Depending on location TSA is involved with CARGO... but in my neck of the woods within my terminal, I am unaware of cargo being flown with passengers.

They might ship these items via morning time or what not, but I do not work during those hours so I cannot say.

I am going to ask about cargo tomorrow.

But as far as US MAIL goes... there is a new contract talks with the US MAIL and AIRLINER's for using X-RAY machines.

again assuming it was intentional.

i understand your leaning to that conclusion, but i hardly (IMHO) think that "we're not accountable" stretches to every single employee.

like before, YMMV.

Greetings -

I was in a small town in the Pacific Northwest (on a trip) and had a package sent to me via one of the "two" major next day services. The package was delayed because of weather. The next day I was advised it would be coming into the local airport via air and the company's local station told me I could meet the driver at the airport at a certain time.

Being a small airport, it didn't take much to figure out what *commercial* flight it was coming in one, being I was provided the time it would arrive and where the package got stuck at. Yes, this next day air package FLEW commecially and even transited the largest airport in the Pacific Northwest en-route to it's final destination.

I met the driver at the airport and I was given my package (a day late) about 5 minutes after the commercial flight came in. As this was a small airport, I even saw my package and other packages being offloaded from this commercial flight (turbo-prop aircraft).

All different types of cargo travel by passenger aircraft. What do you think travel's in the belly of Icelandair 757's from REK-MSP/JFK/BWI/MCO/etc ? What do you think flies in the belly on the return? How about Combi aircraft?

I've flown on many KLM 747 Combi's from the USA to Amsterdam and return; please don't tell me the back was empty. I've also flown Qantas Combi's (long time ago, circa 1994) from LAX-NAN-SYD and SYD-CNS-HNL-LAX.

Cargo most definately does travel on commercial aircraft with passengers.

Best,

SDF_Traveler

Talks.

Well, that's reassuring.

This is why so many of us are so cynical about TSA screening. At least for me, it's nothing to do with TSA per se. My encounters with TSA personnel are, routinely, pleasant and professional. However, the TSA inspections add anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to my travel time, and secondary inspections are intrusive and uncomfortable. And the bottom line is this: even if TSA strip searched, x-rayed and anal-probed everyone who flew, there is STILL no in-flight security because every commercial flight carries unscreened cargo and US mail.

If this glaring and obvious flaw in commercial aviation were addressed, then perhaps we might feel better about surrendering the extra time and personal privacy. Until it is, though, airline security is just a dog-and-pony show and, like it or not, TSA has a starring role.

Where is the accountability? What disciplinary action will be taken against these screeners?

I'll go "way" out on a limb and say NONE, they will just blame it on the airlines.

Maybe a misunderstanding of what's meant by cargo. Most people's idea is probably the containers or palletized stuff loaded by forklifts and so on. You won't see much of this on passenger flights except at large airports with wide-body airplanes. But there are certainly unaccompanied items going into the holds of 737s, A320s and the like everywhere, indistinguishable from baggage to most observers. And the mail has been mentioned several times.

Even your 737 and A320 can carry a good amount of cargo. It may not be in the form of containers as it is with the widebodies, but I have watched large amounts of cargo loaded onto aircraft such the 737 and A320, especially on shorter haul international flights, i.e. Canada, Mexico, Latin America & Carribean Islands. I've seen them take pallets of large boxes out by the plane and start loading box after box. The planes might be narrow-body aircraft, but they can certainly haul a decent amount of cargo in addition to passengers & their luggage.

When it comes to other flights, especially widebody international flights, in some cases the cargo being carried makes more revenue than the passenger load (as another poster has pointed out). Some international carriers also operate "Combi" aircraft where the front of the main cabin is for passengers and the back of the aircraft is for cargo. I've flown on KL & QF 747 combi's myself, but I also understand other aircraft such as the 737 have a combi configuration.

I'm not sure what airport you work at, TSASCRNR, but you mentioned it is a large international airport; If that is the case, you'd probably be amazed at the amount of freight/cargo that is carried on passenger aircraft -- everything from turbo-props (Dash-8, EMB-120, ATRs), to RJ's (ERJ/CRJ/ARJ), narrow-body aircraft (737/757/A320), to your widebody aircraft (DC-10/MD-11, 747/767/777 and your A300/A310/A330/A340's).

As has been mentioned, US Mail also travels in the belly of commercial aircraft -- however, it is my understanding there is a size/weight limitation with respect to what US mail can be transported. This was done out of security concern as there is no screening of US mail put on passenger aircraft.

From what I understand, air carriers have been lobbying for US Mail screening so larger US mail items & parcels can be transported by commercial aircraft; this in turn would increase revenue for the carriers by allowing them to transport the larger mail items. Anyone know what the latest is on this?

Last but not least, even items sent via one of the popular "next day air" companies will even fly as cargo on commercial aircraft. While these carriers have their own airlines and fleets, there are parts of the globe (and even United States) where use of passenger commercial aircraft is necessary to deliver the packages. I know one of the companies in particular does this, but it wouldn't surprise me if most of them do in some capacity, be it DHL, FexEx, Airborne, or UPS. (note: one of these four is the company that transported the package I refer to in a previous post that was sent to me in the Pacific Northwest. The package not only flew on commercial airliner but was transported via the largest Pacific NW airport; I am not going to name the airline, but it was most definately cargo they transported on behalf of a cargo carrier).

Best,

SDF_Traveler

P.S. I recently did a 6 1/2 hr trans-Atlantic flight on a 757-200, a narrow-body; from my view at the gate, cargo was loaded onto this aircraft. Now, only if the cargo was screened.

Fish, fish and more fish! (That's what keeps FI's fares so low!)

I assume it isn't fish?

Any bag submitted for screening automatically is implied consent....

I beg to differ. I see it happen everyday at my airport.

Yes, I am well aware of the disgusting, un-American "implied consent" that the TSA hides behind.

I asserted that regardless of current policies no bag should be opened without the owner present or his/her explict prior consent.

Not unreasonable, just not practical or possible all the time

Thank god my airport screens bags in front of the check-in counters so we don't have this problem (this is going to change when Delta changes terminals, they want us to check bags in the back out of sight). Anyway so if you page a passenger to open up a bag and we can't open that bag until the passenger gets there what happens when the passenger doesn't show up? The bag can't go on the aircraft until the passenger is there with your scenario. Should the passenger and bag be kept from getting on the a/c?

Yes. At the very least, the bag should stay behind. The passenger can then either 1)agree to having the bag screened without his/her presense and sent to the destination on the next flight or 2)pick up the bag when she/he returns.

What do you think is inside those metal containers being loaded onto heavy aircraft? Believe me, they don't all hold suitcases.