ckjmglee

Didn't know that...

I went through security morning at the GRR airport and the American Eagle FA in front of me sent her her quart bottle of water (3/4 full in a visible side pocket of her bag) and tall coffee cup (in a bin with a bunch of her other stuff) through the X-ray machine. Her coffee cup got knocked over in the bin as it went through the machine and there was quite a bit of spilled coffee in the bin....

SJCFlyerLG

Yes, they can. Considering that the crew is flying the plane, I don't feel too threatened by this. Come to think of it, no liquids on board threaten me.

Oh, and Britney Spears gets to take frozen water on board.

ckjmglee

Thanks for the info -

The TSA response...

http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2009/11/resp...gulp-over.html

cordelli

I forget which airport I was at, but they had those car window drink cup holders at security they put on the side of a bin for the crew's cups to be scanned. I thought that was a very cool idea.

Not really sure why the pilots cup needs to be scanned, but that's a different story.

DoubleHaul

Obviously crew liquids in any quantity are inherently unable to be used for nefarious intent, unlike non-crew liquids.

This is one of those ridiculous rule applications that drives me nuts:

TSA/DHS knows for the most part it can handle backlash from the general public because any objections will be disorganized and "manageable" (although I really hope that it has crossed the line and this will change).

Crews, on the other hand, are one area where it has to be at least somewhat careful...because they really don't want to get ALPA, APA, and the FA unions collectively on their case in a major way, because they have the wherewithal to actually be troublesome if they so desire.

The liquid restrictions would have had a major impact on crew...who carry everything on and probably don't want to have to buy anything they drink at crazy airside prices (at least anything they want to drink that their carrier doesn't stock on board).

The solution? Make them exempt, of course. If it doesn't apply to them, then they obviously won't make a stink about it.

If asked, I am sure the official TSA response would say something about how "low risk" the crew are. If that is the case, however, why make them go through security in the first place? Either they are a risk, which means they should be screened to the exact same standards as everyone else - with the same prohibited items, or they are not, which means they get a free pass.

jkhuggins

Yes, flight crew are trusted with excess liquids. Except, of course, if they're off duty, in which case they're not trusted anymore. (Which has never made sense to me ... either you trust someone, or you don't ...)

gobluetwo

They don't need to be scanned, but should probably be sniffed

B747-437B

In the UK, crews (and indeed all airport staff) are subject to exactly the same restrictions as passengers. No exceptions whatsoever.

tusphotog

Remember when the liquid hysteria went into effect? Flight crews were having their toothpaste, shampoo and hand lotion thrown away. I remember seeing a pilot get really ticked off at a TSO saying "I fly the plane and you don't trust me with toothpaste?"

On or off duty, it doesn't matter. As long as they're in uniform, they can bring liquids through. That uniform makes the liquids so much safer, apparently.

BubbaLoop

Of course the crew can take liquids. They know you can't bring a plane down with coffee, and you can't make them feel more secure by taking their shampoo. Remember, airport security is all about making passengers feel safe! And of course putting the cup of coffee through the X ray machine confirms it is safe (versus walking with it through the metal detector). After all, X-rays can determine the chemical composition of a liquid, right?

QUERY

At MKE, air crew members may take their cups of liquids through the WTMD. Why they would even try to put something like that through the X-ray is beyond me.

daw617

Well said.

On the other hand: if one accepted the premise that liquids really were a security threat, does this create a potential point of security? How carefully do the checkpoint screeners really check that a person in uniform is really a crew member when they bring a liquid through the checkpoint? Could someone impersonate a crew member, simply by buying an appropriate uniform, to get liquids through? (I realize that in some sense I'm asking a question, "if 1+1 equalled 3, then wouldn't it be true that pigs can fly?", but I'm checking to see if the policy makes any sense, even under the TSA's assumptions.)

kgkhoury

My home airport is MCI, where security lines are mercifully short but there is almost NO food service/concessions past security. Passengers either fly dry or buy awful coffee (hello Starbuck's Via!) and $4 bottles of water. Of course, the crew gets to grab their lattes just outside the security gate and let the rest of us watch them walk in sipping them. I've considered bribing an FA or a pilot to get me a Chai or something and I can get it from them on the other side... Hmmm, could be a good side business for flight crew who've had their wages cut.

TSO1973

Getting the crew uniform is easier than getting the crew identification that is required to be with it. Just being in uniform isn't enough.

coachrowsey

I'm sure you said this in fun, but I know of no flight crew that would do this as most likely their employment would be very short.