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A bread line in the former Soviet Union? No, it's the security line at Minneapolis St.Paul International Airport last month.
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So here we are in week #2 of Make America Wait.
Long airport security lines at many US airports have become ridiculous and are a national problem.
Thousands have missed flights this year due to TSA wait times.
Passengers are now asked to show up three hours early for domestic flights- that could he longer than your flight!
Bread and Circus
Airports have responded by 'sending in the clowns' -literally, to entertain the masses and curb potential rioting. Some airports are trotting out miniature therapy ponies, clowns, music and free snacks.
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| A petting zoo? No, it's Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport's "Miniature Therapy Horses" to reduce passenger fury. |
Which begs the question, if you can afford to pay for entertainment and give away food then why not just pay for extra staff?
Drama and Theater
Then last week was political theater on Capitol Hill when the TSA chief was grilled in front of Senators for not only long lines at airports, but retaliation against workers who complain about poor treatment and even inappropriately paying one official a $90,000 bonus.
Robert MacLean, Federal Air Marshal, told FlyersRights that TSA needs to "fire all of the bad managers, approve TSO [Transportation Security Officer] overtime, and push FREE PreCheck."
MacLean also stressed that 'Selective PreCheck' needs to be brought back if it hasn't been banned. This is where a senior screener or a manager can profile the least threatening passengers and send them to PreCheck - i.e. geriatric people, families with small kids, etc.
Maclean, a protected whistleblower, was recently defended by Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC) in a contentious Congressional hearing with TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger.
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TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger on Capitol Hill last week. Rep. Meadows grilled Neffenger on new retaliation against whistleblower Robert MacLean
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Neffenger, who took over the role last summer, found himself dropped into an agency that some in Congress said needs a complete overhaul. It's also suffered low morale problems for years.
Q. Are the disastrous wait-times deliberate?
TSA Administrator, Peter Neffenger, says bad predictions are to blame for severe security line delays.
But TSA's power grab of slowing down airports is one theory gaining traction - to extort Congress to fork over more money and fill screener shortages.
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| Welcome to the madhouse - circus performers 'entertain' the crowds at San Diego International Airport. |
Success? Last week Congress 'ponied' up $34 million more to pay TSA screeners overtime and fund nearly 800 more screeners to handle the summer travel crush.
Q. Passengers To Blame?
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson blamed passengers for having too many carry-ons and said flyers need "to be patient" as the government takes steps to get them through security faster.
This answer wasn't too well received considering the airlines have done everything to incentivize passengers to carry on as much luggage as possible.
Just get rid of the ridiculous checked bag fees, said two US senators, and the majority of this problem would go away.
Q. Extortion Racket?
Pay TSA $85 or they will make you miss your plane.
While the airlines are the pros at 'calculated misery' and making you pay extra to be treated like a human being, TSA's learned fast. But passengers are wondering why they should pay for TSA Precheck when it's occasionally not staffed or closed.
The Privatization Debate
While there are some services that can be privatized, FlyersRights feels it's not always the answer for some inherent government functions provided by the city, state or federal government. These include national security, defense forces, mail delivery, air traffic control and police/fire service.
Big budget cuts to the TSA and reduced staffing
Long waits also pose an unacceptable security risk, as passengers get packed into tight screening lines.
The terrorist attacks in Brussels highlighted the risk for airports without an attacker crossing through security lines. Even before the attack, security experts warned of the danger of lines snaking at checkpoints and ticket counters, known as the vulnerable "soft side" of the airport.
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TSA and the Dept. of Homeland Security, due to poor planning, Operational deficiencies, manager and Congressional mismanagement, coupled with increased terrorist threats, need to work 24-7 to fix the problems before a true security disaster and/or congestion breakdowns occur.
The Obama Administration has weeks not months to act.
President Obama should call a meeting at the White House with his appointees, and the other relevant parties including passenger representatives. Such a meeting was effective when called by President George W Bush to resolve a congestion crisis at the NYC airports during his tenure.
