Originally Posted by rose42
We talk a lot on this board about the TSA policies which we find superfluous, including SSSScreening, shoe carnivals, patdowns, etc. Especially with the formation of this political action committee, is there something that you think the TSA or the airlines should be doing that they're not now? FTers seem to know the system better than anyone else, and we could use that not just eliminate the things that give only an illusion of security, but also bolster the places that really are weak spots. Do any of you have suggestions on ways to make flying genuinely safer?
A risk management approach vs risk avoidance. The TSA operates similar to the FAA which has been a failure in several areas.
There is a good book by Ralph Nader & Wesley Smith, Collision Course, concerning the FAA and how they operate. The TSA operates just as the FAA does in a "reactionary" way, but also uses a risk avoidance approach after something has happened such as the shoe bomber incident, which is the result of the shoe carnival or the "grope-fest", which was a result of the Russian airliners which went down despite the fact the security agents were alledgedly bribed.
To improve security, we need common sense practices using risk management. Let's stop the dog and pony show with the shoes and needless secondaries and use that money to screen cargo. Let's use better technology for screening of baggage to free up manpower and reduce costs. There are many loopholes in the system, but yet we focus on risk avoidance with the shoe carnival which results in thousands of shoes being screened which present no threat. Do threats exist? Sure -- but let's be sensible in using our resources, which would improve our security.
Best,
SDF_Traveler