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Thanksgiving 2015 - expect longer security lines, reduced PreCheck "perks"

Thanksgiving 2015 - expect longer security lines, reduced PreCheck "perks"

Old Nov 25, 2015, 8:45 am
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by chollie
I do not know how the failure rate in the Pre lanes compared to the failure rate in 'full meal deal' lanes. Do you?

IIRC, one fail was when the groper missed a weapon somehow 'artfully concealed' to/on the pax's back.

That sure sounds like it was someone going through the 'regular' lane, not the Pre lane, where the odds of getting a grope are supposedly less.
To my knowledge the OIG did not distinguish between Precheck and standard, when discussing the 95% failure rate. But is there a reasonable expectation that the detection rate on Precheck would be different?
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 9:44 am
  #17  
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Originally Posted by gingersnaps
To my knowledge the OIG did not distinguish between Precheck and standard, when discussing the 95% failure rate. But is there a reasonable expectation that the detection rate on Precheck would be different?
You accused Pistole of prioritizing speed over rigorous screening, thus leading to the test failures.

If that's the case - speed and efficiency are incompatible with thorough invasive screening - then the failure rate should be higher in the Pre lanes because they are taking 'shortcuts' to speed the process.

By 'shortcuts', I think we all mean reducing the amount of clothing removed and the frequency of having a TSO physically lay hands on you.

TSOs are missing things because they are on their cellphones or engaging in personal conversations. Those who are supposed to be monitoring their behavior are either 1) clustered in a group of STSOs and LTSOs and toady TSOs standing off to the side playing games on their phones or chatting or 2) sitting in their FSD office far away from checkpoints and baggage inspection.

Last edited by chollie; Nov 25, 2015 at 9:49 am
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 10:25 am
  #18  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
I wish they would. For me, the word has connotations of Germany during the Nazi era.
Godwin's Law.

Maybe not, too soon.
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 5:31 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by txflyer77
Cleared DEN security ten minutes ago. Theater is in full-force. The metal detector at the south Pre line is now "randomly" rejecting people, so even though you have Pre you have to go through the MMW or wait for a grope.
This has unfortunately been the case at all Pre WTMDs for some time (years). What TSA varies is the rate of "random" rejections: it had been fairly low IME of late, but I've had bad stretches where it "randomly" rejected me for several flights in a row.

You can usually tell the difference when walking through: a metal detection beeps right away, whereas the "random" one beeps a half second or so later. (It also IIRC shows "RAND" or something similar on the LED display atop the WTMD.)

In the past, this meant just a hand swab and possible bag secondary--annoying, but no big deal as it resolved in seconds. Earlier this year, they went to directing all WTMD alarms to the Nude-o-Scopes, which I find more annoying.



Originally Posted by txflyer77
The perv groping me claimed this is a nationwide policy: Pre WTMDs will randomly beep. I don't know if that's truecould just be this mouthbreather blowing smokebut I made it clear to him exactly how stupid and pointless that is.
He was unfortunately right.
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Old Nov 25, 2015, 7:18 pm
  #20  
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Originally Posted by txflyer77
Cleared DEN security ten minutes ago. Theater is in full-force. The metal detector at the south Pre line is now "randomly" rejecting people, so even though you have Pre you have to go through the MMW or wait for a grope.

The WTMD beeped for me (no belt, watch, nothing in pockets, so I'm inclined to believe it is randomly beeping). My bags had already gone through and I was directed to a long line of fellow rejectees waiting for the MMW. My bags would've been a solid 30 feet away and I wouldn't have been able to see them, so I refused and stood next to the WTMD for about 15 minutes while waiting for a groper.

The perv groping me claimed this is a nationwide policy
: Pre WTMDs will randomly beep. I don't know if that's true—could just be this mouthbreather blowing smoke—but I made it clear to him exactly how stupid and pointless that is.

Took maybe 20 minutes to get through security, which itself isn't bad for a holiday week, but it would've been the normal Pre experience if not for this sheer idiocy.

Paul Theroux summed it up well:



How I hate these people.
(bolding mine)

This was DEN, so there is another possible explanation...

You're hot, the TSO tipped his buddy, and you got singled out for...special attention.

It's not like it hasn't happened at DEN before. IIRC, the TSA special investigator witnessed but declined to get the pax's name and information for some reason.

It's probably the same response the too-friendly DEN TSO gave to any of the guys he set up for a sexual grope - "it's just a new TSA procedure".

Last edited by chollie; Nov 25, 2015 at 8:59 pm
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Old Nov 26, 2015, 9:15 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by exerda
This has unfortunately been the case at all Pre WTMDs for some time (years). What TSA varies is the rate of "random" rejections: it had been fairly low IME of late, but I've had bad stretches where it "randomly" rejected me for several flights in a row.

