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You guys mind if I jump in here for a minute?
I will be the first to say that I HATE security checkpoints. I know nobody "likes" them but you should try going through them several times every day you work. I have actually worn out 2 pairs of shoe laces from taking my shoes off every time. As much as I hate these things I understand their need. It wouldn't be very hard to duplicate my uniform and pass someone off as genuine.
I do agree that the TSA is out of control. We need to do something that really disturbs the liberals....racial profiling. I know it has gained an ugly reputation, but if we really want to prevent this from happening again we need to stop the ones doing it. Last time I checked a six year old girl travelling with her family hasn't been responsible for too much terrorism lately, yet that is who they were searching yesterday morning right in front of me. They are going out of their way to "prove" that they aren't "profiling" so they are avoiding the exact people that any reasonable person would consider. You might consider asking Mr Mineta the head of the DOT about this. It would seem that the "red flags" they are currently using to identify possible threats (one way tickets, paying with cash, etc) weren't used by ANY of the hijackers on 9/11. I wonder who appointed this guy. Oh yeah, it was Clinton.
Back to the question posed by Aurel. The screeners have ALWAYS had a "zero tolerance" policy about "joking" about this stuff and there are a fair number of signs to explain this. There are 2 reasons for this policy. First, you never know who is just "joking" and who is telling the truth, so they have to err on the side of safety. The second reason is for the other passengers. What if the screener did nothing about this pilot and they just laughed it off? Other people surely heard him, so what are they to think? What would you think? I had to cancel a flight a few years ago because as one of my passengers was passing the flight deck, he looked in and said "didn't I just have a beer with you?" Funny right? The rest of my passengers didn't think so, because I had to get a breath test to prove that in fact I had not been drinking. It took over 4 hours. Fun right? I'm sure you would have understood that he was "only joking" right? I owe it to myself and to my passengers to not let the frustration I may feel going through security get the best of me. He should have known better. BTW this has happened to several domestic crews over the years too. Oh, and not all crews carry guns, and even the ones who do still have to go through security, so they can remain anonymous.
Zeke, I'm sorry to hear that you don't fly anymore. It's gotten better out there. I just can't imagine never being on an airplane again.
Pete
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