Is This Something New?
 

On Friday, I went to meet a guest arriving at DEN. Since I had about 20 minutes before their flight, I walked around the 2 checkpoints in the main hall. It wasn't very busy at the time I was there. Anyways, at the entrance of both main checkpoints there is a TSA worker with an iPad looking device. As a passenger approaches, the worker intructs them to touch the screen. The screen then shows an arrow. Get a left arrow and you are directed to the regular screening line or get a right arrow and you join the TSA Pre-check line. If a family approached the line, only one person had to touch the screen. The arrow selection seemed to be fairly random but I didn't count the arrows vs passengers.

:rolleyes:

Another massive waste of taxpayer $$, but to answer your question, yes, it's new. Some Canadian airports have had something similar for years, IIRC. It's a 'randomizer' that assigns people to a more or less invasive screening experience. It's one of many different things you may witness around the country right now.

The good news may be that TSA is trying to improve the screening process - to improve effectiveness and possibly, to even improve the pax experience.

As much as I deplore the waste of taxpayer$ on new gizmoes, better these over-priced new devices than more NoS machines.

It reminded me of the Mexican customs procedure. You press a button and if you got green, you proceeded to the exit. If you got red, you were asked questions by their customs agents.

I don't mind a randomizer per se. I would be happy if I got the correct arrow. However, I can see people that paid $85 to use pre-check would be ticked off that regular passengers potentially got to leave their shoes on at the screening point without paying any fee.

It will be interesting if it improves the checkpoints. I am surprised that Blogger Bob hasn't mentioned this new "improvement".

It's only in trial, as far as the TSA is concerned.

I sort of hoped for something like this approach, but that was on the basis of a few conditions ... including elimination of TSA boarding pass/ID checks -- which of course is unlikely to happen for (too) many years to come.

The randomizer approach may sort of mess up the screening checkpoint to some degree -- as differences in the screening process (at basically the same checkpoint area with much the same equipment) will lead to more passengers doing what they did the previous time and thus slowing others down more than may otherwise be the case -- that's because too many people will be unfamiliar with when to (not) do what.

For all the negativity on FT, this is a pilot for a program which will hopefully work and benefit all. The "randomizer" means that there is no way to game the system. Neither the Officer nor the pax has any way of knowing which way they will be directed. Could be 10 in a row to the slow boat line and then 2 to pre-check or vice-a-versa 10 mins. later.

The goal is to get 85% of the traveling public into a pre-check type of screening. Presumably that means a shift in the allocation of screening lines from standard to pre.

GE or the promised TSA system, will get you pre-check by selection rather than randomizer, so you should get it more often.

fingerprints
 

are we sure it isn't just taking a picture of our fingerprint and logging it in to some giant database? If I touched the screen with a band-aided finger, would they allow that? Not that I am paranoid, and not that they don't already know where I am, what i am thinking and what I am planning to do, and to whom, I like to think I have managed to evade being fingerprinted...I'd rather keep some portion of my self un"databased"

just call me Chicken Little.....

(bolding mine)

Not in the OP's scenario.

The determination (pre or regular) was made by touching the screen, not by scanning the BP or traveling in uniform while active duty military with ID.

Iirc, they're only being used in the regular line. Pax who are already eligible for PreCheck shouldn't be pressing the randomizer screen.

Dupe post..

Pre-check type screening for all travelers escalating for cause is a much simpler solution , maintains security, and TSA meets the 85% goal immediately.

That's the sensible approach, but not what the OP described.

So no randomizers will be used to send GE/Pay-for-Pre-Play members for (non-Pre-LLL type of) additional screening? That's hopeful -- as in wishful -- thinking, for currently there is no certainty at TSA HQ that it is going to work out that way everywhere.

I can't find a link, but I was sure there was something in pre-Check that made it clear that you still could be 'randomly' selected at any time for a higher level of screening.

I personally witnessed at SEA once. I was in the regular lane, and every single Pre pax was swabbed and bag checked while I was waiting for/getting my grope. They only swabbed hands and the bag check was pretty cursory (right on the belt), but there were some surprised and not happy people.

Benefit of all? Hardly. On my last flight, we had a whole host of Kettles that were sent over from the regular lines to precheck, which totally destroyed the advantage of precheck, given that the kettles didn't understand why they didn't have to remove their belts, shoes and coats, kept taking their liquid baggies out, etc. Leave it to TSA to F up the one good thing they've ever done. :mad::td::mad::td:

There you go, being all negative again. Just no pleasing some people. ;)

Pre-check should be the rule, not the exception, regardless of whether one has given into extortion and paid or not.

I am sorry if I wasn't clear. There are 3 entrances to the checkpoints at DEN: one where the regular, non status people go thru (where the randomizer was located), a clearly marked TSA Pre-Check line (which the randomizer emptied to if they got the correct arrow), and a CLEAR line.

Also noted was a special door for all identified aircrew that bypassed all the lines and machines. It was manned by a TSA worker. They opened the door for those eligible and it lead right to the trains that take them to the 3 concourses.

Thanks for the clarification.

Indeed. The above is a positive statement (not a normative one). :)

I seriously doubt that's what they're doing, but if you're concerned just tap it with your knuckle. Also, I suspect most people just use the tip of their finger, which is not going to convey a full print.

[emphasis added]

Since TSA says the administrative search does not begin until you place your items on the belt or present yourself for the WBI or WTMD, all one has to do "to game the system" is just walk away if the arrow points the wrong direction.

As they integrate more people into the precheck line, TSA needs to do a better job of informing the "newbies" of the procedures. The way they're doing it now really does gum up the line, but a little proactive coaching would help a lot.

The term is
 

The process is called MI (no it is not myocardial infarction) although some of the responses from the elite fares would lead you to believe it is.

If it points to the regular line and you dont go that way, you could end up getting more thorough screening.

The original announcement said BDOs and sniffer dogs would be used to select 'ordinary' folk for the Pre- line. IIRC, it also said <12 and >75 are also automatically eligible.

There wasn't any mention of the randomizers or just shifting dozens of people into the Pre line with no special evaluation. That's probably why there's a lot of confusion at some airports.

.....

Those are two entirely different programs.
There is MI and there is RTTA

Would you mind using words instead of acronyms?

that is SSI : )

MI is managed inclusion
RTTA is real time threat assessment

TY

Thanks, and good to see you back.

Perhaps I wasn't as clear as I could have been. At your airport, DEN, if you are entering the North checkpoint and the arrow points to the "wrong" way, then just leave that checkpoint and go to the South checkpoint. If once again it points the "wrong" way, then go to the Concourse A checkpoint. That gives the passenger three opportunities to avoid the "wrong" line if the iPad is being used at all three checkpoints.

And if the iPad sends half to "wrong" line and half to the abbreviated screening line (just an assumption for this sentence), then that means the TSA only has a 1 in 8 chance of ensuring that the passenger will eventually be sent to the "wrong" line (and once again, the passenger could just simply leave the airport without any repercussions since the administrative search has not begun at that juncture).

So why don't we just treat everybody as PreCheck by default? No need to "game the system," no outlays on new equipment and training, a faster checkpoint experience for all...

Many here are saying exactly that. Pre Check type screening for all escalating with cause.

Of course most participants here can think.

Hang on, now.

Let's not go all radical and un-American and talk about 'no outlays on new equipment and training'.

That is simply NOT going to fly (pun intended).

Security is a for-(big, taxpayer-funded)-profit industry in this country, and don't you ever forget it. ;)