Practical Travel Safety Issues - New checkpoint procedures start this weekend (age dependent)

Good news (if you were born in 1937 or prior):

New Security Procedures Start This Weekend at Airport Checkpoints (http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler.com/2012/05/new-security-procedures-start-this-weekend-at-airport-checkpoints/)

With the unofficial start of summer come this weekend, new procedures will go into place at the nation’s airports, but you have to have be 75 years or older to take advantage of them.

Starting this weekend, passengers 75 years of age and older will benefit from less scrutiny at security checkpoints. This means that anyone born in 1937 or before will no longer have to remove his shoes or jacket …
<SNIP>

In addition to the numerous reasons discussed in other threads, this patronizing concession will be a train wreck because it will require clerks to add & subtract.

In addition to the numerous reasons discussed in other threads, this patronizing concession will be a train wreck because it will require clerks to add & subtract.

I don't know if I'd call it patronizing, but it certainly is cynical. (or maybe that's what you mean...)

For one thing, older people vote more often, and for another, DHS realizes that it looks bad politically to subject older passengers to these indignities.

If DHS thinks that these intrusive and demeaning procedures can be given up for older people, then they can be given up for everyone just as effectively.

In addition to the numerous reasons discussed in other threads, this patronizing concession will be a train wreck because it will require clerks to add & subtract.

From what I was told, the clerks will take the word of passengers on age and NOT ask for proof but go based on "if the look old."

Of course, this could lead to people coloring their hair grey and all kinds of things... ;)

From what I was told, the clerks will take the word of passengers on age and NOT ask for proof but go based on "if the look old."

Of course, this could lead to people coloring their hair grey and all kinds of things... ;)

We've all seen the signs on the counters in convenience stores: "Cigarettes and lottery: today in 1994; alcohol, today in 1991". Perhaps the TSA could have such a sign: "If you were born before today in 1937..."

When I was a teenager, fellow students would [attempt to] create fake IDs by scraping "1979" into "1973"--the FL DMV has since taken countermeasures. I joked that my only option was to scrape "1980" into "1930", but nightclub bouncers might have a hard time buying that.

I wonder if the TSA would buy a scraped driver's license: "I'm 81, but I look 31!" :-)

We flew this past weekend with my mother and she was informed of the policy at ORD, but when she got to the line she had to tell the agent the policy. Same thing happened in Denver. Both times they told her that she didn't look old enough, but they took her word for it.

She thinks the whole process is degrading, useless, and a huge waste of money, but since she is stuck with it, she liked not having to take her shoes off (a real time saver). However, she thought that allowing the jackets to be kept on was going to backfire as people would routinely leave things in their pockets and trigger a patdown.

We flew this past weekend with my mother and she was informed of the policy at ORD, but when she got to the line she had to tell the agent the policy. Same thing happened in Denver. Both times they told her that she didn't look old enough, but they took her word for it.

She thinks the whole process is degrading, useless, and a huge waste of money, but since she is stuck with it, she liked not having to take her shoes off (a real time saver). However, she thought that allowing the jackets to be kept on was going to backfire as people would routinely leave things in their pockets and trigger a patdown.

Twice they took her word for it? Did they also take her word for it that the name on her boarding pass was really hers and not ask for government issued ID which would most likely have her birth date on it?

Don't they realize that allowing senior citizens through without strip searches means that the terrorists will start using granny? Won't somebody please think of the children seniors?!

Mike

Since DL and PP (account for nearly all the forms of id used at a checkpoint) and these all have the date of birth; and 1937 is now the new cutoff, tsa won't have to do any arithmetic (higher math for them:D). I don't see why trusting someone when stating their age comes into play.

Since DL and PP (account for nearly all the forms of id used at a checkpoint) and these all have the date of birth; and 1937 is now the new cutoff, tsa won't have to do any arithmetic (higher math for them:D). I don't see why trusting someone when stating their age comes into play.
There is - from what I understand - no direct connection from the ID check(er) to the screening. The TSA has already said it will take passengers' word for age. How this plays out, we shall see.

