Originally Posted by
chollie
Someone realized there's a bucket load of money to be made by providing private security to replace TSA. The real money will be at the big airports, of course, and those airports are the best places to get everyone's attention.
Coincidentally, TSA claims to be aggressively marketing the Pre solution while keeping Pre lanes shut down and staging a general work slowdown. Even at the airports most impacted, there continue to be reports of pax standing around while TSOs indulge in personal conversations or check their cellphones - zero sense of urgency on the part of workers or management. This attitude and the outright contempt displayed at AskTSA reinforce the public's negative perception of TSA.
Why would the top folks at TSA be so unconcerned about the further decline in the agency's reputation and the threats of privatization? Perhaps they have a personal stake in privatization.
It wouldn't be the first time an out-going head of TSA was setting up his post-retirement income stream.
When I was flying out of a small regional airport yesterday the ID checker was intentionally slowing down the line, every time he checked an ID he would pause, grab his phone and do something on it. After a few a minute or two he would motion the next person to come forward and do the same song and dance.
When it came time for the screening the TSO said please wait while the machine warms up. What used to take 5 minutes at most took 45 minutes at my home airport. Supposedly this is happening everywhere and the rumors going around is that orders came from the top to slow down and make people wait.