<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by B747-437B:
...11 February 2002
AA 4859
Saab 340 B
New York John F. Kennedy to Pittsburgh International
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I arrived at the checkpoint at around 345pm for a 415pm flight and was shocked to see a handwritten sign on the ID checker's podium saying "TIPS ARE APPRECIATED". I made a comment that that was not an appropriate thing to display as I presented my E-ticket receipt (printed on AA stock and containing the ticket numbers) along with my passport.
At this time, Mr. Herbert Silva of Worldwide Flight Services (the security contractor) told me that my documents were not in order and that I would not be allowed to go through his checkpoint. He said that "E-Tickets are not valid on American Eagle". I am not certain if his attitude was due to ignorance, or in resentment of my comments about his sign. Either way, he picked the wrong guy to f*** with, especially after my crappy transatlantic flight.
I immediately asked to see the GSC (Ground Security Coordinator) running the checkpoint. He arrogantly told me that there was "no such thing as a GSC" and that I needed to move or he would have me arrested. I stood my ground and demanded to see the GSC. He refused and called one of the National Guard over to remove me.
I calmly explained that I was waiting for the GSC and the Guardsman backed me up, telling Mr. Silva to fetch either the GSC or his supervisor. He said that he would do so "in a few minutes". So I waited. And waited. And waited. Every 5 minutes, I announced loudly "I have now been waiting (x) minutes for Mr. Silva to fetch the GSC".
After 21 minutes, Mr. Silva finally left to fetch his supervisor. She arrived at 413pm and I explained my situation and told her that I was waiting for the GSC.
Her response was that the GSC was "not available right now". I told her that if the GSC was not physically present at the checkpoint, FAA regulations required that the checkpoint be shutdown and the terminal evacuated, so perhaps she would like to reconsider her answer. She hastily reworded it to say that the GSC was "in a meeting with a FAA inspector".
I immediately pulled out my business card (which gives my profession as an Aviation Consultant) and told her to go hand it to the FAA inspector saying that I would like to meet with HIM instead of the GSC. She was very flustered by now and wandered away. She returned at 422pm saying that the GSC had allegedly cleared my passage through the checkpoint.
Unfortunately, although I had been patient and waited for Mr. Silva to learn how to do his job, the PIT flight was not quite so considerate and had departed without me aboard. I smiled at Mr. Silva, promised him that he had not heard the end of this matter, and proceeded through the checkpoint.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1...268200,00.html
Good ol' WSJ, always on the cutting edge of investigative reporting.