Don't they realize that allowing senior citizens through without strip searches means that the terrorists will start using granny? Won't somebody please think of the children seniors?!

Mike
Of course, even some of my colleagues were a bit concerned about the procedures. However, this is part of TSA's risk based approach and does not allow seniors to "advance to go, collect 200".

Of course, even some of my colleagues were a bit concerned about the procedures. However, this is part of TSA's risk based approach and does not allow seniors to "advance to go, collect 200".

Your colleagues were concerned that senior citizens would be a terrorist threat without the strip search? Really?

Mike

The TSA has already said it will take passengers' word for age. How this plays out, we shall see.

The date of birth is already in the passenger reservation info at the airline. Why not have the airlines print out special Gold bordered boarding passes for the Golden Oldie passengers? Then the TSA clerks do not have to do math, just have normal color vision. When in doubt they can match the BP color to their gold plated tin badge as a reference sample.

The date of birth is already in the passenger reservation info at the airline. Why not have the airlines print out special Gold bordered boarding passes for the Golden Oldie passengers? Then the TSA clerks do not have to do math, just have normal color vision. When in doubt they can match the BP color to their gold plated tin badge as a reference sample.

The date of birth in the PNRs can be rather routinely fudged -- regularly without negative consequence.

Your colleagues were concerned that senior citizens would be a terrorist threat without the strip search? Really?

Mike

They aren't exempt from the strip search.

They may keep on their jackets and their shoes. They also get multiple passes through a strip search machine to avoid the embarrassing "pat down."

BFD.

Can't wait until I turn 75. Then I graduate from "suspected terrorist" to "quasi-suspected terrorist", and I can keep my shoes on!

If they're not removing shoes and jackets, then presumably they would also be going through a WTMD, right? Wouldn't it be easy enough for the TDC to have little strips of paper or something to hand to applicable passengers based on age? Like blue for 12 and under, and yellow for 75 and older. Not very green, though... ;)

I'm going to find out where this guy bought his old man mask...


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/11/04/bc-elderly-man-disguise-air-canada.html

2010 - "Young Asian male has been intercepted by authorities in Vancouver after boarding a flight from Hong Kong disguised as an elderly white man"

They may keep on their jackets and their shoes. They also get multiple passes through a strip search machine to avoid the embarrassing "pat down."



Well that's gonna speed things up.

The date of birth in the PNRs can be rather routinely fudged -- regularly without negative consequence.

Don't most people use a driver's license (or passport) as ID? That has DOB. Should be easy to hit with a gold highlighter or something.

My mom (75) opined this should speed things up given how long it takes old people to put on shoes and belts.

Don't most people use a driver's license (or passport) as ID? That has DOB. Should be easy to hit with a gold highlighter or something.

I think the point may have been missed, as I was responding to the idea of using the DOB from the "passenger reservation info at the airline". The DOB in the PNR can be fudged.

The PNR's DOB is generally not cross-checked against the photo ID's DOB -- at least not generally by the check-in agents nor TSA employees at the airport. [Exceptions do exist, but those are exceptions rather than the general procedure.] For trips from airports where the TSA is running the screening show, most passengers' DOB in PNRs is based on what the passengers enter and thus the DOB can be fudged -- generally without negative consequence -- even if the PNR DOB differs from the photo ID DOB.

Twice they took her word for it? Did they also take her word for it that the name on her boarding pass was really hers and not ask for government issued ID which would most likely have her birth date on it?

Sorry for the confusion due to my lack of clarity. In both cases, the i.d. checkers saw her age on her license; it was the tsa manning the machines who then questioned her and took her word for her age.

Perhaps the TSA could have such a sign: "If you were born before today in 1937...