You can usually tell the difference when walking through: a metal detection beeps right away, whereas the "random" one beeps a half second or so later. (It also IIRC shows "RAND" or something similar on the LED display atop the WTMD.)

In the past, this meant just a hand swab and possible bag secondary--annoying, but no big deal as it resolved in seconds. Earlier this year, they went to directing all WTMD alarms to the Nude-o-Scopes, which I find more annoying.





He was unfortunately right.
You're spot-on with everything, except that TSA no longer calls it "random selection." They dropped the pretense that it's random. It's now called a "quota," because they have a set quota of additional screening selections per day.

So, you will hear the TSO refer to it as a "quota," or a "quota alarm." In airports where AIT scanners are installed in the pre-check lanes, the quota selectee will be sent to the scanner. In airports where there are no scanners in the pre-check lane, the quota selectee will get, at minimum, a hand swab for explosives.
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Old Nov 26, 2015, 11:30 am
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by chollie
(bolding mine)

This was DEN, so there is another possible explanation...

You're hot, the TSO tipped his buddy, and you got singled out for...special attention.

It's not like it hasn't happened at DEN before. IIRC, the TSA special investigator witnessed but declined to get the pax's name and information for some reason.

It's probably the same response the too-friendly DEN TSO gave to any of the guys he set up for a sexual grope - "it's just a new TSA procedure".
Unless they just have a fetish for fat white guys, pretty sure that's not the explanation.
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Old Nov 26, 2015, 2:11 pm
  #23  
 
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Today, at the pre-check lane at MDW, things seemed to be normal. I noticed one person from the other pre-check lane get sent to the NOS and I think that someone was sent from my lane shortly before I arrived as well. The quota rate did not seem higher than usual, but perhaps I was just lucky.

How is it determined when the quota rate is higher?
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Old Nov 26, 2015, 3:07 pm
  #24  
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Yesterday evening around 5 pm Terminal C in BOS was quiet. I was shocked. Had expected large crowds. The only line was to be seated at Legal Seafoods: 10 minutes wait.
Arrived at LAS at 11 pm. No crowds either. In no time had my car (Infinity), drove to Bellagio and checked in.
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Old Nov 28, 2015, 7:29 am
  #25  
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On Wed. 11/25 I clearned security at around 3 PM at JFK T8 (mainly AA and a few foreign carriers). I'm in pre-check, but couldn't use it as I was fkying on one of the fgn. airlines--so I was using the "priority" lane. There weren't too many pax using priority, but the line to have id and bp checked was slow moving; there were two agents, one processed 3 pax to 1 for the other agent, he scrutenized everything very carefully, I didn't see anyone (for priority) being given extra checking.
There may have been a long line for "normal" pax clearing security--though it could have been a check-in line.
PS: Under normal circumstances (pre terrorist alerts), even for pre check pax, T8 is never a pleasant experience.
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Old Nov 28, 2015, 9:14 am
  #26  
 
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AUS is deserted this morning. No line at any checkpoint.
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Old Nov 29, 2015, 1:17 pm
  #27  
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Originally Posted by txflyer77
AUS is deserted this morning. No line at any checkpoint.
Yeah, I noticed that. Last Friday morning it was so extremely busy at PHX T4 checkpoint A. I saw the lines is very long, but I didn't go through at security by last week. I didn't have a chance to go into the entire concourse. I have to go to work for every morning. I work at Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles.
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Old Nov 30, 2015, 1:23 pm
  #28  
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Originally Posted by txflyer77
Unless they just have a fetish for fat white guys, pretty sure that's not the explanation.
Great, another airport that I need to avoid or risk getting pulled aside for my "good looks."

Mike
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Old Nov 30, 2015, 1:26 pm
  #29  
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Nothing too special out of RDU PreCheck last night. I made the mistake of going through right after an employee pushing an empty wheelchair. He set off the randomizer, but according to the clerk "we don't search employees". Once I dropped by stuff on the belt, I was directed to the NoS, though obviously didn't go through.

Ended up with a hand swab and the clerk took it a step further and swabbed my backpack. Seems pretty ridiculous, given the climate we are in.. Airport employees around the world are under investigation for ties to ISIS, yet the TSA just lets them waltz past any secondary measures.
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Old Dec 1, 2015, 12:55 pm
  #30  
 
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Yesterday at SJC, round about noon, arrived and got into the Pre line only to be told at the podium that Pre was closed and I'd get the "lite" version of taking out my laptop/liquids but going through the WTMD.

Could've been holiday stuff. Or just SJC being SJC; they really like to randomly close Pre there.
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