Puffing to start at PBI
 

We get the puffer machine that detects explosive material on people. Wonder if that is part of the reason we get 100 new screeners? I guess it is better use of money than the half million $ Homeland Security go fast boat
I saw yesterday cruising up the Intracoastal Waterway. I felt sooooo much safer cruising out the inlet.


http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localne.../0729puff.html

Think of it as the bomb-sniffing dog of the future. You don't have to feed it, walk or train it—but it cost about $160,000.

It answers to the name, "Explosives Detection Trace Portal." But you can call it "Puffer."

Not everyone boarding a flight through Concourse A/B will have to step through the 8-foot, 5-inch portal, but those who do will experience a momentary burst of cool air from four directions. After a 15-second pause while the machine "sniffs" the particles dispersed by the puff of air in search of nitrartes or other materials used in bomb-making, the passenger is instructed to exit. Or not.

If the Puffer detects traces of explosives—and simply working in a garden might leave fertilizer on your hands—the passenger will be taken aside and sent through the security procedure again.

Checked baggage is already examined for explosives residue. Now PBIA joins Boston, New York, Los Angeles and 13 other airports equipped with the high-tech portals.

Sniffing Portals
 

I have been through the GE EntryScan at TPA twice (exited the secure area to return to check-in counter) as I was designated a "SSSS" as a result of missing my flight and the Ticket Agent didn't bother putting my Plat FF # in the new reservation.

From what I understand, different portals are in use from different manafacturers, but at TPA the GE EntryScan was only used for Selectee passengers. It seemed to take forever while I was in the machine, but it was actually pretty quick and faster than enduring a full secondary screening.

The setup at TPA was (1) GE EntryScan Portal and (2) WTMD, while hand luggage went through a normal x-ray and was ETD swabbed. As long as you did not alarm, you were not wanded, patted down, or touched. Shoes were ok, as long as they did not trigger WTMD.

With respect to portal usage, I feel using it for selectees only is a waste of resources. Yes, it makes things better for the selectees as implemented in TPA, but the selectee program does not work.

Instead, passengers should be randomly be sent through the portal on an on-going basis. A system with complete random selection as passengers (adults) approach the checkpoint. It could be every 8th passenger, the next passenger to walk along when the machine opens up, or the passenger who walks by first after the clock hits the 50 second hand. This way no one knows who is going to go through the portal - nothing like the SSSS announcing one will get extra security.

If handled properly, it may add an extra 15 seconds to screenings of passengers randomly sent into the portal. To do anything else with it would be a waste of resources.

The only downside to the portal's is I would hate to have one get a positive hit as a result of walking on fertilized lawn, etc. That would probably result in a full body patdown and full search of luggage with additional ETD.

What do others think? I say a complete random approach -- don't just tie it up for selectees.

SDF_Traveler

Already happened.

The GE Entry scan was bought out by SDS. The actual cost of the machine including shipping,installation,training and setup is closer to 500K each. The time to scan a passenger is closer to 2 minutes. They are a bottleneck in the process and cost prohibitive to have for every lane at a checkpoint. That is why they are going to the SSSS lane.

Tell you why I disagree with this.
Since the TSA has yet to catch a terrorist in 3+ years of screening over a billion pax, adding yet another time-delaying, expensive layer to the screening is only heaping insult on top of injury IMO.
Why test one out of eight pax since not even one out of 800 million is a terrorist??
I opt for bdschobel's Magic Rock™ as a more effective terrorist deterrent.

The terrorists are not going to kill me, it is the aggravation at the security points that will. If this moves the passengers faster though A/B terminals at PBI then it will save lives. A few times the line for security went all the way from A/B to C where Delta is at. Fortunately I was not using A/B on those bad days and only had one person in front of me at terminal C which had three times as many security people as needed that day.

I agree completely.

The fear-mongers in charge have been searching for their own very expensive magic rock, and in these devices they may have found it.

Even worse, there are far too many people who think that the tragic events in London this past month are proof that we should be "puffing" pax on subways, buses and trains here in the USA. :rolleyes:

If the devices were cheaper and could process dozens of people in 15 seconds, I'd be wholly in favor of this. As it stands now, I don't see why a bomb-sniffing dog walking the line won't work for most conventional explosives. (But then still there will be the "possibility" that someone could mix up an explosive airside still.)

