SDF_Traveler

I recently had the opportunity to attend the CVG Delta Do and this past Saturday we got to tour many areas of the airport normally off-limits to passengers.

As part of the tour, the TSA was kind enough to show us their checked baggage screening operations at CVG terminal 3 (DL/NW/CO/AF). If any TSAers out there work at CVG, Thank You!

After touring the Delta Ramp/Operations tower in the B concourse, we proceeded down to the checked luggage area. CVG is a well built airport and they have a good sized basement area in B airside where this takes place (one level below the tarmac - I believe the FIS area on the ground floor was directly above us).

First, CVG is getting ready to build a full inline system for screening in this area. This will mean only bags that alarm the CTX will get diverted for manual inspection and a lot of baggage will remain untouched.

Currently, the setup uses CTX machines with ETD stations for suitcases that do alarm. There are camera's in this area - some visible and I also observed a few that weren't as visible as I looked around the area. Between the eye in the sky and a team of employees working closely together, I don't believe theft is an issue at CVG.

My overall impression in the brief time I spent down there was the employees were honest, hard working individuals. I am not fan of the TSA and many their crackpot policies, but what I saw appeared to be well run and operated. Screening luggage is one of the measures I do support and I do believe it provides a needed layer of security.

Thanks is due to Delta Air Lines, the CVG TSA, and Holly with the TSA at CVG; she kindly provided the tour and answered questions. Of course this wouldn't be possible without tkey75 who setup the entire event.

How many other facilities with screening behind the scenes have the eye in the sky and other provisions in place to guard against theft? I know other airports screen behind the scenes and the goal at most airports is to get the CTX machines out of the lobby and to be screening luggage in a non-public area.

I honestly believe the largest problem, with respect to luggage theft, is the unlocked luggage policy. A good lock with the proper suitcase is a deterrant. I speculate that when you transfer through some of the big city airports (JFK, LAX, ORD) - or some destinations overseas (where locked baggage is the norm) - that you are more likely to encounter an unhonest employee who takes advantage of the open bags.

Moving on, the Delta operations folks had a lot of good things to say about the TSA at CVG, including the fact they have a well working relationship between DL and the new FSD. If this were only the case at all airports.

OT: For those of you who missed out, we had the opportunity to climb inside the cargo hold of a 737-800, we all spent about an hour in Delta's operations tower (great view of the field), and Delta did an excellent job with the tour. In the Delta Ramp/Ops tower they spent a good hour answering our "lame-o questions" (Quote from Choula!) and gave us their undivided attention.

To get back onto a security topic to close:

I always thought gate passes meant 'SSSS' treatment? Or is this no longer policy? Most of us had Delta issued Security Documents to clear security and it was the routine just shoes off, empty pockets, and thru the WTMD.

Cheers!

SDF_Traveler