Significant bedside manner changes at TSA?
 

Has anyone else noticed this? There seems to be a charm offensive going on, or perhaps better training focused on "customer" relations.

I always opt out. And I've had many patdowns. When nudiescans were first introduced and there was more of a selection process rather than a herding process, I seemed to get 'randomly' selected fairly regularly. As you are doubtless aware, when the 'enhanced' patdowns first reared their ugly head they were vigorous. Full-on touching of the "resistance". There was also alot of barking and questioning of one's opting out.

However, over the past few months I have noticed a significant demeanor change by the clerks: more smiling, less barking. Last week it was even over-the-top:

Me: "I'm opting out."

Clerk: "Absolutely. That's no problem. That's your choice. Have you been through this before?"

Me: "Many times."

Clerk: "Ok, if you would just wait over here for a moment please."

No barking or yelling of "Opt out!". Another clerk even gathered my trays and brought them over to where I was standing. The pat down stopped several inches short of "resistance". There was no apparent concern as to wether this frequent traveller suddenly woke up one day and decided to carry WMD in his boxer shorts. I actually felt like something other than a suspect. It was fascinating.

Two weeks ago I was even smiled at in St Louis, of all places. Week before that, I was unmolested in Boston. (I know...)

What say you? Charm directive? Better training? Better hiring? Or have I just been on a lucky streak? Or.... is this just a function of a natural waning of intensity from those charged with performing 'enhanced' pat downs?

And, finally, can we still feel "Safe" (TM) in the absence of high strung, coarsely ground safety "officers" placing their hands on our genitalia?

Probably an attempt into lulling you into a false sense of "security" before they roll out the body cavity searches.

Well, judging by the recent reports of pax being screened at destination after terminal breaches, I'm wondering whether the next step they roll out will be random screenings of entire aircraft at their destination, "out of an abundance of caution" because the screenings at departure are still missing 70% of all test objects and a bunch of real threats, including five pounds of undisguised, unhidden, plainly labeled C4 high explosive in a bag that was supposed to be given a thorough secondary search after a smoke grenade was discovered in it.

Or maybe I'm just being cynical. After all, they're from the government, they're only here to help us, right?

Could it be that their management is reading FT/TSS and realizing what they're doing wrong and actually fixing it?

With the track record of the last ten years I'd have to go with, "No."

Time will tell. I have also seen a uptick in manners similar to FlyingCowboy. With the new scanners making a mess of SNA, the screener was apologetic with the delays and my subsequent opt-out pat down. Granted, this is southern CA so there is a different attitude. I am though PHL 5 times in the next two weeks so that will be a better test.

I thought so too in Miami in Jan.

+1
It's really to condition the sheeple so when they start coming to our doors to conduct unlawful searches of our houses they will not be met with resistance.

I think the groping has settled down a bit, but it may be because some screeners are finally getting it - no matter how punitive, there are always going to be some folks who have to be groped anyway - folks physically unable to use the NoS and 'resolution' gropes to clear scan anomalies. I think it really does take a hard core personality to keep up the 'attitude' all day, every day.

I also think the abusive gropes have lessened a bit because of the ATR (?). I think many of the post-BSX gropes are due to 1) overkill - peeper should/could have identified the anomaly and that is the only area that should have been groped and 2) I think many post-BSX gropes were because a lazy peeper found it easier to report 'anomaly' than to pay attention and do the job.

One of our 'good apples' posted here about going to ATL to train on the BSX/MMW. He gave a great report on his experiences elsewhere, including his first-hand observation that yes, posters were telling the truth, other airports do bark and yell. He demonstrated to a skeptical checkpoint LTSO (?) that random barking wasn't as effective (or conducive to a positive checkpoint atmosphere for pax or TSOs) as normal voice 'coaching' of pax.

I wish he could go back and observe the same checkpoint to see if the lessons he demonstrated 'took' or if they're back to random barking.

At the moment, some clerks may have backed off. Or perhaps the upper management has backed off, for the moment. But this remains a highly hostile situation---when at anytime of a clerk's choosing, he or she can, if they choose, feel your genitalia for no reason other than that they want to and can. Sorry, but I remain unimpressed, and not flying. I turned down a free trip to SEA yesterday, and normally, I love to fly.

Command and control is so discombobulated at TSA, I don't think you can point to a system-wide change in any direction. TSA culture is Balkanized by airport. Within the last few months I've had positive opt-out experiences at JFK and SEA, very negative and confrontational ones at PHX and, again, SEA. Some TSOs are cordial and reasonable, some definitely not. I don't think the top brass could orchestrate a "charm offensive" if they wanted to.

