When can TSA 'close' for the night?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AS, BA, AA
Posts: 3,670
When can TSA 'close' for the night?
I had the last flight (7 pm) out of a small airport earlier this week. I arrived at security 35 minutes prior to departure. I put my CPAP machine through the X-ray, and the agent (as always) said he needed to run a test. He took the CPAP over to the swab-test station, but it was locked up for the night. He said "I guess not - it's closed for the day" and let me through without the test.
At this small airport, 30 minutes prior to departure is plenty of time. In fact, half of the people on my flight (5 or so) arrived through security after I did. If I received a notification from my airline that my 7:00 flight had been delayed until 8:00, I wouldn't have arrived at the airport until 7:15 or later.
So my question is, how long is TSA required to staff the security gates at an airport? If I showed up at the airport and TSA had already left, would I be able to get on the plane?
At this small airport, 30 minutes prior to departure is plenty of time. In fact, half of the people on my flight (5 or so) arrived through security after I did. If I received a notification from my airline that my 7:00 flight had been delayed until 8:00, I wouldn't have arrived at the airport until 7:15 or later.
So my question is, how long is TSA required to staff the security gates at an airport? If I showed up at the airport and TSA had already left, would I be able to get on the plane?
#2
Senior Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat/2MM [23-yr. 1K, now emeritus] clawing way back to WN-A List; MR LT Titanium; HY Whateverist.
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Please follow as the thread moves to our Travel Safety/Security forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.
#4
Suspended
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,953
I had the last flight (7 pm) out of a small airport earlier this week. I arrived at security 35 minutes prior to departure. I put my CPAP machine through the X-ray, and the agent (as always) said he needed to run a test. He took the CPAP over to the swab-test station, but it was locked up for the night. He said "I guess not - it's closed for the day" and let me through without the test.
At this small airport, 30 minutes prior to departure is plenty of time. In fact, half of the people on my flight (5 or so) arrived through security after I did. If I received a notification from my airline that my 7:00 flight had been delayed until 8:00, I wouldn't have arrived at the airport until 7:15 or later.
So my question is, how long is TSA required to staff the security gates at an airport? If I showed up at the airport and TSA had already left, would I be able to get on the plane?
At this small airport, 30 minutes prior to departure is plenty of time. In fact, half of the people on my flight (5 or so) arrived through security after I did. If I received a notification from my airline that my 7:00 flight had been delayed until 8:00, I wouldn't have arrived at the airport until 7:15 or later.
So my question is, how long is TSA required to staff the security gates at an airport? If I showed up at the airport and TSA had already left, would I be able to get on the plane?
Terrorists take note: get yourself to a small airport late in the evening and you can probably get your explosives through the checkpoint.
#6
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: near The Liberty Bell
Programs: DL, WN, AA
Posts: 361
If you showed up late, the checkpoint was closed and there was no one around to screen you, then I'm guessing you would be denied boarding. I have heard of flights getting diverted to small airports after closing and for whatever reason the airport/ airline people let passengers deplane and exit the airport or sterile area, requiring those passengers to be re-screened. The story was that the airport got in touch with a TSA manager and they got some TSOs to come back to the airport and screened the flight.
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,037
Usually, TSA sticks around until the last flight departs, so the checkpoint would stay open at least until boarding for the flight is finished. It sounds like they weren't expecting too many people to come through that late and starting shutting down the equipment a little early.
If you showed up late, the checkpoint was closed and there was no one around to screen you, then I'm guessing you would be denied boarding. I have heard of flights getting diverted to small airports after closing and for whatever reason the airport/ airline people let passengers deplane and exit the airport or sterile area, requiring those passengers to be re-screened. The story was that the airport got in touch with a TSA manager and they got some TSOs to come back to the airport and screened the flight.
If you showed up late, the checkpoint was closed and there was no one around to screen you, then I'm guessing you would be denied boarding. I have heard of flights getting diverted to small airports after closing and for whatever reason the airport/ airline people let passengers deplane and exit the airport or sterile area, requiring those passengers to be re-screened. The story was that the airport got in touch with a TSA manager and they got some TSOs to come back to the airport and screened the flight.
#8
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: IAD
Programs: *wood Gold
Posts: 1,781
TSA: where the Fred-Flinstone-blow-the-whistle-I'm-out-of-here-quitting-time routine only stands second in priority to stealing people's stuff and harassing photographers in public areas.
#11
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,051
Wait a minute! I distinctly remembering reading right here that TSO's aren't LEO's. So why assume they brake for donuts. Maybe they prefer pizza. Maybe they prefer biscotti. Get your stories straight. Though stale donuts could be a biscotti substitute if they ran out of biscotti.
#12
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 464
Wait a minute! I distinctly remembering reading right here that TSO's aren't LEO's. So why assume they brake for donuts. Maybe they prefer pizza. Maybe they prefer biscotti. Get your stories straight. Though stale donuts could be a biscotti substitute if they ran out of biscotti.
So donuts it is. Sorry.
#14
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Las Vegas, NV
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Posts: 217
I've been kicked out of a muni airport terminal because the TSOs at the checkpoint wanted to take a break. They said they couldn't guard the terminal anymore so everyone inside had to leave and get rescreened when break time was over.
It was all kind of a farce as I ended up back in the same airport later that night; a depressurization caused my plane to return. By that time TSA had gone home so my fellow passengers and I were free to enter/exit the terminal at will while we waited several hours for a back-up plane. There was one local cop that would poke his head inside every hour or so to see if we'd left so he could lock up the place.
It was all kind of a farce as I ended up back in the same airport later that night; a depressurization caused my plane to return. By that time TSA had gone home so my fellow passengers and I were free to enter/exit the terminal at will while we waited several hours for a back-up plane. There was one local cop that would poke his head inside every hour or so to see if we'd left so he could lock up the place.
#15
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At some US airports, TSA goes largely missing soon after the last scheduled flight for the day leaves and is completely gone well before the last flights arrive at the the airports. However, in order to "control" the flow of persons into the "sterile" area, arriving passengers have to go into a sort of a TSA-wanted-and-approved "glass" jail cell with a sliding door on both sides of the "glass" jail cell where those doors remain "locked" until there is a person who reaches the "airside" sliding door. The "airside" sliding door opens automatically for arriving passengers who enter the "glass" jail cell. The glass jail cell "airside" door then closes. Thereafter the "glass" jail cell "landside" door opens to allow the "prisoner" passengers to exit to "landside". After the passengers exit the "glass" jail cell, the "landside" "glass" jail cell door shuts and the "airside" "glass" jail cell door once again is allowed to be opened automatically upon arrival of the next "airside" passenger who has to go into the "glass" jail cell in order to get "landside" and exit the airport.