TSA Unveils Planned Overhaul of Airport Screening
The federal government proposed Thursday to overhaul how airline passengers are screened against terrorist watch lists by taking over the process from airlines, and closing a long-known security hole that allows a person to evade extra screening using a fake boarding pass.
The new program, known as Secure Flight, would require airlines to forward itineraries to the government starting 72 hours before a flight. The Transportation Security Administration would then compare the names, dates of birth and gender against hundreds of thousands of names on the No-Fly and Selectee watch lists, and send the results back to the airlines.
Those who match or have details similar to a name on the Selectee list will get a boarding pass with a special code singling them out for extra screening. Individuals who don’t match will be free to print a boarding pass at home, if the airline offers that option.
You’re OK with a list containing hundreds of thousands of names for selective screening?
Does this mean it will become illegal to book a flight less than 3 days in advance? Or if you do, you automatically sign yourself up for all kinds of added security searches to your person and property?
My main issue with this is that -any- system based on a set database of names -helps- potential terror groups and cells as they will be able to send a set of their agents on various standard flights and see which are identified by the no-flight lists and which are not. This very easily allows a smaller subset of that group to fly without worry.
I feel safer because besides fingerprints and retinas everyone knows names are almost impossible to alter…
I’ve never flown before — what this “itineraries” thing? Do they really check up on where you’re going or is it how you explain it when your relating one? (If you sound hesitant, they’ll single you out.)
Seems to me that the TSA need a system that interfaces with the airlines computer systems, such that boarding passes are flagged with codes by the computer, and the humans in that part of the loop have no idea who is flagged and who is not.
The system should also flag a certain number of random people, such that “the bad guys” might get flagged anyway, and such that they can’t be sure they are on the list just because they get some extra attention.
They could go one step further, and actually book seats on flights that suspects are flying on an keep an eye on them I guess.
Having said all of that, surely when it comes to airport screening, we need to ensure that EVERY passenger is checked to make sure they are not bringing something nasty, like a monkey, on board 🙂
When they find a way to keep drugs and cell phones out of prisons, I’ll feel safer for going through the TSA security theater at the airport.
This is still a stupid idea that merely aims to placate those most afraid of terrorists. The same crowd that believes a praying Muslim is automatically a terrorist, or at least worthy of a real sit down with some acronym Government agents. Those that want to “git ’em over there before they come over here”.
Currently we have children, great grandmothers, and Congressional people on the “no fly” list. Please, explain clearly how those names ended up on the list. Then tell us what efforts have been used to make sure that those hundreds of thousands are actually potential terrorists.
Seems like Bushco has proven that the private sector doesn’t work.
I feel so comforted that the TSA screener at the security checkpoint is able to visually verify the authenticity of my driver’s license, match it to the boarding pass that I printed at home, and notice if my name matches the name of a ‘no-fly’ person because she has all the names memorized. These are amazing people with prodigious memories and X-Ray eyes.
Never mind that my fake ID has John Dvorac (sic) as the name on it.
Screening by names is a waste of time… a complete and absolute waste of time. It serves absolutely no purpose besides keeping honest people without boarding passes from clogging up security lines by going to the gate with other passengers.
Time to fly from San Jose to Burbank with a car rental pickup on the other end? 7 hours just last week. Time to drive same distance? 7 hours including 2 meal stops, no crying babies, no security checks, etc.
We have come to the point where flying less than 500 miles is a questionable choice.