Dear TSA...
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 37
Dear TSA...
...why do some of your agents insist on completely unfolding the printed boarding pass that I have carefully folded to present only the necessary information and barcode to your agents? Are your agents really that interested in the weather where I am going and the benefits of the MileagePlus Explorer Card that they have to unfold my boarding pass document?
Your agents are wasting time...
Your agents are wasting time...
#4




Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: on the path to perdition
Programs: Delta, United
Posts: 5,015
One should just but some gibberish nonsense on the other half.
That said when I printed my boarding passes I would print the first leg on the front and the second leg on the back then fold it over. Always using the basic print option which would not print the weather.
That said when I printed my boarding passes I would print the first leg on the front and the second leg on the back then fold it over. Always using the basic print option which would not print the weather.
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist



Join Date: May 2008
Location: CHA, MAN;
Programs: Delta DM 1 MM; Hz PC
Posts: 11,174
#6
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend




Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: where the chile is hot
Programs: AA,RR,NW,Delta ,UA,CO
Posts: 48,890
I've always wondered what they are expecting to see on the other half of the page - particularly after they've unfolded a few hundred of them.
Are they really afraid that the one time they don't unfold the page to look at non-BP info there will be something incriminating or relevant? A printed folding gun and ammo or something?
I've been tempted to print it out on really long paper (maybe on the graphics printer at work) and fold it up accordion-style, with just the BP displayed. Maybe a few bits of tape. I wonder how much time and effort they would expend unfolding it to ...what? Clear it? Ensure that it presents no threat to aviation security?
Or just plain nosiness? Because they can? Because they really aren't focused on the mission, they're focused on fake IDs or funny writing?
Are they really afraid that the one time they don't unfold the page to look at non-BP info there will be something incriminating or relevant? A printed folding gun and ammo or something?
I've been tempted to print it out on really long paper (maybe on the graphics printer at work) and fold it up accordion-style, with just the BP displayed. Maybe a few bits of tape. I wonder how much time and effort they would expend unfolding it to ...what? Clear it? Ensure that it presents no threat to aviation security?
Or just plain nosiness? Because they can? Because they really aren't focused on the mission, they're focused on fake IDs or funny writing?
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Finally back in Boston after escaping from New York
Posts: 13,684
I've always wondered what they are expecting to see on the other half of the page - particularly after they've unfolded a few hundred of them.
Are they really afraid that the one time they don't unfold the page to look at non-BP info there will be something incriminating or relevant? A printed folding gun and ammo or something?
I've been tempted to print it out on really long paper (maybe on the graphics printer at work) and fold it up accordion-style, with just the BP displayed. Maybe a few bits of tape. I wonder how much time and effort they would expend unfolding it to ...what? Clear it? Ensure that it presents no threat to aviation security?
Or just plain nosiness? Because they can? Because they really aren't focused on the mission, they're focused on fake IDs or funny writing?
Are they really afraid that the one time they don't unfold the page to look at non-BP info there will be something incriminating or relevant? A printed folding gun and ammo or something?
I've been tempted to print it out on really long paper (maybe on the graphics printer at work) and fold it up accordion-style, with just the BP displayed. Maybe a few bits of tape. I wonder how much time and effort they would expend unfolding it to ...what? Clear it? Ensure that it presents no threat to aviation security?
Or just plain nosiness? Because they can? Because they really aren't focused on the mission, they're focused on fake IDs or funny writing?
Mike
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,253
...why do some of your agents insist on completely unfolding the printed boarding pass that I have carefully folded to present only the necessary information and barcode to your agents? Are your agents really that interested in the weather where I am going and the benefits of the MileagePlus Explorer Card that they have to unfold my boarding pass document?
Your agents are wasting time...
Your agents are wasting time...
#11
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend




Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: where the chile is hot
Programs: AA,RR,NW,Delta ,UA,CO
Posts: 48,890
Hundreds of other first-time flyers with home-printed BPs likely transit the checkpoint every day. They receive no special training to fly and there are no signs or videos on huge monitors demanding that pax present their home-printed BPs in a particular manner.
If it's a huge problem, TSA could provide an assistant TDC to pre-vet each BP to make sure it complies with TSA standards. Any pax with a BP printed on a full sheet of paper and folded over could be sent back to the kiosks to get a re-printed version - or to the back of the line, to start over again after tearing off the offending and terribly distracting lower half of the page.
TDC sees home-printed BPs all day long, every day. Why does a highly-trained professional TDC keep wasting everyone's time unfolding and scrutinizing the irrelevant half of each home-printed BP? Slow learner?
#13
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 396
...why do some of your agents insist on completely unfolding the printed boarding pass that I have carefully folded to present only the necessary information and barcode to your agents? Are your agents really that interested in the weather where I am going and the benefits of the MileagePlus Explorer Card that they have to unfold my boarding pass document?
Your agents are wasting time...
Your agents are wasting time...
What do you assume "the necessary information" is?
#15
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend




Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: where the chile is hot
Programs: AA,RR,NW,Delta ,UA,CO
Posts: 48,890
Tear off the bottom half of the page and the TDC will find all the necessary information on the remaining top half.
They unfold it out of sheer nosiness. I wonder what the response would be if what's on the other side of the paper were something mildly offensive? Graphic images? A note saying "If you are a TDC reading this, why? You have just failed another 'Red Team" test' - signed OIG"

