , ,

Sea-Tac security line

I spent Wednesday hanging around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) wandering from one security checkpoint to another in case there was any interesting mass opt-out action I could report on for a story being put together by msnbc.com.

But, as you can tell from the headline of the story – Planned airport protests fail to take off – there was no mass opt-out action.

In fact, on what is traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year, Sea-Tac, like a lot of other airports around the country, was remarkably empty.  According to a police officer riding by on a Segway, the biggest problem at the airport was the 40-minute line at the Starbucks outlet just beyond security.

The checkpoint  lines I was monitoring were so empty that the TSA employees on duty had plenty of time to be jolly. They were showering travelers with courtesy (“Step right up. We’ve been waiting for you. What a nice jacket!”) and waving at folks passing by.

Even the planned opt-out demonstration was a fizzle. Less than a half dozen people showed up to hand out pamphlets (“What the Transportation Security Administration isn’t telling you…”) and there were few takers.

Opt-out a fizzle

Of course, not everyone flies somewhere for Thanksgiving. A lot of folks stay home and plenty of people take to the roads.

If you do drive somewhere this weekend, here’s a handy map with information about the state-by-state distracted driving laws.  The map was put together by the folks at iZUP using information published by the Governors Highway Safety Administration.

Tales of the TSA: Pistole apologizes, screeners scorned

Air Travel, Airports, Complaints, , , , ,

First, an update on a story I wrote about here on Saturday: Pat-down leaves bladder cancer survivor covered in urine.

A few days ago I chatted with and wrote a story about Tom Sawyer, a retired special education teach and bladder cancer survivor from Michigan who ended up humiliated and covered in urine after a botched enhanced pat-down at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

You can read the full story here, but here’s the update:

Today Sawyer got a call phone call from Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole. “First he apologized,” Sawyer told me. “And I thanked him. Then I told him off a bit. He said, ‘Tell me more. What do you think needs to be done?’ ”

Sawyer suggested that TSA screeners undergo training to help them better understand travelers with medical conditions. He even offered to attend a meeting to show the staff what an ostomy bag looks like. “Pistole said he just may take me up on that.”

That’s an encouraging sign. And even some of the Transportation Security Officers I spoke with today while putting together a story for msnbc.com about the stresses of being a TSA worker said they thought Pistole did the right thing.

Here’s that story: TSA workers face verbal abuse from travelers.

Airline passengers aren’t the only ones complaining about the Transportation Security Administration’s new enhanced security procedures. Many TSA employees aren’t too happy, either.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union that represents TSA workers, is urging the TSA to do more to protect its employees from abuse from airline passengers angry over the new security methods. The union reports that some members “have reported instances in which passengers have become angry, belligerent and even physical with TSOs (transportation security officers). In Indianapolis, for example, a TSO was punched by a passenger who didn’t like the new screening process,” the union said in a Nov. 17 statement posted on its website.

Union President John Gage called on TSA to provide an educational pamphlet to each passenger describing both their rights and the details of the new procedures, which include full-body scans and enhanced pat-downs.

“This absence of information has resulted in a backlash against the character and professionalism of TSOs,” said Gage in a statement. “TSA must act now — before the Thanksgiving rush — to ensure that TSOs are not being left to fend for themselves.”

“Our concern is that the public not confuse the people implementing the policies with the people who developed the policies,” said Sharon Pinnock, the union’s director of membership and organization.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday the government will take into account the public’s concerns and complaints as it evaluates airport security measures. He says TSA procedures will continue to evolve.

Some travelers have vowed to disrupt airport security Wednesday in a protest timed for the busiest travel day of the year, as millions of Americans fly off for annual family feasts.

“TSOs are trained security professionals,” Pinnock said. “Despite this call for chaos and disruption, it’s our belief that our members and people we represent will respond as the security professionals that they are.”

Valyria Lewis, local president of AFGE Local 555, which represents TSA screeners in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, said TSOs are trained to screen passengers who opt out of full-body scans.

“But we’d like TSA to hand out pamphlets detailing what opt out means. When someone opts out of the X-ray scanners, they’re opting in for the pat-down,” Lewis said. “And once we explain what the pat-down is, you can’t go back and change your mind and say ‘OK, I’ll go through the scanner.’ We’d like that explained so officers aren’t caught in that crossfire.”

The National Treasury Employees Union, the largest independent federal union, has launched a campaign in support of the TSA to educate the public about the critical role played by TSA officers in helping secure the safety of air travel.

“We stand by them this holiday season and ask the American public to stand by them as well and respect the difficult job they perform to protect our skies and our country,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley in a statement.

Complaints of verbal abuse


Full-body scanners are now in place at close to 70 airports and send virtually naked images of passengers to a TSA screener at a remote location. Those who wish to avoid the scanners must instead undergo a new, open-palmed pat-down that many travelers, and even some security officers, feel is too personally invasive.

