Airport on Lockdown After TSA Agent Allows Flagged Bag Through
Joe Cortez November 10, 2015
Miami International Airport went into lockdown after TSA allowed suspicious bag to pass without further screening.
A total of 50 flights were delayed arriving and departing from Miami International Airport (MIA) after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials allowed a bag flagged for additional screening to pass through a checkpoint. A SWAT team later boarded an American Airlines flight to retrieve the bag, only to determine the items were safe.
The mix-up began just after 5 p.m. EST on Monday. Mark Howell, a TSA spokesperson, told ABC affiliate WPLG-TV that during routine screening a traveler’s carry-on bag was flagged for additional screening – but allowed to pass through anyways.
The incident triggered a massive security response that involved local police and the FBI. Airport officials told WPLG two TSA checkpoints were shut down and one terminal went under lockdown as officials looked for the passenger in question.
Passengers aboard affected flights say SWAT teams boarded their aircraft, forcing all the passengers to keep their hands on their head as they searched for the passenger. Some flyers posted pictures of the ordeal to Twitter. The passenger in question was later found on American Airlines Flight 2393, bound for Barbados.
Once the bag was checked, authorities say the airport was returned to normal operating status by 8 p.m., three hours after the incident began. During this time, 22 inbound flights and 26 outbound flights were delayed. Howell told WPLG the TSA would review the incident and retrain agents as necessary.
The incident comes after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced new security protocol for select flights returning to the United States in the wake of the Russian MetroJet incident in Egypt. Meanwhile, a FlyerTalk/Frequent Business Traveler survey suggests public opinion of the TSA is down, with over 70 percent of respondents saying screening procedures are either “not effective” or “not too effective” at preventing acts of terrorism.
[Photo: Twitter / Melanie Masarin]
[quote]As a traveling public we need to accept that safety comes with a reasonable delay/[/quote] I will only accept that once TSA starts providing reasonable security. Time and time and time again, they've proven to not provide anything but some kind of performance art, in which the public has been assigned the role of the fool. With respect for individual agents, but the organisation and its procedures are a shambolic mess rivaling the Keystone Cops.
Not very surprising. While in standard lanes, it seems the xray belt almost never stops. The only noticeable stoppage of the xray is when the bags on the back end pile up. The TSA Administrator recently testified to Congress, that TSA management had developed an attitude of disproportionate focus on speed over security. It is not reasonable to believe that the attitude of speed first instantly went away when Neffenger took the reins. As a traveling public we need to accept that safety comes with a reasonable delay. TSA needs to get that message too.
We probably should expect a lot more of this intrusive behavior after the tragic explosion over Egypt.
Devils advocate here: why would they not need to re-screen everyone and check all the airside area? The passenger could have moved the very dangerous what-ever out of his bag long before they found him. DanishFlyer
"Additional screening"... as long as that tube of toothpaste was less than 100mL, I'm sure it was all worth it.