danielonn

With the recent Stoaway Passenger caught on a Southwest SJC-LAX flight why can't the TSA do something like Lufthansa Does whereby at the gate you must insert your boarding pass in order for the boarding doors to open. Perhaps to take it one step further you may be asked to swipe your ID and boarding pass as well to open the door.

At the security checkpoints there could be a similar setup like on the Metro whereby you are asked to Swipe your ID and scan or insert your boarding pass in order for the Control Gates to open to allow access to the security screening area.

If the machine cannot confirm the identity then it would sound three beeps and the TSA agent would have to check the Boarding Pass and ID and then if it all is OK would swipe his or her TSA ID Card and enter a 4 digit pin for the control gates to open.

If a passenger does not have a boarding pass then they would not be allowed through the Control Gate into the Security Area.

When exiting the airport secure area towards the boarding area perhaps the passengers would be required to hold onto their boarding passes which is why a second copy would be printed until they are in the baggage claim area. This way at the exit checkpoint they would swipe their Boarding Pass and ID and if there was any issue the airline could flag the passenger and they would be taken to a holding area until the issue was cleared or proper authorities were caught. This would avoid anyone trying to commit an illegal act.

For instance if a passenger in 3 A was caught stealing a jacket of a passenger seated in 1 A all the Gate Agent would have to do is enter the PNR/ID and send a message which would flag the exit checkpoint. Cruiselines are having you scan your SeaPass when you leave and board the ship. If there is a problem there would be a Bell that sounds and you would be held until you were cleared.

If for some reason the passenger accidently forgot his boarding pass the exit Security Screener could look up the itinerary with the last name and flight# or routing etc.

What are your thoughts about this type of system?

Spiff

ID is not security, so there's no breach if someone has been screened.

We should instead prohibit airport "security" employees from ever asking for ID under any circumstance. ID checking should be at the sole discretion of the airlines for revenue protection purposes. And we should remove the disease known as TSA from all USA airports.

xero9

Without knowing anything more about it than simply there were two occurrences of a stowaway..

Was the security breach through the terminal itself? Honestly, I would have thought they'd have made it onto the apron of the airport itself without going through the terminal. Kind of like that guy who made his way onto JFK from the water.

edit: Sorry, I thought we were talking about the person who survived the flight in the wheelwell of that aircraft a while back, and I thought this most recent thing was the same thing. Looks like some woman managed to get into the airport without a boarding pass. Please ignore my message above.

Carl Johnson

Nothing about the TSA contributes to security, so there are no security breaches to be prevented. The system the OP suggests is cumbersome and complicated and tends toward false imprisonment.

I have an idea. Why not have some kind of agent at the gate scan each passenger's boarding pass as they approach the gate to board.

WillCAD

Hey! I think Southwest stole your idea!

RadioGirl

There was one stowaway passenger who is merely guilty of obtaining a flight without paying for it. She was not a terrorist and did not pose any danger to the other passengers, crew, citizens, or the Homeland . So sure, let's implement an enormous "solution" to make sure it never happens again.

You are proposing a system of swipe machines everywhere (entry to checkpoint, boarding gate, exit from airside) which will need to be able to read every conceivable type of ID (including foreign passports, Costco cards and temporary drivers licences) and every form of BP (home-printed on regular paper, airline supplied cardstock, mobile BP on phone). These machines will have a certain failure rate, so each machine will need a full-time TSA screener to over-ride failures or double-check that the machine is functioning properly.

This is not only extraordinarily expensive, but the additional time of each passenger swiping both an ID and a BP, and then getting help from the TSA attendant if it fails, will likely double the time it takes for boarding an aircraft.

Expensive, time-consuming, impractical and ineffective. It's a terrible idea. TSA will love it.

I also fail to see how any of this "avoids anyone trying to commit an illegal act". If it is known before landing that the passenger in 3A stole someone's jacket, the flight crew could either ask Mr 3A to give it back or could have police meet the plane and apprehend Mr 3A when he disembarks, or provide the police with Mr 3A's name and contact information (from the booking). The far more likely scenario is that Mr 1A's laptop is stolen while on board but no one knows who it is.

ID is not security, and more complicated scanning of everyone everywhere is not the answer.

TheOneTheOnly

To answer the topic directly:
Replace the tsa.

Schmurrr

Which Metro asks riders to swipe their IDs?

Spiff

East Germany?

Himeno

How to avoid security breaches? Get a competent screening setup - ie, replace the TSA.

As for scanning boarding passes at the checkpoint, Japan does that for domestic checkpoints (and ID is not required). But TSA likely won't because it would be one step closer to removing the TDC position

84fiero

Really, the only "breach" was theft or attempted theft of transportation services from the airline. I don't see any need for such an elaborate and expensive system.

TheRoadie

Man, those sneaky guys....Next somebody will suggest they count heads on the aircraft and compare it to the number that are supposed to be on board. What an intrusive process that would be. @:-)

FLgrr

This assumes they could count. A stowaway might even hide in the bathroom if they are determined. Can imagine the flight delay while they recount 2 or 3 times to see that they understand the numbers don't match. Somehow this woman had valid 'stuff' to get past ID checkpoints, TSA and onto the plane. Or was it a case of a cute old lady, so they had to make exceptions for her? Security should not make exceptions just cause you feel like it today. That is where they need too start is to figure out how she did it, then punish the people that let her by.