When I flew into DCA today, I guess it was at least 1430 by the time I disembarked, there were many TSA people near the gate. There were also several people wearing (suit)jackets - United employees or airport supervisors. So they were going to check everyone's baggage as the boarded? What were the suit people doing?

Be very careful if one of the suits is named Agent Smith.

MSNBC is confirming this as well.

My thinking exactly

Same thing at CMH today -- surprisingly short initial security line followed by 100% gate screening while boarding. Had my 2 oz bottle of eye drops taken away in the process (which of course hadn't been caught at primary screening). Of course, they were only checking bags so if I had stuffed it in my pocket there would have been no problem...

Actually, when screening was first instituted, it was *only* at the gate. That avoided many potential 4th Amendment problems (because there is no justification to require people who are not traveling and do not have access to the aircraft (i.e. - most airport employees, visitors, etc.) to go through search). Then they decided it would be more convenient and cost-effective to have centralized screening. I think they made the change at LAX during the summer of 1971.

That's it for me. I have a tight international connection on RDU-IAD-MUC-SOF tomorrow at 8am in MUC, which I will miss after the TSA thugs search a 777 at IAD and delay the flight by a few hours.

My days as a heavy traveler may be over until this goes away.

Email, fax, and call both of your state's US Senators and your US Representative from your district..It might not seem like it would do much, but if all FTers out there who are frustrated and who are US Citizens or LPRs did this all Senators and I gotta believe just about all if not all US Representatives would be contacted.

You might not think it would have much of an effect, but if we could get a large scale email/fax/call campaign undertaken our elected officials will take notice and it could make a difference and will for sure get their attention and let them know that there are people out there who care.

I know they are not in session now, but there are thousands of staff members there on the Hill working during this recess...When I worked for one of my home state's US Senators for a semester we had to respond to all constituents and when we got alot of letters/emails/calls on certain issues people did take notice and when groups put together faxing campaigns and totally jammed our fax for days on end it pissed us off and we got sick of it, but it got our attention.

Just remember if you do decide to contact your Senators/Representatives make sure you write respectful letters expressing your frustration and opposition to these new ridiculous security measures...Letters that are well written, well articulated, and written in a respectful manner get a much better response than those that are poorly written and are of a hysterical, angry tone.

I am sure plenty of people will be cynical towards this idea, but I know if everyone out there who is posting on this site expressing their frustration took a few minutes to contact their representative/senators people would take notice.

Isn't this just a tacit admission by the TSA that their normal screening is so far from perfect that it lets plenty of stuff through?

Even with gate screening, I know for a fact that the TSA misses quite a bit of stuff. The best man at my wedding flew with a 6" folding knife in his laptop bag and went through two hand searches at the gate during his trips; the knife HE found when he returned home and unpacked--no one at the checkpoint nor at the gate hand-search caught it.

Meanwhile, the TSA is focused on confiscating lip balm and sunscreen while the terrorists are slipping right past them.

We all know that TSA is just window dressing instead of actual security. TSA could adopt measures that would greatly increase actual security, but the U.S. lacks the will to adopt these measures.

Is there really a need for data-mining-/profiling-based haraSSSSment screening if we're going to have a main checkpoint screening and a gateside screening? If one check isn't sufficient, and if two isn't sufficient, why stop at three or even four?

IMHO, a waste of time. Can't be seen as "soft on terrorism" you know, and this current bunch is more spineless than any I've seen in my lifetime.

If you really want to make sure you are heard by someone who cares and will listen, send a letter, fax, e-mail, to the CEO of the airline you rely on most. In the letter state you will begin using General Aviation or start driving, if they ban carry-ons or delay flights any more than they currently do for security reasons. This is our ONLY hope to make a difference.

Unfortunately, I totally agree.

Bruce

I agree. The airlines are for the most part at the mercy of the FAA, IATA, etc. It is the voters who have the power of choice. The true cost of airlines folding is that the remaining ones will have more freedom to raise ticket prices. And many smaller towns may lose their only carriers.

Secondary security checks are window dressing and will most likely die away after a full weeks of uproar. If the security check is done right the first time, there is no need for a secondary.

I'm glad I'm not flying anywhere for the next 2 1/2 weeks.

The waste of time is complaining about something, but not attempting to do anything about what you are complaining about. Getting politicians to put some behind the scenes pressure on DHS/TSA to rethink of these measures taken in the last 48 hours does not equal "being soft on terrorism"...I have never heard one politician or political strategist compare airport screening policies with strength/weakness on terrorism and anyone who draws that comparison is IMO way off base.

Just keep this in mind...you call or write an airline I would assume the person who reads that email is far removed from any of the real decision makers probably I am guessing at least 5 or 6 and probably more layers away from the real decision makers...If you email/fax your Representative or Senator that letter is just 2 or 3 layers from the Respresentative or Senator...we went to bat for constituents with HHS, CMS, and the FBI on many occasions and often with a great deal of success.

If you can pick up the phone or send an email right to the CEO of an airline then I would tell you to do that, but most average people have much greater access to their elected representatives than to the executives of airlines. But I guess if you live on one of the coasts your representatives don't really want to hear from you anyway.

BTW...David Shuster of MSNBC was flying out of DCA I believe and he was reporting a little earlier that people were able to buy drinks after they had passed security and people were able to take those drinks on some flights...he didn't elaborate on which flights or anything of that nature but thats what he said dont know if there is any truth to this.