We have met the enemy and he is us
 

This is more a call for real elite screening lanes rather than anything else. I regularly stand behind the same people who have no clue what they are doing when being screened.

"The number one problem with air travel, according to an exhaustive survey by the polling staff at the Peoples Weekly Brief, is self absorbed, inconsiderate passengers who act as if the entire transportation system should bend to their will."

I can't disagree with him...

I have to admit one of my biggest peeves is that people feel that they need to use your seat as a hand rail while they get into their seats. It's always a pleasure trying to get comfortable in a seat not built for comfort or when you just start to nod off, and someone behind you feels that they must put a death grip on your seat in order to get into or out of theirs...

But then, I think that general politeness and manners have disappeared from our society as a whole.

Great article! Very fair.

Biggest reason why I participate in this forum: share some information and other insights to help others get through the screening process a little more smoothly.

This in no way excuses inconsistencies on the TSO side of the walk-through; however, it's a fair portrayal of the overall process. And it's not always the "Ma & Pa Kettle;" many times, it's the frequent flier.

Excuse me. What airline, post 9/11, pulls a curtain between F and Y?

The United flights I fly still do, as do the flights I take on Continental.

DL does. And from what I understand, so does every airline other than AA.

Oh well, I guess you know who I fly now. :)

Nice op piece.

The last time I flew out of LAX, there was an flight to SAL departing around the same time as my ATL flight. Two TSos were issuing instructions in Spanish and it still took a number of passengers standing in line hollering out instructions, "Su cinturon! Su reloj!" in order to keep the whole thing from breaking down.

SQ, LH etc.

There is a strange magnetism between idiots and chokepoints.

O/H

Just like trailer parks and tornadoes!

This is where I take issue with my own bosses. I hate having a line monitor yelling out instructions. The way I see it, there are plenty of signs, some airports even have little videos that play out the various types of scenarios, all in the name of informing the passenger on how to process through security. I can use that TSO more productively somewhere else at the checkpoint. And I believe in individual responsibility. If you're traveling on a commercial airline, do some research! Furthermore, just about every aspect of entering the checkpoint allows a second chance. In other words, if you alarm the WTMD the first time, we give you another chance to get it right. But some folks insist on trying to see how much metal they can carry on their person. Works for the first pass; but after you alarm, why not take out everything that is metal? It's a matter of being considerate for your fellow passengers who do get it and who do know the magic formula of what works for them.

However, especially now that we're assuming ticket reading responsibilities at more airports, the line monitor position is becoming a mandatory one.

Much to my chagrin.

Supervisors who tolerate or order their screeners to loudly bark instructions to passengers should be caned. By passenger volunteers chosen at random from those standing in line (I'm certain there'd be plenty of volunteers).

Barking instructions loudly is just another indicator of the vast gulf between professionalism and what passes for security at the TSA.

There's a more important reason to get rid of the barkers. People ignore them. In a busy environment it is natural to ignore continual screaming. If the screamer were to instead politely ask the folks in line about laptops, liquids, and shoes, you would see a lot more compliance. They do this in parts of Europe and it works much better.