+1

I think some individual TSOs are getting tired of the groping, bored with the whole hassle. Life was easier for them, too, when it was 'just' WTMDs and wandings.

But there are still plenty of 'bad apples' around, and even at the FSD level, there's clearly no coherent control of what goes on.

I stepped into the ATR last week and the observer noticed I had forgotten to take off my belt. When he pointed it out, I began to go back out to put it through the xray and he said to just hand it to him. When the scan was done he handed it back remarking that the scan will show a problem if it is on.

I got a green and was on my way.

I was a bit floored by it.

Didn't notice this last month when I opted out in DEN and I got yelled at by 2 different screeners because I wanted to keep an eye on my stuff.

I really think that it's situational and airport-dependent. I opted out at LAS T2 on Wednesday and the first thing the screener told me after he called for a male-assist was where to stand if I wanted to maintain visual contact with my belongings. The male assist then opened his monologue by indicating that I was entitled to view my belongings during the pat-down. This was all in complete opposition to my last opt-out at SFO.

Once a crap-shoot, always a crap-shoot with the TSA it seems.

Isn't SFO contracted to Covenant for "TSA" functions?

Hmm.... and I assumed that my relatively benign experiences at BWI were just anomalies, triggered by an early morning arrival and sleepy-headed screener... and that my experiences at DCA were due to 'extra special' training that screeners got there because of needing to know how to handle Congress critters and the like.

Perhaps they're finally "getting it" on the customer service front, and are coming to an understanding that being confrontational only creates additional problems for them in terms of delays, smart remarks, and protests by passengers. There is still the very significant problem of apparent Constitutional violations to hammer out - but that is in the court's hands, and (unfortunately) unlikely to ever be decided on its true merits. (TSA and the Supreme Court apparently believe that suspending Fourth Amendment rights at the checkpoint and elsewhere is acceptable, "out of an abundance of caution". :rolleyes:)

I think y'all are over-thinking this. The reason for less invasive pat-downs could also be as simple as most individuals do not particularly enjoy touching the genitals of people they are not sexually attracted to. Speaking as a reformed federal flunky myself, government workers (excepting the few true zealots) try not to let their work put them out. So when you simplify it, everything makes sense: an employee who may have barely finished high school and was recruited off of a pizza box is going to take little shortcuts when they can. Occam's Razor in action.

I agree. Much bigger issues aside, the TSA work ethic we've all witnessed results in the average clerk doing as little as possible during a shift to be able to come away with a paycheck. The novelty of "protecting America's airports from terrorists" has worn off long ago. At the outset of the gropings, they were viewed as punishment for daring to refuse the Cancer Boxes. The clerks didn't want to do it in the first place, so they punished us for disrupting their day. This still happens to a certain extent, but, for the most part, they want to get through the friskings as fast as possible and don't want anyone to remind them that they are groping genitals of a person of the same sex. The "I don't like it either" or "We're both in this together" attitude is purely a defense mechanism and a way for them to look themselves in the mirror every morning.

I don't believe this has anything to do with a TSA-wide policy. The TSA can't do anything TSA-wide (except to stop doing something, like not allowing liquids for a period of time back in 2006). Even their new "improvements," such as interrogations, always begin at a few "test airports" before being deployed nationwide.

The important thing is that we can't let up. We still have to make every personal encounter with us as stressful on them as possible.

Absolutely right! And that's what I do. ^^^

Bruce

I have noticed no real change at airports I frequent. IAD is as nasty as ever, and DCA is tolerable at the A/UA pier (no strip search machines). DFW was better this trip, but I used a different checkpoint. JFK was about the same as it had been for a recent trip. LAX, no real change. Avoided a lot of hassles at MCO with a SDOO - the TSA ID checkers were being unhelpful to folks that asked questions. DTW unpleasant. ORD no real issues. SJC was nasty last time through.

I now avoid BOS whenever possible these days, likewise EWR and AUS (one of the worst experiences all the way up to suited checkpoint manager).

BWI has somewhat improved. They gave me much less crap about opt outs. I haven't had to do in a month or so as I've successfully avoided the NoS with a SDOO.

SLC T1 has gone down the tubes. It used to be "pleasant" as far as TSA goes. Last month, the 2 striper copped an attitude with me when I insisted I see my stuff. Of course, a complaint backed that screener 100%. I did a SDOO yesterday but the lines were horrible for a midday Monday flight. This one 2 striper lady would not shut up. I understand she was trying to be helpful but she waaaay overdid it. Barking about how the line I was in was WTMD only, and if there were problems (metal implants, artificial joints, etc), they should just head on over now. Ironically, there were no signs saying that one could opt out at all, but there were several signs strewn throughout the checkpoint explaining how the NoS with the new "privacy" protection.