New Screening Measures and "Interviews" for Passengers on US Bound Flights
Oct 26, 2017, 1:18 pm
#46
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I wonder if the TSA will send out "secret shoppers" (at our considerable expense) to check to see if they are actually asking questions?
Oct 26, 2017, 1:25 pm
#47
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It was up to the airlines to agree to the imposition by USDHS and endorse, or forego flying directly to the US without other restrictions. How is this not an international agreement? It's not a treaty, it's definitely international. Parse away and play semantic games; that will certainly come in handy when they begin asking the second layer of questions.
Oct 26, 2017, 1:25 pm
#48
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Yes. But I wouldn’t say they are so secret. It’s another way to provide TSA employees with international travel at taxpayer expense and to provide some kind of “career path” and employee morale boosting opportunities. Not new in the least.
Oct 26, 2017, 1:27 pm
#49
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ne wants to or not.
Oct 26, 2017, 1:29 pm
#50
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Oct 26, 2017, 1:38 pm
#51
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It was up to the airlines to agree to the imposition by USDHS and endorse, or forego flying directly to the US without other restrictions. How is this not an international agreement? It's not a treaty, it's definitely international. Parse away and play semantic games; that will certainly come in handy when they begin asking the second layer of questions.
None of these questions as I've read them are going to trip up an accomplished liar - just a dumb one.
Oct 26, 2017, 1:43 pm
#52
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I'm curious to know how this will play out with carriers OTHER than American Airlines.
We already know that American is way out of line ("Who's watching your kids?" Is the kind of question that would make want to call the police. Stranger danger in the worst way.)
But the other US carriers have typically been much more sane. The three or four questions are pointless, but they aren't intrusive or cause for concern. It's just a dumb show.
When they used to ask the questions on domestic flights, aviation lobbyist Mary Schiavo said, "Why would answering some questions to a skycap improve safety?"
I think I'm willing to tolerate a few eye-rolling questions to please the US government. The American Airlines craziness just gets worse every day. I find it insulting to the behavioral sciences that American believes that $10/hour Swissport check-in agents can take a class for a few hours and have the ability and authority to conduct behavioral analysis.
I have posed this question (in more polite terms) to the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. I sent the email yesterday; I expect a pointless response that fails to answer the question.
One easy but imperfect way to improve this: look for a Known Traveler Number. If I have PreCheck, don't ask me how far I live from the airport or the names of my pets. I've already been vetted by CBPs systems, interviewed, fingerprinted, eyeprinted ("eye" have Nexus") so I think that carries a lot more weight than the name of my dog asked by a Swissport agent.
But that would be logical and a use of resources. This is about a show.
We already know that American is way out of line ("Who's watching your kids?" Is the kind of question that would make want to call the police. Stranger danger in the worst way.)
But the other US carriers have typically been much more sane. The three or four questions are pointless, but they aren't intrusive or cause for concern. It's just a dumb show.
When they used to ask the questions on domestic flights, aviation lobbyist Mary Schiavo said, "Why would answering some questions to a skycap improve safety?"
I think I'm willing to tolerate a few eye-rolling questions to please the US government. The American Airlines craziness just gets worse every day. I find it insulting to the behavioral sciences that American believes that $10/hour Swissport check-in agents can take a class for a few hours and have the ability and authority to conduct behavioral analysis.
I have posed this question (in more polite terms) to the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. I sent the email yesterday; I expect a pointless response that fails to answer the question.
One easy but imperfect way to improve this: look for a Known Traveler Number. If I have PreCheck, don't ask me how far I live from the airport or the names of my pets. I've already been vetted by CBPs systems, interviewed, fingerprinted, eyeprinted ("eye" have Nexus") so I think that carries a lot more weight than the name of my dog asked by a Swissport agent.
But that would be logical and a use of resources. This is about a show.
Oct 26, 2017, 1:59 pm
#53
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I'm curious to know how this will play out with carriers OTHER than American Airlines.
We already know that American is way out of line ("Who's watching your kids?" Is the kind of question that would make want to call the police. Stranger danger in the worst way.)
But the other US carriers have typically been much more sane. The three or four questions are pointless, but they aren't intrusive or cause for concern. It's just a dumb show.
