Screening rules for flight crews?
 

What are the actual TSA rules regarding flight crews and screening? How about airport employees? How about TSA themselves when they report to work?

All get screened, all exempt from Shoe Carnival because they have SIDA badges.

Feel safer?

I'm just trying to figure things out. You know, knowledge is power.

When I was bored Tuesday sitting in a couple of different airports I decided to just sit and watch the screening process.

I saw no pilots or employees take their shoes off, but the majority of FAs did. This made no sense to me.

At ORD I saw a TSA walk a pilot (who seemed to be in a hurry) around the short lines and past, not through the WTMD. On the other hand, an inordinate amount of carry-on baggage at ORD appeared to be getting searched?

OT - I was also trying to figure out how many TSAs work one WTMD/station. I saw as few as 3 or 4 and as many as 10.

Could be a gun-toting pilot?

Arguing about employees with SIDA badges is futile. Thought it's a good way to earn yourself a retaliatory secondary (backed up by the supervisor, of course).

The FAs know when their shoes will set off the metal detector, that's likely the reason they remove shoes.

Don't bother with the team count. There is usually six of them, possibly a 'floater' (which best describes the overall 'security' setup).

If you're really into observing, have a bite in the Main Terminal at DEN. There's seating above the main level, where you get a bird's eye view. Don't be too obvious, though.

Also, if you're into people-watching, notice the all the passengers gawking at the TSA team leader that is trans-gender.

Doesn't matter much for pilots I think. They can crash the plane at will, so it's not like they would need explosives, knives, etc.

Unless they are suicidal and want company for the event, having a pilot take down their own plane is not a concern.

However for a disgruntled employee of a bankrupt airline who has had their salary and pension slashed, how much $$ would it take for them to be willing to be a "mule" through security? I know, I know. Too many movies and conspiracy theories. But it only takes one....

And if it really was "security", there would not be exceptions.

I don't see the difference between them crashing the plane and blowing themselves up with a bomb on the plane. It accomplishes the same thing.

The package that the pilot sneaks through security is then passed off to someone who pays them for the "favor". The target is not the plane being flown by the mule, as he may be useful again in the future. My point was that flight crews should be subject to the same "security" measures as passengers.

hey guys we as employee go to the same screen as you do(exempt shoes) if we alarm twice we get the full hand wand procedure. if we have something prohibited in our bags(which is not good for us employees) even lighters are confiscated!!! so its the same thing except that we can go to the front of the line!!! which is good for the passengers because most of the time if you see a group of screener coming in when its busy it because they are there to help out and/or open up a line!!!!

What's the purpose of exempting shoes? What's good for the goose should be good for the gander, especially at a shoe carnival such as SFO.

I guess there could be an idiot out there who would. I'd at least think that most of them would have enough brains that they wouldn't want to spend the rest of their days rotting in jail.

your quote does make sense..but let me put it this way when there is a huge line at the security and passengers are in a hurry to get to thier flight...us screener or employees are here to help you get through the line quickly..not waiting in line and not taking off our shoes (which we would have to because most of us were profiled shoes) or getting them swipe would take longer therefore to open up a line to get the passenger screened would take longer, passengers would get upset ect ect ect!! thats one of the reasons why we are exempt same for pilots and flight attendants if they are not ready for thier flight your flight is not leaving on time!!

No shoe should ever be screened unless there is an alarm at the WTMD.

The TSA's "shoe policy" is idiotic, illogical and nothing but reactionary harassment. The people responsible for its implementation and maintenance should be severely punished and terminated. :mad:

What would get us through faster is to not have the shoe carnival at all or, at a minimum, follow SOP and do not further screen non-profile shoes.First, the crew can cut to the front of the line and then they don't have to remove their shoes. All of us are equal, it's just that some of us are more equal than others. Do employees that work at businesses in the secure area have to remove their profile shoes?

How can you be sure that the flight crew members you are waving through are actually legitimate. You never know if they have forged id's and phony uniforms. :D