So there will only be Hundreds Standing Around effective 3/1/13? No wonder the wait at the checkpoint is going to be ten times as long.

Taken Salary Away

If DHS is like the DOD, the first furlough will be sometime in late April. I do think that it depends on how each department implements their cutbacks. Good thing I am not flying anytime soon.

I'm sure the threat of death raining down upon us will rise dramatically. I'm so glad the FA's are there for our safety.

^^ This.

I posted this in the other thread, so I'll paraphrase:

1) Contractors will feel it first, depending on the contract. Not sure whether MCI and SFO are contracted with TSA or the airports - if with TSA, then hit first.... if with the airports, then likely no effect.

2) The administration controls the personnel (absent direct laws mandating specific staffing). They can (and will) staff in a way that increases delays materially to make the other party look bad. It will backfire if there is documented evidence that they are deliberately reducing staffing to increase delays to make other party look bad. If, on the other hand, make the case that this is just in-kind fallout from the sequestration, it will in fact make the other party look bad. There's a fine line, and make no mistake that they will make it just bad enough to make folks squeal but not so bad that they get blamed.

3) Expect it to hit pre-check first as the few folks that use that are considered "privileged" and are expected to wield the most influence on the hill. The lines are seen by the public as overstaffed relative to the numbers processed (that's the failing of the agency to approve enough folks, but that's also a different argument). The net effect will be to make the regular lines longer and delay folks.

4) From the Global Entry perspective, I'd still expect GE to function normally, though they may shut the expedited Customs function. Meaning you'll still save some time unless you get the X, but not as much as normal. I'd also expect longer Customs lines as I'd expect them to understaff the regular exits.

I think this is another overblown Y2K scare-mongering, from the usual "the sky is falling crowd."

Yes. The United States has serious budget problems. But with a $3.6 Trillion budget with $1.2 Trillion in pure deficit...that $0.1 Trillion in cuts brings the US to a halt is completely ludicrous. The emperor is a fascist. How about cut the unnecessary, unprecedented secret service support for all the WH staff--no other admin has done that, and the record numbers of double-simultaneous executive vacations? Where's that branch of government's share of the pain? At least Senator Rand Paul turned over 20% of his Congressman's budget back to the US Treasury. That's leadership. What about the other 99 Upper House reps and the 435 Lower House reps? Throw the bums out if they can't trim their own fat.

When I set up work for this week, my customer requested Monday-Wednesday. I flew in on Sunday and will return on Thursday. Any other time it would have been Monday in/Friday out.

Whew!

I get to watch this mess from the sidelines. No more flights until late March.

Government manpower cuts won't hit until April. That's when things will get interesting.

I agree - I can imagine on or about 03/01/13 - there will be local television media at IND showing angry flyers standing in long TSA lines: looking pissed.

Perhaps TSA could save the cost of a furloughed frontline screener or two by choosing to suspend Blogdad Bob instead. The latter makes no direct contribution to airline or pax safety and his insulting, condescending and dishonest blog posts are unlikely to be missed by many.

Or stop checking IDs.

Or stop checking BPs.

Or stop using the nudeoscope.

Or stop making passengers take off their shoes.

Or stop sexually assaulting passengers.

Or stop the idiocy over liquids.

So many things could be done that would keep the lines moving and have no or a positive effect on safety since there would be fewer employees with fewer distractions.

Or just ____can the entire TSA and give the responsibility for airport and airline security back to the airports and airlines.

Not "Or", Spiff. "And".

My hope has been that this would mean that the TSA does not have money to purchase new body scanners for the airports that do not have them.

There is no reason that the cuts should result in any delays. The TSA could easily open up the metal detectors instead of using body scanners and could have the staff that normally performs gate checks, chat-downs, etc. open new lanes.

Unfortunately, the agency will likely try to make things painful for travelers. Any inconvenience caused will be artificial, and not a result of budget cuts, but a result of attempts to cause pain.

Think of this being a second show put on by the same people who put on the security theater.

None of this will happen. The TSA's won't stop hassling people because the likely outcome will be that absolutely nothing will happen. That will only show the American people how utterly useless they are.

Frankly, we could just pay all of the TSA people to stay home, and that would be a win all the way around -- they don't have to work for a paycheck and we don't have to get hassled.