When they used to ask the questions on domestic flights, aviation lobbyist Mary Schiavo said, "Why would answering some questions to a skycap improve safety?"
I think I'm willing to tolerate a few eye-rolling questions to please the US government. The American Airlines craziness just gets worse every day. I find it insulting to the behavioral sciences that American believes that $10/hour Swissport check-in agents can take a class for a few hours and have the ability and authority to conduct behavioral analysis.
I have posed this question (in more polite terms) to the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. I sent the email yesterday; I expect a pointless response that fails to answer the question.
One easy but imperfect way to improve this: look for a Known Traveler Number. If I have PreCheck, don't ask me how far I live from the airport or the names of my pets. I've already been vetted by CBPs systems, interviewed, fingerprinted, eyeprinted ("eye" have Nexus") so I think that carries a lot more weight than the name of my dog asked by a Swissport agent.
But that would be logical and a use of resources. This is about a show.
We already know that American is way out of line ("Who's watching your kids?" Is the kind of question that would make want to call the police. Stranger danger in the worst way.)
But the other US carriers have typically been much more sane. The three or four questions are pointless, but they aren't intrusive or cause for concern. It's just a dumb show.
When they used to ask the questions on domestic flights, aviation lobbyist Mary Schiavo said, "Why would answering some questions to a skycap improve safety?"
I think I'm willing to tolerate a few eye-rolling questions to please the US government. The American Airlines craziness just gets worse every day. I find it insulting to the behavioral sciences that American believes that $10/hour Swissport check-in agents can take a class for a few hours and have the ability and authority to conduct behavioral analysis.
I have posed this question (in more polite terms) to the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. I sent the email yesterday; I expect a pointless response that fails to answer the question.
One easy but imperfect way to improve this: look for a Known Traveler Number. If I have PreCheck, don't ask me how far I live from the airport or the names of my pets. I've already been vetted by CBPs systems, interviewed, fingerprinted, eyeprinted ("eye" have Nexus") so I think that carries a lot more weight than the name of my dog asked by a Swissport agent.
But that would be logical and a use of resources. This is about a show.
It’s pretty easy to load someone else’s KTN into another passenger’s PNR; so just having a KTN entered in doesn’t really inspire much confidence. Also, while it’s possible for airlines to send over KTNs and see what it kickbacks at check-in, that’s not something available to all airlines flying to the US.
Oct 26, 2017, 3:14 pm
#54
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Oct 26, 2017, 3:38 pm
#55
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I've experienced questioning several years ago on flights from India to LHR (VS) and to EWR (UA). I recall the VS questioning being a bit aggressive.
My favorite was LHR-IAD on UA. The ICTS agent asked what I do for work and I replied "radiation oncology," she was taken aback and goes "radiation?!" Think for a second she thought she caught someone (I'm also brown-skinned).
In contrast, the questioning from recent LIS-YYZ on AC was just about bags while the rest of my family on AA got the full interrogation. Think they even tried to ask my niece questions. She is 2...
My favorite was LHR-IAD on UA. The ICTS agent asked what I do for work and I replied "radiation oncology," she was taken aback and goes "radiation?!" Think for a second she thought she caught someone (I'm also brown-skinned).
In contrast, the questioning from recent LIS-YYZ on AC was just about bags while the rest of my family on AA got the full interrogation. Think they even tried to ask my niece questions. She is 2...
Oct 26, 2017, 3:44 pm
#56
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IATA’s CEO referred to these US-demanded measures applicable to US-bound flights as “unilateral measures implemented without any prior consultation… That is something that is very concerning and disturbing....”? Doesn’t sound like much of an international agreement and endorsement of these measures applicable to a lot more US-bound flights today than say a month ago.
Oct 26, 2017, 7:32 pm
#58
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thing to do with it. They'll ask you at the gate as you go through security or as you attempt to board.
Oct 26, 2017, 7:56 pm
#59
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And if the traveler only speaks a language that none of the available airline personnel know? (I know a couple of elderly ladies - U.S. citizens - who speak only Navajo. Not likely they'll be traveling overseas, but the principle remains.)
Oct 26, 2017, 8:01 pm
#60
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