Are there still selectees at overseas airports?
Apr 7, 2012, 4:01 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Arizona, USA
Posts: 2,403
Are there still selectees at overseas airports?
Looking back on the past four or five trips from Europe/South America to the US, I noticed that nobody seemed to be "singled out" by contract security agents. (Israel is another story.)
They still ask the questions prior to check-in and at the gate, but I've never noticed anyone pulled aside for further scrutiny other than random pat-downs/wandings/bag inspections just prior to boarding.
In Rodney Wallis' book, Lockerbie, he discussed how the Pan Am security agents didn't actually know what a selectee was. They just asked the questions, and they didn't necessarily speak enough English to understand the responses.
So do the interviews actually lead to anything? Or is it just strictly theater?
They still ask the questions prior to check-in and at the gate, but I've never noticed anyone pulled aside for further scrutiny other than random pat-downs/wandings/bag inspections just prior to boarding.
In Rodney Wallis' book, Lockerbie, he discussed how the Pan Am security agents didn't actually know what a selectee was. They just asked the questions, and they didn't necessarily speak enough English to understand the responses.
So do the interviews actually lead to anything? Or is it just strictly theater?
Apr 11, 2012, 7:26 am
#3
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
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Posts: 102,095
It's theater. Questioning passengers isn't needed to interdict contraband WEIs. It was voodoo "security" then and voodoo "security" it still is.
Is that claim in that book accurate? I used to fly PanAm a fair amount from LHR to JFK and also from FRA; and I don't recall ever encountering that language problem at LHR or FRA when flying them.
I am not sure what difference it would make for PanAm 103's security, even if understanding the spoken language were an issue.
I am not sure what difference it would make for PanAm 103's security, even if understanding the spoken language were an issue.
Last edited by GUWonder; Apr 11, 2012 at 7:32 am
Apr 11, 2012, 9:14 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 5,577
Looking back on the past four or five trips from Europe/South America to the US, I noticed that nobody seemed to be "singled out" by contract security agents. (Israel is another story.)
They still ask the questions prior to check-in and at the gate, but I've never noticed anyone pulled aside for further scrutiny other than random pat-downs/wandings/bag inspections just prior to boarding.
In Rodney Wallis' book, Lockerbie, he discussed how the Pan Am security agents didn't actually know what a selectee was. They just asked the questions, and they didn't necessarily speak enough English to understand the responses.
So do the interviews actually lead to anything? Or is it just strictly theater?
They still ask the questions prior to check-in and at the gate, but I've never noticed anyone pulled aside for further scrutiny other than random pat-downs/wandings/bag inspections just prior to boarding.
In Rodney Wallis' book, Lockerbie, he discussed how the Pan Am security agents didn't actually know what a selectee was. They just asked the questions, and they didn't necessarily speak enough English to understand the responses.
So do the interviews actually lead to anything? Or is it just strictly theater?
Apr 13, 2012, 8:11 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Trenton NJ
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Posts: 3,661
I travel LH on EWR-DUS somewhat frequently. Four times out of five, I get pulled aside for additional screening before boarding. Never an SSSS on the boarding pass but just a random and likely because I'm a solo traveler carrying a laptop bag and possibly duty free (they think it's easy until they get into my laptop bag...)
