Originally Posted by SBM12
Oh, and the 16% number is very thin, as 86MM (over 85MM) is BARELY 16% of 535MM total bags, and the denominator was more tham 535MM, so the numbers are barely accurate. But that's what I could find.
The number of checked baggage opened for screening has actually very little to do with the total number of bags screened. Since TSA tracks the number of bags screened total versus the number of bags actually opened in checked baggage, I'd say that's probably a more or less accurate number than you're willing to give it credit for.
What I'm curious about, and I'm sure that TSO's in-the-know who know the SSI baggage procedures as well, is why that number isn't higher.
As for passengers through the checkpoint... neh... I'd be willing to bet it's not
actually 708 million passengers, whereas it's more like 708 million passes through the walk-through metal detectors. Everyone who does that gets screened, but on days of canceled flights and massive delays we could end up screening the same person three or four times, then there's the airport workers that have to come through the checkpoint, our own selves as we report in for duty, et cetera.
It's the difference between unique individuals or persons screened. If you count unique individuals - i.e.; one person might get screened five times in one day, and he still only count as one - then the number would likely be much, much lower. Personally, I'd say the point is moot, though - the fact that they came through ten minutes ago doesn't alter one whit the things we need to do to clear them, and if they had a knee replacement and had to be hand-wanded before, then they'll still have a knee replacement and have to be hand-wanded again.
Personally, I don't think the TSA is going to be going anywhere regardless of which candidate gets elected. The only real difference between the two is probably going to be whether or not PASS is eliminated (Republicans are against it, Democrats want to move us to the GS-scale) and whether or not we get unionized (as if it already wasn't hard enough to get rid of the people that don't want to work). Re-privatizing airport security would likely destroy the aviation system and bankrupt the airlines, since they're the ones who have to pay for a private system.