Latest Headlines

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced last Friday that it will have removed all 174 of the “backscatter” X-ray full-body scanners from the 30 airports where they are currently deployed by the end of June.

TSA took the action after Rapiscan Systems, makers of the X-ray scanners called “virtual strip search” machines by personal privacy advocates, said they would not be able to meet the congressionally-imposed June 1, 2013 deadline for supplying software that would display a simple generic outline of passengers.

The Rapiscan X-ray scanners will be replaced by the newer millimeter wave scanners now in use at 170 airports.

Unlike the X-ray scanners, millimeter wave scanners use safer radio waves and employ Automated Target Recognition (ATR) software, which displays a completely non-identifiable, generic passenger outline as required by The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012.

“By June 2013 travelers will only see machines which have ATR that allow for faster throughput,” stated the TSA on its blog. “This means faster lanes for the traveler and enhanced security.”

Until they can be used for what the TSA called “other mission priorities within the government,” the $200,000 per-unit X-ray scanners will be put into a TSA storage facility. Should Rapiscan Systems be able to develop suitable ATR software, the units might be reinstalled in airports, according to the TSA.

As before, the TSA reminds passengers who object to being scanned by either the X-ray or millimeter wave machines that they always have the option of requesting a memorable hands-on pat-down search instead.

Ironically, the Census Bureau notes that Americans got their first look at X-ray machines on Friday, January 18, 1896, exactly 117 years to the day before the TSA announced the retirement of its X-ray scanners from airports. And, as the Census Bureau also recalls, Thomas Edison’s research assistant Clarence Dally, after long, unshielded experimentation with X-rays, had both arms amputated, and then died in 1904 from exposure to radiation.

Also See:
Congress Probes Misconduct by TSA Screeners
TSA Could Improve Complaint Process, GAO Reports

Believe it or not, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) really does have a process for dealing with air passenger complaints. It’s just not a very good process, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The GAO found that despite having five “mechanisms” for collecting the thousands of screening complaints it gets, the TSA has no agencywide policy or process for dealing with them.

The GAO report, TSA Could Improve Complaint Processes, shows that from October 2009 through June 2012, TSA received more than 39,000 screening complaints through its TSA Contact Center (TCC). However, the TSA has no clear process for analyzing the nature or seriousness of the complaints, partly because the airport-based TSA staffs have wide discretion in implementing the complaint process.

Theoretically, the TSA’s Contact Center collects and deals with general complaints or concerns, complaints related to violations of civil rights and complaints related to passengers with disabilities or medical conditions.

Within the TSA Contact Center, the “Multicultural Branch” reviews written reports of violations of passengers’ civil rights and liberties, including race, color, ethnicity, gender, genetic information, national origin, religion, sexual orientation and parental status. The “Disability Branch” reviews screening complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of disability or medical condition.

While TSA has developed standard signs, stickers, and customer comment cards that the airports can use to inform passengers how to submit feedback, the GAO found they were inconsistently used at the airports.

For example, at four of the six airports contacted by the GAO, comment cards are used to collect passenger complaints, but the TSA has no policy requiring that the complaint cards be tracked or even reported to the central TSA Contact Center.

Just for the record, GAO found that the TSA’s Contact Center received a total of 39,616 passenger screening complaints submitted by e-mail and telephone from October 2009 through June 2012. Of those 39,616 complaints, 17,153 (43%) were about pat-down search procedures. TSA responded in October 2012 by claiming to have expanded its list of “rights” afforded to passengers required to undergo pat-down searches.

What the GAO Recommended: While the TSA has lots of procedures it validly needs to keep secret, its passenger complaint process should not be one of them, according to the GAO. “TSA’s complaint resolution processes do not fully conform to standards of independence to ensure that these processes are fair, impartial, and credible,” stated the report.

GAO recommended that the TSA “establish a consistent policy to guide agencywide efforts for receiving, tracking, and reporting air passenger screening complaints.”

Note: The GAO report, TSA Could Improve Complaint Processes, contains a detailed explanation of the TSA screening complaint process, along with informative graphs and charts detailing the number and nature of passenger complaints submitted.

