Airports and Hurricanes
Aug 28, 2017, 7:58 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,526
Airports and Hurricanes
Of if they did NONE of those things and moved the exact same number as they move every single Friday afternoon. (I am not saying that is the case - I am simply pointing out that the statistics are totally unclear - and, unlike Superbowl, I see no evidence that the airlines had any more capacity than any other weekday afternoon - this wasn't like a hurricane warning where people might have flooded the airport in larger numbers because they were willing to sleep on the floor for 2 days - these were people with reservations for regular flights).
Aug 28, 2017, 9:10 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
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Proof of no adult leadership at TSA.
Aug 30, 2017, 10:48 am
#3
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: USA
Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, SkyMiles
Posts: 4,159
Here's a couple possibilities:
a) Maybe leadership was worried that someone would take advantage of the situation and plant something in the sterile area?
b) Maybe the sterile area was flooded or had damage inside? Or all the restaurants were closed, anyway.
With that said, the TSO's could have came up with a few possible solutions:
a) Offer to bring food/drinks to customers from inside security.
b) Ask the people inside if they would be willing to bring out food/drinks, or even sell them.
c) Implement patdowns for everyone going past security (if the machines weren't working) or just suspend ID requirements (after all, if people are cleared during screening, they're safe).
A little thinking outside the box would have helped the situation. Really not defending TSA here, but maybe they had their own reasons, too?
a) Maybe leadership was worried that someone would take advantage of the situation and plant something in the sterile area?
b) Maybe the sterile area was flooded or had damage inside? Or all the restaurants were closed, anyway.
With that said, the TSO's could have came up with a few possible solutions:
a) Offer to bring food/drinks to customers from inside security.
b) Ask the people inside if they would be willing to bring out food/drinks, or even sell them.
c) Implement patdowns for everyone going past security (if the machines weren't working) or just suspend ID requirements (after all, if people are cleared during screening, they're safe).
A little thinking outside the box would have helped the situation. Really not defending TSA here, but maybe they had their own reasons, too?
Aug 30, 2017, 11:05 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
Posts: 28,111
Here's a couple possibilities:
a) Maybe leadership was worried that someone would take advantage of the situation and plant something in the sterile area?
b) Maybe the sterile area was flooded or had damage inside? Or all the restaurants were closed, anyway.
With that said, the TSO's could have came up with a few possible solutions:
a) Offer to bring food/drinks to customers from inside security.
b) Ask the people inside if they would be willing to bring out food/drinks, or even sell them.
c) Implement patdowns for everyone going past security (if the machines weren't working) or just suspend ID requirements (after all, if people are cleared during screening, they're safe).
A little thinking outside the box would have helped the situation. Really not defending TSA here, but maybe they had their own reasons, too?
a) Maybe leadership was worried that someone would take advantage of the situation and plant something in the sterile area?
b) Maybe the sterile area was flooded or had damage inside? Or all the restaurants were closed, anyway.
With that said, the TSO's could have came up with a few possible solutions:
a) Offer to bring food/drinks to customers from inside security.
b) Ask the people inside if they would be willing to bring out food/drinks, or even sell them.
c) Implement patdowns for everyone going past security (if the machines weren't working) or just suspend ID requirements (after all, if people are cleared during screening, they're safe).
A little thinking outside the box would have helped the situation. Really not defending TSA here, but maybe they had their own reasons, too?
Sometimes rules have to be modified on the fly during an unexpected situation. Professionals would understand that concept and would have made allowances. TSA? NO!
Aug 30, 2017, 12:00 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: USA
Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, SkyMiles
Posts: 4,159
We need more context and information. What exactly did the TSA screeners say? "Sorry, no water or food for you, they're all inside the sterile area and you don't have access!" Would they really let people suffer like that? I find that hard to believe... it's human nature to want to help.
Aug 30, 2017, 12:13 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
Posts: 28,111
True. It's just that we don't have enough context. Were the machines malfunctioning because of the floods? Was the sterile side of the airport even open? Maybe the TSA screeners had to deny people anyway because airside was flooded? Only allowing ticketed passengers inside (which is SOP anyway)? If so, the OP could have bought a refundable ticket to go past security, then cancelled. Theoretically, TSA could have suspended same-day travel requirements to let people inside, or offered to bring water outside. Couldn't the OP have asked a TA for a gate pass or asked an airport employee if they could do something about bringing out water/food to stranded landside passengers?
We need more context and information. What exactly did the TSA screeners say? "Sorry, no water or food for you, they're all inside the sterile area and you don't have access!" Would they really let people suffer like that? I find that hard to believe... it's human nature to want to help.
We need more context and information. What exactly did the TSA screeners say? "Sorry, no water or food for you, they're all inside the sterile area and you don't have access!" Would they really let people suffer like that? I find that hard to believe... it's human nature to want to help.
Aug 30, 2017, 5:38 pm
#7
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
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Posts: 20,634
From the Houston Business Journal:
Houston airports remain closed until further notice, most stranded passengers moved
Excerpt:
Excerpt:
More than 100 passengers were still stranded at the two airports combined as of Aug. 28, [Houston Airport System spokesman Bill] Begley said. Many of those who remained stuck at Hobby, for instance, were from Houston, and it was safer to stay at the airport than to get back on the roads, he added.
“We’re finding inventive ways of taking care of passengers and staff,” Begley said, calling the efforts “a testimony to cooperation and solid partnerships.”
“We’re finding inventive ways of taking care of passengers and staff,” Begley said, calling the efforts “a testimony to cooperation and solid partnerships.”
Aug 31, 2017, 8:22 pm
#8
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Location: DFW
Posts: 28,111
Apparently some FAM's based out of Houston aren't to happy with how their TSA superiors treated them.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/federal-a...223317968.html
Federal Air Marshals Say TSA Separated Them From Families During Harvey
https://www.yahoo.com/news/federal-a...223317968.html
Twenty-six federal air marshals based in Houston were not allowed to return to their families after Hurricane Harvey hit late last week, according to an association that represents the law enforcement agents.