cardiomd

I'm sure we would all know about it if they did.

WillCAD

Not necessarily - it might be part of some Double Secret Investigation and can't be revealed to the public or it would compromise National Sequrtee.

Geez, I can't even type that stuff sarcastically without wincing. I have heard the argument so many times, and it frustrates me - "You don't know how many terrorist attacks the government has stopped and not told us about them!"

Wally Bird

Oooh, oooh, I do. Ask me !

DeafBlonde

Tell us, Wally Bird. Oh, please! Tell us, tell us, tell us!

ScatterX

Wally had fair chance. The answer is ZERO.

The more important question is whether or not TSA made any reasonable evaluation of the cost of this activity (in terms of dollars, time, degradation of rights, etc.) versus the benefit of it. If they are acting responsibly, they should be able to demonstrate that this program is reasonable.

Of course the likelihood that they did this properly (including independent review of the analysis) is, not surprising, also ZERO.

Vidiot

In another thread, I asked one of our self-proclaimed TSOs a similar question, as regards TSOs' claimed right of detention, and TSOs' abilities once you've cleared the checkpoint and are in the sterile area.

No response yet.

If SATTSO apparently is unwilling to respond, perhaps TSORon will answer the question. How about it?

FliesWay2Much

Can't wait...

TSORon

Not a clue. My airport does not use holding areas outside of the actual checkpoint. I can see where it might precipitate a LEO response, and even more wasted time on your part, but I can’t foresee anything more significant happening.

TSO’s do not have the authority to detain anyone for anything. Telling someone to stay in a certain area so that the screening process can be completed is not detaining them, its keeping them at hand for screening purposes or ensuring that unscreened individuals do not mix with screened. You are assuming that it is illegal, yet it is not. TSA’s authority extends throughout the sterile areas, the secured areas, and the SIDA areas of all commercial airports in the USA, not just the checkpoint. Keeping the screened passengers separate from the unscreened passengers is a solid security concept, and a good practice.

No. They acknowledge that no “system” is perfect, and that the best way to address those imperfections is to add additional layers to the system in an unpredictable pattern.

There is no way to prove intent, and just saying that you have “evil intent” is not enough. TSA’s reaction would most likely be to involve law enforcement. Most likely you are going to miss your flight, and while to some it may seem “logical” to blame that on the TSA, the blame for missing the flight must land squarely on the shoulders of the passenger who makes such a decision. I don’t believe that you will find any airport in the USA that has a sign that says screening ends at the checkpoint. The fact is that screening for every single passenger begins the moment they make a reservation for a flight, or attempt to buy a last minute ticket.

You take far too narrow a view of what "screening" is. Passenger screening begins a long time before you ever get to the airport, and continues well past your last flight. TSA screening is not just at the checkpoint.

jkhuggins

I think calling layers the "best way" to handle imperfections in screening is an unproven assertion --- at least to this observer. One could also take the resources used in creating additional layers and use those resources to improve the performance of the remaining layers. Which technique produces better results is unclear to me.

halls120

TSA hasn't stopped a single alleged terrorist act or attempt.

ScatterX

Please put my goalposts back where I had them. The case in point is a person that was screened and when the screening was obviously complete, he asked to leave. He was told no. The lady next to him asked if she could leave after her screening was obviously done and was also told no. There was NO additional screening to be conducted. They wanted to leave and were told they COULD NOT. The reason is immaterial. These people were detained.

You said it yourself. TSOs do not have the authority to detain people. Unless of course, it's not really detainment if they force you to stay in a certain spot, just in case they might feel like screening you again.

Using your definition, a person going through the checkpoint could be locked in a room, for any period of time, until they are ready to board. This is OK since they are going to be screened again. Even after they are screened again, they must stay in this room because they cannot mingle with others. In your world, this is just one long screening process, right?

goalie

Re-read the original post.

That IS detention!

All pax are screened prior to entering the sterile area and once cleared, they are free to proceed into the sterile area. If some pax at a particular gate are selected for gate screening, once they are cleared, they are free to continue their activities inside the sterile area. Simple, no?

TSORon

Your “goal posts” were inappropriately placed in the first post it seems. Gate Screening is done immediately prior to the last boarding pass check inside the terminal, while the passengers are queuing up to board the aircraft. Once the screening is completed, the passenger has the gate agent verify their boarding pass and the passenger then walks down the jetway to their aircraft. After gate screening one does not go wandering around the sterile area looking in the shops and getting coffee, not unless they are intentionally trying to miss their flight. But even supposing they do, then the answer is quite simple, they get rescreened, at the gate.

Leave? And go where, Disneyland? Long walk off a short pier? They “should” be boarding their aircraft, not going elsewhere. After all, that is the normal use of an air terminal, to board an aircraft isn’t it? Maybe we have different ideas of what “gate screening” actually is. Could be that your hypothetical person misinterpreted what was happening and underwent some other form of screening, not actual “gate screening”.

As I said, screening neither begins nor ends at the TSA checkpoint. There is far more to the screening process than you seem to be aware of. It’s a “process”, and a fairly lengthy one at that.

You can take what I have written as far out of context as you like, it’s not going to make your interpretation of what happened accurate. When you start off with a false premise then you naturally will most likely end up with an incorrect conclusion.

Only if you subscribe to scatterX’s interpretation of the events. As I stated to him/her, his/her understanding of the events is seriously lacking.

And that activity should be going to the gate agent, getting final clearance to board the aircraft, and then doing so. “Gate Screening” is done at the boarding gate. For this theoretical passenger to have experienced what scatter (or the OP) describes would not have been gate screening. Therefore one of the two is mistaking “gate screening” for something else entirely. False premise, false conclusion.

PhoenixRev

Right. Because the ONLY thing past the security screening area are the gates for boarding.

Yup. There aren't any restrooms or bars or restaurants or trinket shops or newsstands or lounges or observation areas or charging stations. Just gates.

jkhuggins

I think there is a reasonable alternative explanation.

I think it's entirely possible that the TSOs performing gate screening decided to start screening passengers prior to the gate agent formally beginning boarding --- perhaps in a desire to speed up the entire process, given the frequent reports that gate screenings can delay flight departures. Unfortunately, this could lead to the bizarre situation where a passenger had completed gate screening by TSA but was not being allowed to board by the airline ... leaving them in a no-man's land.