Curveball: Which airport has the most efficiently run TSA?
 

(Notice how I said most efficiently run, not best)

My vote would go to MSP. They give out pretty consistent orders, have decent placards telling people going through the check what to do, they don't audible rules and actually reply to you as if you were a human being if questions are asked.

(Please don't turn this into a Best and Worst post.)

TPA funnels people through extremely fast considering their volume, and they definitely one-up other airports with similar layouts (things like the monorail shuttles to airsides - Orlando can't get that right.)

Of all of the ways to rate the TSA, why efficiency?

Speed is not the greatest concern of mine. Detection of prohibited items is my barometer.

In all the shameless PR the TSA does for itself, such as catching drug runners or people with an expired driver's license, isn't it funny how they don't beat their chest over a high rate of prohibited item detections?

Seems kind of odd how they don't beat their chest over that, doesn't it? Wonder why?

You don't understand anything about security, Less Oxygen. The real test is not high rate of prohibited item detections. The real test is:

That's right: The Terrorists Caught and Sent Home measure
and

That's right--More Truth Than You Can Handle test.

and

It is the TSORon Hardened Terrorists Get to the Airport, See What TSA Has in Store for Them, Turn Tail and Run Back to the Drawing Board test.

If you just want to count how many terrorists, their weapons, bombs and incindiery devices have been caught by TSA per $million spent, you are just setting TSA up to fail.

If you count how many have been caught and released, how many incidents involving TSA-captured terrorists that have been hushed up by TSA to spare pax the kind of terror screeners have to live with day in and day out, or how many time TSA staff have SPOTted terrorists who have fled the airport in confusion before the multi-layered security laid down by TSA, well, my friend, then you would see the value of TSA.

SJU is IMO not bad at all. They have their good days and bad days, but a bad day at SJU to me is better than an average day at BOS, EWR, ORD.....

I actually respect the TSOs on this board that come in and try to help. They don't make the policies, they are volunteering their time answering questions and giving their point of view.

I don't think it's fair to cherry pick a few comments, potentially out of context, from the discussions on this board and treat it as if it's an official TSA press release.

You wouldn't assume that any of the FAs on this board are speaking officially on behalf of their airline, would you?

TPA
 

Me two for TPA

They seem to pay attention and don't make you feel

like everyone is either REALLY stupid or trying to get

away with something

Efficient & Courteous

Efficiency being the standard, it would be very hard to determine between DEN, TPA, MSP, Treblinka or Dachau. All very, VERY efficient at expediting passage, though.

Just keep lining up.

Let me know when those airports are fitted with gas chambers. :rolleyes:

I also find it that most airport checkpoints that are not overstaffed with TSA people run the most smoothly. But that is very very very few.

It's been my experience that there's an optimal number of screeners that can work on one lane. Go higher than that number, and people will start to trip on each other and get in everybody else's way, and efficiency actually starts to drag.

Maybe you should bring that observation up the food chain to management.:p

Well. Our management knows~

That's because you live in a town full of rocket scientists..:D

They are all equally worthless.

Oh, come on, some must be more worthless than others.:p

I agree with Spiff - after all, he's one of the rocket scientists you hold in such high esteem. :D

One of my Ga Tech professors was previously from Huntsville, a lot of his PhD friends were suddenly jobless after Apollo Program wrapped up. I hope you realize that my (smart*ss) remark was on a positive note. The local management less likely to be totally clueless.
OT, the little airport that I used to commute through seemed to have fairly benign TSOs. I haven't had the need to wander into the terminal lately, however, just GA.

"The Rocket City" :D There's a big freakin' mural in the airport devoted to the space program. I should take a picture of it sometime.

TSA: Only $18.6 million to enjoy your services today, what a bargain
 

Well, since it is often noted TSA treats everyone at the checkpoint as a "Terrorist/Criminal: guilty until proven innocent", the TSA Fishing Expeditionary Force Catch and Release™ Two Million Terrorists each and every day! :eek:

With a $6.8 billion budget (included FAMs and the WeBreakParkedJets and WeSpotIllegalAliensAtTheBusStation and WeSpotTewwowistsAtTheSuperBowl Departments), that is $9.30 for every Catch and Release™ Terrorist. Are you getting All the Government You Are Paying For? In this case, are you sure you want to? :p

Suggestion: Please check. Are you sure a TSS post with the words "efficient" and "TSA" in the same sentence is allowed by the TOS? ;)

I find SLC to be the least annoying and the most consistent, if there is such a thing with TSA.

What is UFUO?
I am aware of FOUO, which is an unclassified item (but certainly not to be broadcast), meaning For Official Use Only.

Is that what Reed means?

As for TSA ease of use OKC has always been quick for me and the "secret" location at IAH on the parking tunnel to E is very fast for me.

Ciao,
FH

I only went once since TSA started, but I really liked FLL (Fort Lauderdale). Yeah, they yelled, but it was informative and not snarky, and they walked up and down the line so everyone could hear. Plus, they helped those who didn't quite understand (lotsa old folks and families).

Otherwise, I love SMF. Not sure if it's cuz of lack of travelers, but the line always moves quickly. They don't seem very keen on doing any secondary searches (knock on wood).

You guys do know that your replies are being monitored and your choices for most efficiently run TSA checkpoint will be completely overhauled and dressed down to make sure the same standard of bureaucratic bullsh*t is applied, don't you?:D

Catch and Release would be catchier.

I rarely have problems at CLT. The TSOs are ok and generally don't call for unnecessary bag checks.

I fly out of A mainly. If the line for A is long I check B. If the line for B is long then I check D.

If I'm flying US Air and the elite line at C is long then I just go to A because usually no one is there.