TSA chief John Pistole said Monday on NBC’s TODAY show that the agency is reviewing its passenger screening methods to ensure they are as minimally invasive as possible. “We’re going to look at how can we do the most effective screening in the least invasive way knowing that there’s always a trade-off between security and privacy,” Pistole said.

Pistole noted that those getting body searches constitute “a very small percent” of the 34 million people who have flown since the new policy went into effect.

“Obviously our work force has received the brunt of the frustration from passengers but seem to be dealing with it quite well, as they have been reassured they are doing a critical job at a critical time,” said TSA spokesman Nico Melendez.

“The thing to keep in mind is that stress affects screeners as much as it does travelers,” said Tom Murphy, director of the Human Resiliency Institute at Fordham University. Murphy has provided customer-service training to screeners at many U.S. airports. “While senior government officials explore how to achieve optimum security in less intrusive, and therefore less stressful, ways my recommendation to travelers is to try to see this from the screeners’ point of view.”

A stressful job

Guy Winch, an expert on the psychology of complaining and customer service and the author of a forthcoming book, “The Squeaky Wheel,” is concerned with the stress levels TSA employees may be experiencing this week on the job.

He explains that the “emotional labor” TSA workers must do — “processing people regardless of hostile exchanges … and looking for explosives and weapons” — makes the stakes for performing their duties correctly “as high as they get.” Winch says the best thing TSA administrators can do for employees doing enhanced pat-downs is to provide an extra layer of managerial and supervisory support. “They need to convey the message that superiors are aware of the stresses the employees are under and are there to support them.”

Winch says having a mental health professional on staff or available as a referral “can be crucial in helping the people who did not make these rules but are charged with enforcing and implementing them nonetheless.”

Stewart Baker, who worked at the Department of Homeland Security as its first secretary of policy under President George W. Bush, suspects the new security protocols and the aggressive reaction of some passengers is hurting TSA morale.

“TSA has made a lot of progress in training its officers to be professional even in the face of unhappy passengers, but the latest protocols — and press coverage of the most inflammatory stories — have led to a much higher level of hostility,” said Baker.

“Instead of making this Wednesday National Opt-Out Day in which a bunch of self-appointed guardians of liberty slow down the line for everyone by asking for pat-downs,” said Baker, “maybe what we need is a day when everyone who goes through the line says, ‘Thanks for what you do.’ ”

TSA BACKSCATTER

Have a comment or a story to share about your ecurity checkpoint experience? Please leave your comments below.

And if you have

(More) stories on opt-out day, enhanced pat-downs and body scanners

Air Travel, Security, , ,

TSA BACKSCATTER

Have you had it up to here yet with stories about how mad people are about TSA enhanced pat-down procedures, the dangers (or not) of “naked scanners” and the pre-Thanksgiving “opt-out” campaign?

If not, then take a few moments to read some of these thoughtful, and perhaps useful, stories:

In a Wall Street Journal article, Will Turkey Day Fliers Cry Foul, Scott McCartney wrote a great overview of what next week will be like at the nation’s airports, what with enhanced pat-downs and full-body scanners and all.

On his blog, social media entrepreneur Peter Shankman makes a case against the National Opt-Out Day in A Rant About the TSA Ranters.

On his Flying with Fish blog, Steven Frischling writes about the TSA’s enhanced pat-downs from some screeners’ point of view.

And on its blog, the TSA offers explanations for stories we’ve been hearing about “leaked images, handcuffed hosts, religious garb and more..”

Opt out or opt in? Airport scanners & pat-downs in the news

Air Travel, Airports, Legislation, Safety, Security, Stuck at the Airport, , , ,

TSA BACKSCATTER

The news has been filled with stories about the TSA’s new enhanced body pat-downs, the new airport body scanners and campaigns encouraging people to opt out of the scanning process. Travelers left and right are posting their accounts of the pat-down process.

Need to catch up? Here are some of the stories:

USA TODAY has posted two opinion pieces on the airport scanning issue:

Our view on security vs. privacy: Critics bash airport scans, but what’s their alternative?

and

Opposing view on security vs. privacy: Honor basic dignity by James Babb and George Donnelly, the co-founders of the We Won’t Fly group.

Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, of Miracle on the Hudson fame, shared his opinion about whether or not airline personnel should be subjected to full body pat-downs and advanced imaging scanners.

and

Gizmodo got its hands on – and posted – photographs of 100 of the 35,000 images U.S. Marshals in a Florida Federal Courthouse saved on a scanner. These images don’t come from an airport scanner – Department of Homeland Security and TSA have promised that airport scanners do not have the capability to save images – but Gizmodo and others clearly aren’t confident that’s the real story.

There’s more. LOTS more.  Check back later….