Perhaps.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f73b582/turbine/sns-201203270000--tms--traveltrctntt-b20120327-001/600

I am surprised anyone at TSA can subtract 75 from 2012 and come up with the right answer @:-)

Of course, even some of my colleagues were a bit concerned about the procedures. However, this is part of TSA's risk based approach and does not allow seniors to "advance to go, collect 200".

Your colleagues were concerned that senior citizens would be a terrorist threat without the strip search? Really?

Mike

They aren't exempt from the strip search.

They may keep on their jackets and their shoes. They also get multiple passes through a strip search machine to avoid the embarrassing "pat down."

BFD.

I still want to know if it's really true that someone was actually "a bit concerned about the procedures." I wonder how that conversation went.

I will not take advantage of this rather insignificant change in procedure but instead continue to opt out. I want them to touch my "old" package and hope that when they go home they feel dirty and worthless as anyone else would who touches strangers' genitals without good reason ( and that on a daily basis ).

Can't wait until I turn 75. Then I graduate from "suspected terrorist" to "quasi-suspected terrorist", and I can keep my shoes on!

+infinity; I'm going to turn 75 in 2055.

Eventually, we're going to have a population too young to remember 9/11; hopefully, this would help nail shut the coffin of terrorism paranoia, just like how not very many people are afraid anymore of the Japanese or communists.

+infinity; I'm going to turn 75 in 2055.

Eventually, we're going to have a population too young to remember 9/11; hopefully, this would help nail shut the coffin of terrorism paranoia, just like how not very many people are afraid anymore of the Japanese or communists.

Time will tell, but for years now I see that TSA treats us "older" folk with considerably more disrespect and applies tougher measures compared to the
young and middle aged fliers. Older fliers, the handicapped as well as foreigners are the daily easy targets. I hope each and everyone of them pays a price for all of that one of these days. I realize that's wishful thinking.

I will not take advantage of this rather insignificant change in procedure but instead continue to opt out. I want them to touch my "old" package and hope that when they go home they feel dirty and worthless as anyone else would who touches strangers' genitals without good reason ( and that on a daily basis ).

I'm based in ORD where they were "testing" this procedure before introducing it nationwide, and they seemed to send the 75+ crowd through the WTMD. ORD is a near-100% backscatter airport with virtually no SDOO and use of the WTMD prevented when the backscatter is in use, and they were still sending the 75+ crowd through the WTMD when I watched. It looked like PreCheck, but with wheelchairs, canes, walkers and oxygen. So if you want to opt-out of the WTMD for a grope, feel free, but I wouldn't.

I will not take advantage of this rather insignificant change in procedure but instead continue to opt out. I want them to touch my "old" package and hope that when they go home they feel dirty and worthless as anyone else would who touches strangers' genitals without good reason ( and that on a daily basis ).

You might find that the new 75+ SOP includes a "modified" patdown (like they do for under 12) as an unadvertized feature; I doubt they want a repeat of daipergate. You'll let us know.

Eventually, we're going to have a population too young to remember 9/11; hopefully, this would help nail shut the coffin of terrorism paranoia, just like how not very many people are afraid anymore of the Japanese or communists.
Or we'll have a population that has never known anything other than this level of gov't intrusion, a population that doesn't remember the pre-9/11 security, a population that believes that we must sacrifice our rights to protect our lives rather than the other way around.

Not many people are afraid of the Japanese or communists anymore, but the increases in gov't power that came from those fears has not receded.

Time will tell.

I'm based in ORD where they were "testing" this procedure before introducing it nationwide, and they seemed to send the 75+ crowd through the WTMD. ORD is a near-100% backscatter airport with virtually no SDOO and use of the WTMD prevented when the backscatter is in use, and they were still sending the 75+ crowd through the WTMD when I watched. It looked like PreCheck, but with wheelchairs, canes, walkers and oxygen. So if you want to opt-out of the WTMD for a grope, feel free, but I wouldn't.

I will not be able to "test" the new system in the U.S. until the fall after I had knee replacement surgery in the States. I would assume that the WTMD would catch the implant and then I would be "groped" anyway. Will see what happens.