Some obvious and simple changes can and must to be done quickly.
The TSA should immediately put out a call to rehire the up to 5,000 screeners who quit in disgust or whose jobs were unwisely eliminated by TSA in recent years. These persons are already trained and can be put to work at overcrowded major airports.
Mandatory overtime should be required as needed.
Extra screeners need to be scheduled for peak periods and fewer for non peak periods.
Airport perimeter and in airport security to prevent a Brussels style massacre and bombings is still nearly non existent. Local and State police and National Guard or Army Reserve troops need to be used to fill this mammoth security gap until Homeland Security can be up to the task.
The fee for PreCheck and Global Entry should be waived for at least 60 days to encourage more passengers to sign up, and the Clear program for expensive and selective 3 minute screening eliminated.
The DOT should order waiver of most checked baggage fees on an emergency basis and then limit to a reasonable amounts after Rulemaking.
Passengers without carry on baggage should be given expedited screening treatment in no bag express lines.
Paul Hudson, President
Flyersrights.org
Member, FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee
Former Member, FAA/TSA Aviation Security Advisory Committee (1997-2007)
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Dear FlyersRights:
On the 13th of May I was scheduled to fly from San Jose to Phoenix, at 4:10 PM on American Airlines. A flight I have taken many times before.
The arriving flight comes in on time, but there is a delay in boarding attributed to some maintenance aspect. We board about 20 minutes late, and it appears they are continuing to work on the problem, which is announced as an inoperative jump seat. After about 45 minutes, a decision is made to return passengers to the terminal as it will not be a simple fix. In the gate area we learn that the new departure time will be after 7pm when an additional plane arrives.
OK, maintenance issues do happen unexpectedly but this is one that should have never happened. It turns out that the airline had 48 hours to fix the seat and they either ignored doing it or left it to the last minute! To add insult to injury, no one was scheduled to sit in the jump seat.
As the airlines grow bigger and travel choices are reduced, is the economy of scale providing a more efficient, less costly, and better travel experience?
Sadly, I think not.
DT
(Below is feedback we received regarding the current debate in Washington about allowing Norwegian Air International (NAI) to expand into the US). NAI says transatlantic fares will be $69. And their pilots make only 1% less than US's. There is enormous opposition to NAI from the US airlines.)
Dear FlyersRights:
Granting Norwegian Air International (NAI)'s request to skirt U.S. labor laws is the gravest threat to my career in the 16 years I've been a Flight Attendant with a major airline and will bring the biggest shock and awe to the traveling public like you've never seen. For the sake of my job as well as Flyers Rights members, I seriously hope NAI is denied.
The CEO of Norwegian Air International wants to bring the maritime industry's flag-of-convenience business model to the U.S. airline industry. If unopposed, this scheme will decimate our airlines. It also raises serious safety questions. Within two years, US airlines will open new subsidiaries using NAI as its model. This will result in U.S. Pilots and flight attendants being outsourced for underpaid/overworked foreign labor. Are you ready to take a ride with cheapest foreign pilots currently available in Singapore today? Do you want to be served by over-worked, under-paid flight attendants (not allowed to be unionized) who can't wait to get home so they can sleep and a good meal? https://youtu.be/abpuemntPeQ
In the wake of U.S. airlines making billions of dollars in profits today when have you seen ticket prices go down or hidden fees become transparent? If NAI is approved your travel experience will get nightmarishly worse. Ticket prices will not go down. You will not see a return to comfortable, roomier seats. The aisles will get narrower and lavatory sizes will continue to shrink. Approval of NAI will give you foreign flight attendants flying exhausting "turn and burn" trips all over the U.S. then working back their base across the pond. No union = no fatigue protection.
Competition is a good thing. But the competition that NAI approval will add billions to U.S. airline coffers, terminate American aviation jobs and will do nothing for U.S. airline passengers.
J.L.
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