Some airports have oversize baggage check stations where the TSA inspection occurs near where a passenger can wait (and provide combinations or keys to locks and/or advise the TSA on how to repack the bag).
I’m sure some do.
Wouldn't it make sense to offer such baggage check stations for non-oversize baggage? I.e. passenger gets baggage tagged at the counter or kiosk or whatever, then takes it to the check station with the TSA inspection, and can remain nearby in case the TSA needs assistance opening or closing the bag (and can watch the inspection process).
TSA use to do that, when they first started. I hear stories about it from screeners who have been here longer than I, and most are horror stories.
Listen, bag screening is a volume business. Limited time to screen so many bags for so many flights. That works out to an average per bag. And that average has been going up and down for quite some time. Technology can make a big difference, adding a CTX system can cut bag inspection time down to seconds per bag but they also cost a major fortune. Add to that the fact that many airports cannot support the systems without major construction and you have a problem.
When we were screening out in the public, volumes were high and screening average times were high. Interference from the passenger was common, as were the incidents of complaints. All of which made the job harder and the average time to screen higher. More bags missed flights, as did passengers, and the stress on the screeners was over the top. It just made sense to move it out of the public eye. Yeah, there were bad parts to the move, but the good outweighed the bad in TSA’s opinion.
Perhaps this can initially be optional, but when airports are remodeled (which seems to be fairly frequent), the airports can be remodeled to be able to handle this type of arrangement for all passengers.
Nice idea, but that costs $$$. Big $$$. And airport authorities would rather put the $$$ into aesthetics rather than into background areas where the public cannot see. Remodeling is just too low a level of construction to support the need.
Also, in the current arrangement, sticking tamper-evident tape around the screened bag should show whether it was opened subsequent to TSA screening. (Some foreign airports have the checked baggage screening before checking; they put tamper evident tape on the bag after screening.)
Like I said in another post, that idea just does not work out. The TSA does not have the funds for the kind of tape you are talking about. Baggage handlers are pretty rough with the bags, and that tears the tamper-proof up pretty good. Which of course makes the expense of the tape a total waste.
The best idea I have read about here (credit to the FT’ers out there) is to put every bag on a “shrink-wrap” machine and shrink-wrap them all before passing them along to the baggage handlers. It’s a great idea, but not a practical one. Cost mainly. 1 to 2 shrink-wrap machines at every airline baggage area would cost another major fortune. Add to that the ongoing cost of maintenance, materials, replacements, training, and of course the inevitable damage to bags that WILL result on occasion, and its just not a workable solution.
But keep the ideas coming. We have a suggestion system in the TSA, a very good one. I might even be able to cash in on one of the suggestions I read about here. Pizza for everyone!