“The Transportation Security Administration is rolling out expedited screening at big airports called “Precheck.” It has special lanes for background-checked travelers, who can keep their shoes, belt and jacket on, leave laptops and liquids in carry-on bags and walk through a metal detector rather than a full-body scan. The process, now at two airlines and nine airports, is much like how screenings worked before the Sept. 11 attacks.”
What? This is upsetting. The fact that TSA is charging you $100 for this expedited option means that they are now in the business of *forcing you to go through their regular process unless you pay them $100*.
Current TSA guidelines are inconvenient and ineffective, so I am supportive of ways to expedite security clearance. However, charging for such a service creates an obvious conflict of interest - now TSA has incentive to make their regular process so unpleasant that more people will choose to pay for the expedited option. Expect rectal exams in the near future…
I might sign up for that if it allowed you to get an opposite gender TSA agent for a pat down. Now that would be value added! The way my romantic life is currently, that be the most frequent action I’d get.
Yep, this is totally worth it for frequent travelers. But it could be better.
I think the US and the EU should come up with something together to get rid of screening for the majority of frequent travelers. This whole TSA thing is unnecessary period in my opinion (low chance of a terrorist attack as it is) but we could save a lot of money if they just put us through a basic pre-screening process. It is a nice big fat democratic voting unionizing bullshit government thing that won’t go away if we let it grow.
Flight crew and frequent travelers should be exempt from searches period assuming they have passed a screening process that I will describe below. The screening can come at a nominal fee.
We wouldn’t even need to openly discrimate against muslims (although it would make sense to do so logically). Basic stuff that the government knows from social security info could be used.
Anybody over the age of 40 is unlikely to be a terrorist.
Women, are unlikely to be terrorists
People born in the United States are unlikely to be terrorists. People with parents born in the US are unlikely to be terrorists. People with grand parents born in the United States are even more unlikely.
Anybody who has flown more than 50 times in the past 2 years is unlikely to be a terrorist. This covers frequent fliers
Married people with American children are unlikely to be terrorists
Make up an algorithm based on things like the above and create a critical value in order to approve people.
Then have zero screening process for them. Just random searches. Charge them 50 bucks a year for the privledge. Ahmen.
Finally, when some terrorist eventually blows up a plane think for a second. Rather than have a hissy fit about it, realize that we’ve had millions of flights and the event is not really that signficant overall. Get over it.
Well, whether the expedited option is worth paying for, given current circumstances, is another story. There is a big issue here because, 1) the TSA charges for the service, and 2) the point of the service is to escape ineffective procedures created by TSA itself. So, it’s basically extortion. If some guy ties you up and says he will shoot you in the balls if you don’t pay $100, that $100 is probably worth paying. However, the overall situation is not desirable. Balls shooter should not threaten you with balls shooting to begin with.
I’m not sure if it’s a Democrat/Republican thing. GW Bush’s administration is probably more responsible for the whole “fear, uncertainty and doubt” thing than their successor. What is certain, though, is that billions of dollars of government contracts go to suppliers of airport security equipment, such as X-rays, “millimeter wave” machines (body scanners), bomb detectors, and various other sorts of passenger screening. It is questionable if we actually need all this equipment, or if the equipment is there due to lobbying by equipment suppliers.
Only grand parents born in the U.S.? I don’t know, that might not be pure enough, think about the Oklahoma bomber. I say you’re good to go only if you have direct lineage with the U.S. founding fathers.
Btw, I remember this chick I was chatting with a couple of years after 9/11, telling her that she would just need to say the word and I would fly to see her right away, taking the first available flight (U.S. East coast to Toronto). She didn’t believe me but said OK come to see me, so I ran to the airport, bought a last minute one-way ticket with cash (didn’t want to use my job’s credit card), no luggage, foreign dude in his 20s flying alone. All red flags. I bet the airline’s system started: “BEEEP! BEEEP! Potential terrorist boarding!” I almost got the rectal inspection at the security checkpoint …”Now spread your legs and look at the camera, sir”. Funny.
I think that I might sign up for Nexus in the next year or so, depending on how much traveling I do. It’s $100 for 5 years, lets you essentially skip the customs lines (use a kiosk instead), and it gives you access to this Precheck thing also. Essentially the same thing as Global Entry, just Nexus is the term for the one Canadian citizens go under b/c you have to be cleared by both US and Canadian customs and immigration.
