I just flew on a one-way ticket on B6 from OAK-IAD. This trip made me realize some of the finer, I mean stupid, points of the TSA.

Because I was flying a one-way ticket, according to B6 reservations system, I got flagged for extra security checks. Needless to say, this was an extra inconvenience that I would have rather avoided.

While others may argue that extra security selection is based on a profile, everyone I spoke with at OAK, from the Skycap to the Ticket Agent, to TSA themselves, noted that because I was a one-way traveller, I was noted as a hazardous flier.

Now who at the TSA is smoking crack? Most of the time, it is CHEAPER to buy a round-trip ticket than a one-way ticket. Using this as a way to profile potential criminals is just plain dumb. Would someone spend $1500 on a one-way ticket or $300 on a round-trip ticket?

I've also heard that paying cash for a ticket is also a way to set off the security alarms. This also seems like a ridiculous criterion for extra security. Someone could easily buy an American Express Gift Card using cash from an American Express office and then use that Gift Card to buy a ticket using plastic....

Dumb...dumb...dumb....

I am actually flying a round trip, but I am returning on UA to BUR, since B6 doesn't fly to BUR. Hence, each airline's computer shows me as doing a one-way. I am bracing myself for my return flight to California due to some smart guy at TSA deciding that one-way travelers are an extra security risk

I sure feel a lot safer knowing that we are hassling one-way fliers!!

[This message has been edited by juanvaldez (edited 04-27-2003).]