Security at ABQ
 

This weekend at ABQ while checking in for a flight I noticed some strange security issues.

The first was that the CO agents were not asking anyone for ID when checking in for flights or when checking luggage. After you used the electronic check-in machine the agent called out your name and slapped your luggage tag on your bags. No ID was ever requested from me nor from anyone else that I saw.

The second was that folks were trying to go standby on an earlier flight. The agent was putting their luggage on the earlier flight in case the person was able to get on the plane standby. I thought that TSA security rules required your luggage to fly on the same plane as you were.

Does anyone else feel that the above breaches security rules? Should this be reported to CO and to the TSA?

As far as the ID thing is concerned, why should anyone but the airline care if your ID matches your boarding pass? That does nothing to improve safety or "security". The TSA "security" drones are handling the enforcement of the airline ticket non-transferability clauses now.

As far as the luggage is concerned, I believe the rule was that you had to travel with your bags if they were not inspected by the TSA. That was a way to fake compliance with the "Every piece of baggage needs to be inspected" law without actually inspecting every piece of baggage. I assume that ABQ is now actually inspecting all checked bags.



This thread really belongs in the Travel Safety & Security forum, so over it goes...

Xyzzy
CO forum moderator

The electronic check-in verified that your ID matched your reservation. There was no visual confirmation, but as has been pointed out many times that serves no real purpose anyway.

As mentioned above, the rule for checked baggage was that you either had to fly with it on the same plane (go down with the bomb) or it had to be scanned for explosives. Now that they x-ray all checked baggage (but no cargo), the bags can go on any plane, with or without you.

Just be glad you weren't at ABQ during "orange alert." Last time I was there during an orange alert they had a PA announcement recording going: "Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert! Orange alert!" :rolleyes:

On United, I notice on some baggage tags that it says the destination, flight number, and above the flight number, a black box with white lettering that says "Standby" on it. I think the airlines are complying with the rule.

The TSA thievery and the fact that I cannot catch an earlier connection with checked bags are the reasons why I will do everything I can to limit myself to carry-ons.


As for the ID things, I agree that the AirServ personnel are only there to prevent sharing of the tickets through other people. I can use Easy Check-In on United with only using my 1K membership card.

As pointed out by several TSAers in previous posts, it's not their job to check the IDs of passengers. But as usual with the TSA, there are airports out there that do that (I love the triple-tiered ID check all within 20 feet of each other at EUG...gotta justify the TSA paychecks somehow).

As another member put it: the "we just want to be sure" gauntlet.