How long before TSA goes back to "normal"
 

Those of us who were flying on Nov23rd realize of course that TSA turned off many of the nudo-o-scopes and reduced the number of genital gropings and crotch grabs, and apparently sent something out to the entire staff because the smurfs were VERY FRIENDLY also.

I mentioned to a friend, and he agreed, that if the checkpoint experience were like this all the time, as it should be, then we both would consider returning to commercial flying on a regular basis. He gave up on flying 2years ago because of TSA.

So my question is, how long before TSA goes back to their old habits as they were doing before Nov23rd?, more genital gropings, the smurfs being their old selves, etc?

My answer is, if they have not yet, they will very soon, probably within the next few days:td::mad:

I wish there was a poll I could start on this.

My guess is Dec 1. All the once a year travelers should be home by then.

If that long.

Define "normal" ;)

That would be the 'enhanced' normal.

The once a year travelers are the majority, I believe, who are in the "anything for security" crowd:rolleyes:.

Almost every frequent flyer I have either spoken with in our office and who I came in contact with over the last few weeks have all said they intend to cut back on their flying and using other methods to get their meetings accomplished. Several agreed if it is less than a 5hour drive each way, they will drive. All of this since TSA started with the enhanced patdowns, aka genital gropings.

Many were opposed to the the nudo-o-scopes, but almost everyone without exception was irate, blood boiling mad over the enhanced pat downs:mad::mad:

If enough of the frequent travelers paying the higher fares start cutting back on their flying it will bite the airlines in the a** and then maybe the airline industry will finally get a pair and stand up to TSA.

If I were a betting person, I would say within a week and it will go back to the same scanning and groping. I think during Christmas holiday they will do the same as this Thanksgving, with shut off machines and no invasive patdowns. If they do repeat the Thanksgiving scenario I will be even more sure that this whole security thing is an enormous ruse. It makes it look like there are no threats during holiday but only non-holidays. Do they think we are all morons??

I will go and check out DEN on Sunday. I will post my observations and compare them to my observations on NOOD. I suspect that the TSA will go back to their normal selves sometime after Monday. As luck would have it, I will be flying Tuesday so will be going through 1 of the 3 checkpoints. I will compare that experience with Wed and Sunday's observations.

I'm headed through a few places next week, including the infamous DEN. We'll see how it goes.

Only as long as it takes for all the newspapers to report few opt-outs.

Gotta love all these phony assurances that TSA didn't make any changes. More lies and distortions by the media and a disgruntled small minority of pax, I guess.

Going through the checkpoint at ORD yesterday. I dump everything in bins and on the belt and head for the WTMD. Young male TSO asks if my pockets are empty. I say 'yes' and he tells me to 'step this way' (NoS). I say "I'll have to opt out". He looks at a fellow TSO standing next to the WTMD. The second TSO shrugs. The first TSO says (says, not barks), 'OK, go on' and points to the WTMD.

That was it. No grope.

Interestingly enough, it was very slow. Four male pax ahead of me, all of whom went through the WTMD (no one in NoS during that time). I (middle-aged woman) got selected for NoS. More randomness, I guess.

I don't think it's just that the male TSOs don't like doing the grope (except maybe on kids) because they are afraid they'll get clobbered sooner or later, so the elderly and women are more likely to get randomly selected.

I think it's also that more male TSOs dislike groping other men and are willing to balk at doing so. I don't think the women like doing it either, but I suspect they aren't quite as grossed out about it.

Certainly conversations about this with friends/family lead me to think this is so. The guys uniformly react with horror at the idea of having to touch another guy's 'junk' or rear. The women don't relish it either, but there doesn't seem to be a feminine equivalent of homophobia.

Being relatively new to FT and the frequent flier crowd -- were there as many horror stories about TSA power trips (the woman with the breast milk comes to mind first) happening last year and before this mess? Have these abuses been going on all of this time and I just wasn't aware because I wasn't tapped in or seeing it on the news?

I guess as a noob I'm trying to figure out what the line between "normal" and "not normal" is. Is "normal" pre-shampoo and pre-shoes? Were there power trip horror stories then too?

I noticed that when I went through the checkpoint on Wednesday. The TSA were trying very hard to be friendly. In fact, there was one TSO standing next to the line saying hello to the travelers. At the time, it confused me, but now I realize why they did that. In addition, there was another TSO lecturing the passengers waiting for the TDC that the news reports about the TSA have been "erroneous" and that there is nothing to worry about; going through the AIT machines would be faster and easier. The TSA was on their best behavior trying to make it seem like it was no big deal to the once-a-year travelers.

Love Security Theater. Now Al Qaeda knows what times to send its couriers through.

There were reports that the NoS would be turned off at DFW on Wednesday. I was changing planes at that airport then and can say that they were not.