It appears the only reason they are doing gate screening is to prevent people from taking airside purchased beverages on the flight - which is the dumbest waste of resources I have ever seen. My mind is just numb from trying to understand their logic...but because they have none, I will offer some of my own as a counterpoint to their dumbness

To avoid having to deploy resources to gate screen, they could have:

1) banned the sale of all prohibited liquid items through airside vendors until the vendors and airport could...

2) setup fountain dispensers for water, coffee, tea, juice and soda which could be sold in open cups without lids, preventing someone from storing the beverage in their bag...then...

3) have a single screener watch the line to make sure no one boarded with their open beverage cup

Voila...problem solved. No gate screening and no beverage containers on board, but no thirsty customers either.

So what are the logistics of this?

Do they do the secondary screen as you enter the jetway?

If this takes very long, it will have major repurcussions. Forgetting the hassle of having to get to the gate that much earlier. Most of my flights are on aircrafts doing 45 minute turnarounds. That's 15 minutes to de-board and clean, and 30 to board. The current schedules do not allow boarding to begin much earlier. And there aren't enough planes or enough gates to remedy those schedules.

Alternative would be to pre-secondary-screen pax into a super-sterile holding area adjacent to the gate ahead of time, but that would require major gate reconstruction.

And those of you who saw gate secondaries yesterday and today: were there pax travelling with rollerboards? Did they open and go thru each one?

Yes. And like the old days right after 9/11, with gate-area/jetway-area searches but with everyone's handbaggage being dug through.

Yeah, I think I remember when I saw gate searches after 9/11 and then they are dropped all US airports gate searches. But, it is only for SSSS for passengers who need gate search before enter the aircraft. I don't think gonna happen anytime in the future.

There are some obvious things here.

1. An absolute ban on carryons is a non starter. It may be fine for grandma and grandpa, but not for business travelers. I need my papers while aboard the airplane and cannot afford the risk of delay or loss of those materials and my computer, Blackberry, cell phone etc if they are placed in the hold.

2. If the response is a second check at the gate, then hire the personnel to make that happen without delaying flights. We are talking about a relatively massive increase in personnel. That needs to be done without question. 2 hour waits cannot be part of the equation.

3. In short if we want increased security we have to pay for it with dollars not inconvenience. Why is this idea so foreign to governments?

While I consider myself a very calm and tolerant person, it completely blows my mind why they do not allow beverages bought in the terminals after you are past security to be brought on board...I understand they feel these could have been tampered with also, but this current threat and all actionable intelligence that has been made public is focused on the UK not the US...If people want to buy a Coke or a bottle water to take on the plane I can't see how this could be a REAL threat...I am with bocastephen on this one, my mind is numb trying figure this one out.

Well, they just killed 75% of all the duty-free business at every International departure terminal. It's mostly booze and perfume and condiments, etc.

I believe their logic is just this...a fear someone with a powder version of the explosive will mix it airside and take it aboard. Well, good call, but I still know another big hole in that plan.

Many airlines, such as Delta, serve water in bottles onboard. If a bottle is not served, on a long flight one could wait until the FAs are resting, go into the galley and remove one of the water bottles, take it into the lav, mix the explosive there, set the detonator, drop the bomb into the waste bin, return to their seat - then 'X' minutes later - tragedy.

No matter how much the TSA feels their security plan is a solid wall, the reality is it's still just a slice of swiss cheese.

Ummmm....have you read the news? The terrorists were going to use liquid explosives. That is why. While the vendors and products are screened in the X-Ray machine, they are not checked more thoroughly. While it is unlikely, someone could sneak something through for someone else that way.

The prevention process is still full of holes - what the TSA is doing won't prevent such an attack, it would only cause the plotters to change their tactic and approach.

Very true. I agree. They will keep coming up with ways until we all have too fly naked and go through cavity searches. The threat was with liquids -- so they are going to act on it. If they want to be totally safe, then they just need to totally ban all passengers.

I would even check my luggage (or gate check it) if I knew it was going to be sent to the baggage carosel quickly. Too often I've sat and waited and waited and waited at the luggage carosel for a bag that should have been there half an hour ago. Gate Checking might work, but I can't see the logistics of an entire flight checking their carry on bags at the gate and expecting to get them back in reasonable time, unless it is a commuter jet.

News Flash!!!

New security procedures implemented at --- requires passengers after passing through the scanner to turn towards the waiting TSA agents, drop their drawers, and spread their cheeks.

You can moon the TSA and get away with it.

Oh man! I'd love it! I just hope they use some KY or something...

How long will it take for a female TSA agent with a big huge ring on to have it "cause some damage" up there?

While I'm not completely denying what you're saying, I feel compelled to repeat what I said on a different thread in the same forum a couple of days back: It doesn't take a lot to buddy up w/a janitor or whatever who's going to be on duty the same time you're gonna be airside. And that's not even being creative.