Delta ramper smuggles guns

What's worse is we are required to be verified to see our plane, not just screened. Big bad pilots. Meanwhile, rampers and other airport personnel can swipe their badge down any jetway without so much as a question about their identity.
 
SpiceWeasel said:
What's worse is we are required to be verified to see our plane, not just screened. Big bad pilots. Meanwhile, rampers and other airport personnel can swipe their badge down any jetway without so much as a question about their identity.
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I don't mind being verified against the paperwork, necessarily. In fact, it might keep me from doing something silly, like walking down to the wrong airplane. (You've never, ever done that, I'm sure, as you're a professional, and I'm a dangerous hack, of course.)

From a security standpoint it doesn't make much sense, I suppose.
 
The airlines would do better to own the problem than let the TSA do it for them. Random spot checks and cameras/RFID tags everywhere will be more likely to be effective and less costly than having the TSA do what the TSA does...
 
I was always slightly sketched out that I could just walk onto the ramp with whatever I wanted 95% of the days I worked. And the times they did have TSA screening, they put a notice on the door saying you are subject to additional screening so if you really were trying to sneak something in, you would just go through a different door. Seems like a decently large security hole, all it takes it is one guy to have a bad day at home or something and there could be a catastrophe. TSA would always get annoyed when we went through the regular security line though.
 
I'm astonished this still happened. In Europe, everyone going airside gets the same screening (though security enjoy picking on Pilots and Cabin Crew a lot more than the ramp guys)
 
Dispatch_Ken said:
Eh I think the fact that he was caught is proof of the fact that you will get apprehended. The system works; 99.999% of workers are honest, and that .001% will always get caught.
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99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of passengers are honest, its that .00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% that have a penchant for nefariousness that caused the TSA to exist in the first place. IMO it isn't so much about what rampers have or haven't done yet that is the issue, it's what they have the unfettered ability to do that has me seriously concerned. If rampers think going through security now would be bad, just imagine if a ramper really did take place in some level of turrrrrism....going through security, an escort around the aircraft at all times, getting wanded before every exposure to the aircraft, back ground checks yearly, it could truly turn into a nightmare fast.

I say all that speaking as a former fueler. I never once met someone with SIDA access that I felt threatened security or wasn't specifically trustworthy or responsible, so I'm not referring to rampers or fuelers or gate agents or anyone, I'm mostly just agreeing that it's silly to have the PILOT OF THE AIRPLANE'S finger nail clippers being taken but the guy that hasn't previously commited any felonies is allowed alone onto an empty airplane without so much as a second thought being given to it.....just seems to me like a giant cavernous gaping fishy hole in security protocol
 
Well, there goes THAT supplemental income plan as many of us approach retirement.
 
Derg said:
Well, there goes THAT supplemental income plan as many of us approach retirement.
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There was a smuggling ring in DFW some years ago, pre-calling-Eagle-envoy. -eyebrow- I seem to remember it was the ramp again too.
 
Some of my experiences during my 2 years on the ramp;

Witnessed several employees enter the cockpit and "play" with gizmos and gadgets while cleaning over night.

Witnessed an employee search bags for loose change...eventually fired.

Witnessed an employee do pull ups on the flap of an MD-80. Took a month to fire him for other reasons.

Witnessed an employee be arrested AT WORK, while loading the airplane, for multiple stalking and rape charges.

Witnessed an "older" ramper wear a leather man knife on his belt for over a year. Eventually it fell off in the cabin of a 737 and went to Atlanta. It was found, investigated, and he now works at Walmart.

My first week on the ramp I watched a "seasoned" ramper enter the cabin and hand his passenger girlfriend a "going away" gift. Wrapped in paper in a box. Nothing ever came of it. He still works there and is a great guy. At the time I didn't realize the severity of the security breach.

As I said before, I worked the ramp, ticket counter, and crew. I am now in law enforcement. I have ALWAYS believed that ALL sida personnel should be searched. Especially rampers. Someone will most likely notice a Starbucks employee hanging around an airplane. But they would never question a ramper.
 
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Dispatch_Ken said:
Eh I think the fact that he was caught is proof of the fact that you will get apprehended. The system works; 99.999% of workers are honest, and that .001% will always get caught.
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Always? If some don't get caught then by definition you cannot know.
 
Fun reading though. One group was allegedly busted because someone left the baggage carts in their back yard. Someone called to report the stolen baggage carts. WOOT.
 
Yikes, reading this thread I feel like what I feel are some of the most hilarious stories I have after all these years at the airport would just enrage most of you at the lack of security which allowed these things to happen. I worked long and hard to make my local airport my playground, don't eff it up for me by getting caught being an idiot, or I'll find you.

I don't think a lot of you realize how many non-crew employees go back and fourth between the sterile areas dozens of times a day. At a big airport that would create huge, huge delays screening everyone. That's why they have random screening at random bypass locations, randomly. Remember when guys in Yemen got a bomb on a UPS plane and a figure came out about how much it would cost to screen EVERY last package and be 100% safe? Same concept, but time is money in this case. Just the way I feel as a guy who's worked at a major airport since High School in just about every operational capacity, never having to go through the checkpoints. Realistically, I'd wager the majority of bad apples are just smuggling drugs, nothing that would actually compromise safety. I'll leave it to the DEA to worry about 10 kilos of coke under my feet in the hold, not like anyone is in danger because of it.

Plus the bypass hallways/elevators are where you meet all the hot girls in situations where it's more awkward for them not to talk to you than ignore you. Again, fools best not ruin this for me.

nabbyfan said:
TSA would always get annoyed when we went through the regular security line though.
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When working not traveling,...why would you ever do that as a AOA access badged employee....?
 
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I am not sure how security screening would work at the smaller field stations though. I could be at the ticket counter, then have to go out and work a flight with only a few minutes to spare. All I do is walk thru the back out to the ramp, all I need is my SIDA badge to get into my airlines ops room and from there we have easy access to the a/c. My station really would not work if we had to be screened since we are called upon to do many different jobs in a 30 min period. As for the pilots who come thru at my airport, they just walk behind our ticket counter, we verify there badge with the flight release, then we let them in and they just walk across the ramp skipping TSA altogether at my airport. Not only is it allowed, it seems to be the most common method where I work.

I always find it funny that if we are flying anywhere right after work, we have to go back in thru security. We could easily just bypass all of it and walk right thru and board a plane... obviously a massive no-no and I would never do it, but it could be done.
 
Luigi said:
Yes, but I'm always worried when this happens that people will overreact. There is no real need to change the system and forcing all SIDA employees to go through security would be an absolute nightmare.
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Have you seen some of these rampers?
IAH ramp looks like an MS13 convention, EWR ramp looks like a probation office, and IAD looks like a holding area for captured pirates.
 
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