Just how qualified the TSA really is

[Patrick]

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― The Centers for Disease Control said a passenger with tuberculosis has been detained after boarding a flight from Philadelphia to San Francisco despite being on a "do-not-board" list.

CDC officials said the passenger was detained and taken to a local hospital after a U.S. Airways flight arrived in San Francisco Saturday night.

The unidentified male passenger was apparently placed on a do-not-board list submitted to the TSA and CDC on January 8, 2010.

Investigators are trying to determine how the noticeably ill man made it through security checkpoints and onto the flight.

CDC officials said the risk to other passengers aboard the plane was low, as the flight was less than eight hours.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially deadly infectious disease that typically affects the lung, but can attack the rest of the body. It was once the leading cause of death in the U.S.

Symptoms include a cough, sometimes with blood, that lasts more than three weeks, chest pains, chills and fever.

Full story:
http://cbs3.com/topstories/tuberculo...2.1420810.html

 

[Jayrock]

The system worked.

 

[darrenf]

I'm your Huckleberry.

 

[shdw]

The system worked.

:yeahthat: nobody died, it must be working. But the guy got a bomb on the plane...but nobody died! It worked! I <3 politics.

 

[popaviator]

TSA is hit or miss sometimes I guess. I've seen some that do a great job and others who...well.... nvmd haha irate:

 

[esa17]

I'm your Huckleberry.

Well, I know what I'm watching tonight.

 

[Bandit_Driver]

TSA = JOKE

Now they can't even manage the names on the smaller do not fly list...remind me again of the gov't is supposed to run health care more effeciently and cheaply....

Oh yea, they'll just forget to provide the care and/or pay the docs.

 

[Goonie]

We used to proctor the TSA computer test at the flight school and we had to teach them how to use a computer mouse. That should say a lot.

 

[Goldmember]

We need the hot chick from "lie to me" back at the checkpoints....I wish

 

[Minuteman]

(Gawd I can't believe I'm defending the TSA) Maybe US Airways did not effectively maintain their list that indicated to not sell that person a ticket or to deny boarding.

It seems like the only time my identity is compared to any list is done through interfacing with the airline ... which makes the TSA's whole front office appear kind of useless.

 

[DeuceOfAces]

TSA Hiring Requirements List:

1. GED
2. Pulse
3. No known prior history of drugs/alcohol/involvement with terrorist organizations.
4. Age 18+

No joke.

Thus, 1 in 2 Americans are very qualified to provide elite, world class, quality security to the flying public. IMO, the TSA is more of a deterrent than an actual defensive organization. The guys at El Al and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport? Now THAT's security.

 

[Patrick]

TSA Hiring Requirements List:

1. GED
2. Pulse
3. No known prior history of drugs/alcohol/involvement with terrorist organizations.
4. Age 18+

No joke.

Thus, 1 in 2 Americans are very qualified to provide elite, world class, quality security to the flying public. IMO, the TSA is more of a deterrent than an actual defensive organization. The guys at El Al and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport? Now THAT's security.

We could easily have the same level of security here, which oddly enough, would be FAR less intrusive on the flying public, but it comes at a cost. That said, I think one intelligent, highly trained El Al agent is worth more than 7 TSA idiots, so maybe the actual cost wouldn't be that much greater.

 

[tonyw]

We could easily have the same level of security here, which oddly enough, would be FAR less intrusive on the flying public, but it comes at a cost. That said, I think one intelligent, highly trained El Al agent is worth more than 7 TSA idiots, so maybe the actual cost wouldn't be that much greater.

El Al has 40 airplanes.

There are probably that many airplanes departing Atlanta in an hour with Delta on their tail. Or that many airplanes per hour departing Dallas with American painted on them. Or that many airplanes per hour departing Chicago with United livery. Or that many airplanes per hour departing Phoenix with an US Airways paint job.

The model doesn't scale.

 

[ozone]

El Al has 40 airplanes.

There are probably that many airplanes departing Atlanta in an hour with Delta on their tail. Or that many airplanes per hour departing Dallas with American painted on them. Or that many airplanes per hour departing Chicago with United livery. Or that many airplanes per hour departing Phoenix with an US Airways paint job.

The model doesn't scale.

But how do you KNOW that, if no one has tried. No one has even bothered to test out the El Al theory of security anywhere in the USA. Not even at a medium sized airport. Someone should fund a pilot program to test this out (no pun intended)

 

[tonyw]

But how do you KNOW that, if no one has tried. No one has even bothered to test out the El Al theory of security anywhere in the USA. Not even at a medium sized airport. Someone should fund a pilot program to test this out (no pun intended)

Well, it's like this. How long are those interviews, 20 minutes per passenger? If you've only got two departures per hour, and you've got 400 passengers to interview, that will take x number of interviewers.

Now multiply that by 20-30 times. You need 20-30 times x interviewers. And that's for just one hour at one airport for one airline. Multiply that by the hundreds of airports in the United States. Then multiply it by the number of airlines that we have.

You're probably looking at needing hundreds of thousands of interviewers, all of whom have to be recruited, trained, and paid.

First of all, who's going to pay for it? Second, where are you going to find these people?

 

[Mike H]

TSA Hiring Requirements List:

1. GED
2. Pulse
3. No known prior history of drugs/alcohol/involvement with terrorist organizations.
4. Age 18+.

I believe #3 is even limited to the past 7 years.