Let me see if I can figure this out….

Passengers, especially frequent flyers whom I assume inhabit this board by vast numbers, especially when compared to terrorists, are pointing out several variances to whatever the vague “official rule” is. Terrorists would of course not involve any of the things we talk about here!

I have to obtain my boarding pass by paying money and presenting identification.

My boarding pass info and identification is checked several times before clearing “security”.

I will only use AA as an example: My boarding pass and or my ticket attached clearly identifies me as a person who accumulated 100,000 plus miles the year before; I can cite examples on other airlines.

My question is… if every TSA station, every shift, every person, is allowed to punish certain people, and make their own rules, why can’t they do just the opposite and REALLY study the boarding pass and see who is standing in front of them? Tell that person “thanks for flying, and by the way, I see you’re sitting in first class, close to the cockpit, we would appreciate your help”.

Is this to simple? Has it been posted before? What am I missing?

TSAMGR and EYECUE among others read this board and freely offer comments. I would like to hear any rebuttals.

I travel internationally, and absolutely dread coming back to the US after 30,000 miles of safe travel, eating with real silverware, not having to remove computers, shoes, and being "felt up" and treated like a terriorists, etc.

In my relm, MKE, LAX, LGA, TPA, MCO, ORD, MIA, SFO, ATL, are the best.
DFW is the worst.

Waste of time. Just say "Have a nice day" and move on to the next suspect.

Sorry, but I am not clear what your reply is refering to in my post.

My point is that the TSA spends enough time as it is staring at people's boarding passes. Spending more time trying to figure out whether you're in First Class (does it really matter), and asking people to help out in case the plane is hijacked is nothing but a waste of time.

People know that if the plane is hijacked, their assistance will be required if they wish to tell the tale.

Why should I won't bother replying. No matter what the reply is it will be jumped all over with snide remarks such as above.

I am a little confused about what you are suggesting. Or rather, I'm just incredulous. Do you think that the TSA should consider you a valued traveler rather than a potential terrorist? Doesn't that go against the grain of everything the agency stands for? I mean, all U.S. frequent flyers have been branded suspected criminals at checkpoints for three long years now: you are most definitely presumed guilty, at least until after your breast examination.

Your "idea" would be funny if it weren't painfully naive. The TSA doesn't want friends: it's barely responded to allegations of purposeful sexual abuse. They don't want your help, they want you to spread your legs and stand still for your genital manipulation. And they don't want any talking back.

Wow...just another Saturday night in the Paris household...but I get dinner, a drink or 3, and a 20-year marital relationship.

With the TSA I get "comply or don't fly" which I think verges on the definition of...oh what is that "R" word...

GradGirl...I like you and your outlook more and more...and despise the TSA more and more every day.

As a male...I'm disgusted and if anything close to genital manipulation happens to my wife and daughters in a week on our way to NYC...well...HEY PRESIDENT BUSH...ain't you proud of the country you have created.

TSA is obligated to treat everyone the same. If you are a FF you dont get preferred treatment. This would be a form of discrimination. It matters not if you are 3 months old or 93 years old, rich or poor,educated or illiterate, frequent flier or once in the last 5 years. Some on this board think that we are treating all people as terrorists or guilty until proven innocent. That is not the case. We treat everyone the same. Also while it may be in your best interest to stop an attempt at taking over the plane that you are on, it shouldnt be impressed upon you that it is your oblilgation or duty.

well...OK...and if it isn't our duty then it isn't your duty to feel up GradGirl, my daughters or anyone else...My mother got the booby treatment coming in from Bozeman last night...2 knee replacements and a new hip...touch her all you want and you won't find anything but a humiliated citizen and a pathetic groper...get a job at McDonald's and serve the USA, don't feel up the USA.

Of course not! That would be "failing to cooperate with screening" -- a punishable offense. Do your part, citizen! Protect the Empire!

Bruce

OK - got that. Forget about the first class portion.

The airlines were forced to quickly print the SSSS on the boarding pass. Maybe they could now print AAAA for those passengers they have known for several years! No study needed.

How about BBBB for lwer tier frequent flyer lever?

I know - waste of time.

Does this mean the "prefered traveller" program will never get off the ground? especially where you are stationed?

Is this why I've seen people wearing shorts having their legs wanded?

OK then, suspect until proven innocent. Same thing from my side of the WTMD.

Yup...suspect/guilty/terrorist until cleared by scrutiny.

It will be interesting to see the fall-out should something happen again (God forbid) and they play the videos from the scrutiny points at airports around the country showing the true "guilty" parties entering the system unhassled in the background whilest grannies, GradGirl, my wife or daughters, and assorted other innocent citizens are getting the grand grope and full going over in the foreground. I bet if you look closely, you'll even see the true "guilty" parties just look over at the grope zone and smile knowingly and mutter a little mental "thank you." They have so figured out how to avoid all this by now it is not even funny...just pathetic on the part of our so called DHS leadership.

No SSI SOP currently being forced down our throats at the scrutiny points has prevented or will prevent another 9/11...it WILL happen if and when THEY want it to...but why would they waste their time, money and resources...they have reached their goal...they created terror.

The only attempted event wasn't stopped at a scrutiny point but mid-air by FAs and fellow passengers...I don't even think a FAM was around the one time you needed one.

Looking for sharp-pointy things and feeling up grannies has so little to do with keeping me safe in the air, I chuckle at the self-importance of the uniforms, shouted orders and air of superiority every time I prance through scrutiny...and can that TSA be any bigger on the backs of the shirts? Probably, because some bean head somewhere says...hey we made it larger once and no one attacked, it must be a deterent...make it BIGGER and they are sure to be scared to try anything again.

But of course, as with this current administration, there will be no admitance of responsibility and no accountability for this smoke and mirrors illusion they are trying to seduce us with.

I have not and will not drink the kool-aid.