My last name is pronounced Blarfengar.

I think another poster alluded to the reason for this (in this thread or somewhere else).

TSA keeps 'stats', by airport - number of 'big/medium/small/trumped up/any catches' - lowest performers get assigned penalty duties - asking pax their names, gate searches, etc.

Seems to be TSA's response to every lapse on their part - make life a bit more burdensome for the pax.

You could always use Hfuhruhurr or Uumellmahaye.

yep, fail safe for sure. Terrorists in the US don't know to read what's written on the boarding pass :D

They play the name game because the TSA's testers caught them not checking IDs. The "name game" is supposed to keep them alert.

See the story here: http://shinybadge.com/2012/04/the-name-game/

I have been saying this for months, long before there was *any* press. And it wasn't because anyone told me (it is SSI). It is because I thought about what was happening at SFO and figured out, on my own, the real reason. Nice to receive validation.

Not good
 

What if a passenger has a speech impediment or other issue? One idea is to have your Text to Speech Device have your name and play it back for the agent . Anyone here remember Mac Text to Speech with the cool voices. Do the Westminster Chimes one with your name(:

Yesterday at AUS I was asked for my "full name." I gave them first, last and then the guy asked me for my middle name.

I told him to pound sand. He backed down.

I'm going to try Homer Simpson today...

Or hearing impaired, as am I?

"I'm sorry, I'm hearing impaired and I do not understand your question."

"I'm sorry I still did not get that."

"Please, speak more slowly and a little louder."

"This is new to me and I do not understand what you want."

"Could you write that down?"

Usually, by the second question it is squiggle and go.

In most cases I do not understand. Those of us that have severe hearing impairments and communicate by reading lips and trying to decode the noise that we know is conversation depend highly on expectation and context. At the TDC, there are certain things were expect by experience. When they vary from this expectation, the decoding of the request is very difficult.

That is why small talk at the checkpoint drives me crazy.

When I get the bag check, "Is anything sharp?" is a question I expect and I can easily decode it. The easy ones include "What kind of tools are these?" and "What kind of work do you do?"

When they venture into the unexpected such as "Where are you going today?" I am confused because it does not fit my expected context.

If my CP experience is predictable, then I can manage my deafness with aplomb. The insanity of non-predictability drives ME briefly insane. Find a best practice, adopt it, train it, and use it. At least my life will be easier.

But, but ... unpredictability is what keeps the evil terrorists on their toes and off the big planes! If the terrorists knew what to expect ... well, we don't want to go there.

:mad:

Whenever I get this question, I always ask for my BP and ID back, and say that I need those back so I can make sure what I say matches the documents they have, as I do not want to get my name incorrect.

In almost every case, they let me look. :confused:

......

What a CROCK of dog poo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!