This is a better option than the backscatter x-ray, although the two (technology devices) could be "complementary" to one another; unfortunately the expense in money and time will be anything but "complimentary".

Oh, the terrorists have already won. They hate the freedoms that most Americans enjoy. And things like "random" secondaries and the bag inspections going into the subways go against the freedoms that we are known for.

Or known for to be losing.

I actually don't mind this machine. They've been using it at the CN Tower for many, many years now. Even before 9/11, I believe.

The only difference is that when I went through, it only took five seconds, max.

I'm no fan of the TSA, as I'm sure others know, but I don't mind the machine likewise. The machine is non-intrusive, it's simple, and it tests passengers for explosives, which utimately is a 'weak' link in the current system.

As to whether it is really needed from a risk management standpoint, add into the factor the cost of the machine, installation, and maintanance, is another question.

RE: eyecue's comments about it taking two minutes

As to the actual time it took me to enter the GE EntryScan at TPA (once I was allowed to enter), for the air to puff, analyize and door open with green light, I honestly don't think it was any more than 30 seconds. While in the machine, it seems like an eternity, which is how my partner felt while in the machine, but when I watched other pax go through, it seemed pretty quick. Granted, I did not have a stopwatch or any way to time this, it certainly wasn't two minutes.

The best benefit was, as a selectee, I was not touched, wanded, etc., and between the TPA setup and line management, we cleared the checkpoint FASTER than if we had continued in line for a normal screening.

However, as in my original post, we all know the Selectee system is seriously flawed when it comes to selection of passengers. While the machine may make the selectee process less invasive, to purchase this machine for selectees only is a waste, IMHO. The wrong pax are being selected based on criteria such as one-ways or pseudo one-ways with codeshares, the latter where I get nailed the most often. (i.e. I purchase a ticket from NW, I travel one direction on NW, the other on CO or DL. CO or DL sees me as one-way and nails me SSSS. Sometimes I will purchase tix where I have one segment (the first segment on an outbound or return) operated by a codeshare partner, this is seen as one-way, thus SSSS).

Your boarding pass is plastered SSSS - I doubt any terrorist would proceed through the checkpoint with explosives as a result.

Providing the TSA is hellbent at purchasing these machines and installing them, wouldn't it make sense, from a security standpoint, to screen passengers at random with the portal? Yet have it set up in a way that it will not create bottlenecks at the machine slowing travelers down? Heck, at busy airports, if a special lane was set aside with proper line/queue management, it's possible to get the "random" group screened at the same speed, if not faster than those in the primary WTMD line such as my experience at TPA because individuals could be taken from the line at a point prior waiting for the WTMD.

At TPA (airside A, last December), with their line management, Selectees are pulled immediately before even waiting for a WTMD to the lane with the portal. Establish a random system such as this and I'd be willing to bet (when lines are long) passengers would prefer to go through the portal line.

SDF_Traveler

We dont "catch" we "deter." So success cant be measured that way.

This half-a**ed system could not deter even a somewhat determined terrorist. There are so many holes in current U.S. aviation security that I am amazed another attack has not occurred since 2001.

I agree with SDF_Traveler, these puffer machines could be implemented as part of a more effective screening system that would actually deter a person from attempting to transport explosives through a checkpoint and onto an airliner. As for cargo on airliners, apparently Congress and DHS/TSA do not see a threat there.

You don't "catch" but deter... What about the all of the confiscated items, including items which actually are weapons, including handguns which have been "caught", oh, and "TSA Civil Fined" and/or criminally prosecuted (never mind those who made it past security without it being detected) -- despite the fact these have been "good guys" (some, real idiots, I must add) and not "evil-doers".

I'll go part way and say deterance is important; but if the only purpose of the TSA is to deter, that just goes to show it's nothing but a "Dog and Pony Show" to "deter" terrorists, but likely couldn't "catch" one. As has been pointed out, there are still many holes in the US Aviation security system -- as with PH, I too am amazed we haven't been hit again. Thank god we haven't and I pray we don't, but if you really want a system which has a sense of true security, you have further to go. Such a system does not have to slow down & greatly inconvienience passengers either.

In that case, I might as well pull out Spiff's Magic Rock (tm) and we could give three years of credit to the rock.

SDF_Traveler

Deterance is important, but between these puffer machines and other measures, which do not have to slow down or inconvienience passengers, I believe the TSA should be able to "catch" evil-doers should they ever come through.

SDF_Traveler