Also See:
TSA Defends Boarding Gate Drink Checks
TSA Conducting Random Behavioral Screening

We’ve again updated our answers to that frequently asked flyer question: which airports have scanners? You know, those TSA x-ray machine things that send pictures of your naked body to some TSA person. And the answer is still: most; learn which ones, specifically:

• Which Airports Have Scanners?

Add Comments!

Though polls show that most find the airport x-ray backscatter machines to be despicable (enough so to keep them from flying), others think that the machines keep them safe (evidence shows otherwise, but…). So, what will you do? Be able to see your laptop while taking the walk of shame, or choose the squeezee and lose sight of your laptop?

• COMMENT: Would You Walk Through a Full Body Scanner at the Airport?

Have you opted out of the full body scanner and had a TSA patdown under the new, more aggressively gropey guidelines? What did you think? Would you choose a patdown over the scanner again?

• COMMENT: Have You Had a TSA Patdown?

Related reading:

• What is the TSA’s Backscatter / Millimeter Wave Technology?
• Which Airports Have Full Body Scanners?

More TSA / Airport Security Reading: Airport Security Rules | How to Pack for Airport Security | TSA Blog | Air Travel for Beginners

Student Travel Blog Home

We keep updating our answers to this frequently asked flyer question: which airports have scanners? You know, those TSA x-ray machine things that send pictures of your naked body to some faceless TSA employee (yeah, no, we’re not crazy about those AIT scanners). Well, the answer is: most; learn which ones, specifically:

• Which Airports Have Scanners?

And know that you’ve got a few choices when you get to the airport’s security screening checkpoint: a patdown, the scanner, or — with any luck — an old-fashioned metal detector. Learn a bit about each of those at a few major airports:

• Denver Airport and the Metal Detector

• Chicago Airport and the Patdown
• Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and the Scanner

Airport security is one reason why I love trains.

Add Comments!

Though polls show that most find the airport x-ray backscatter machines to be despicable (enough so to keep them from flying), others think that the machines keep them safe (evidence shows otherwise, but…). So, what will you do? Be able to see your laptop while taking the walk of shame, or choose the squeezee and lose sight of your laptop?

• COMMENT: Would You Walk Through a Full Body Scanner at the Airport?

Have you opted out of the full body scanner and had a TSA patdown under the new, more aggressively gropey guidelines? What did you think? Would you choose a patdown over the scanner again?

• COMMENT: Have You Had a TSA Patdown?

Related reading:

• What is the TSA’s Backscatter / Millimeter Wave Technology?
• Which Airports Have Full Body Scanners?

More TSA / Airport Security Reading: Airport Security Rules | How to Pack for Airport Security | TSA Blog | Air Travel for Beginners | Does LAX Have Scanners? | Does Atlanta Have Scanners? | Does the Albuquerque Airport Have Scanners? | Does JFK Have Scanners? | Does the Guam Airport Have Scanners? | Does the Detroit Airport Have Scanners?

Student Travel Blog Home

Love airports? Then the YOTEL New York hotel is for you.Modeled on an airport, YOTEL is more of an economy-class night than a first-class night. Read the full review of the YOTEL New York for all the info.

Here’s a frequently asked flyer question: which airports have scanners? You know, those TSA x-ray machine things that send pictures of your naked body to some faceless TSA employee (yeah, no, we’re not crazy about those AIT scanners). Well, the answer is: most; learn which ones, specifically:

• Which Airports Have Scanners?

And know that you’ve got a few choices when you get to the airport’s security screening checkpoint: a patdown, the scanner, or — with any luck — an old-fashioned metal detector. Learn a bit about each of those at a few major airports:

• Denver Airport and the Metal Detector

• Chicago Airport and the Patdown
• Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and the Scanner

Airport security is one reason why I love trains.

Add Comments!

Though polls show that most find the airport x-ray backscatter machines to be despicable (enough so to keep them from flying), others think that the machines keep them safe (evidence shows otherwise, but…). So, what will you do? Be able to see your laptop while taking the walk of shame, or choose the squeezee and lose sight of your laptop?

• COMMENT: Would You Walk Through a Full Body Scanner at the Airport?

Have you opted out of the full body scanner and had a TSA patdown under the new, more aggressively gropey guidelines? What did you think? Would you choose a patdown over the scanner again?

• COMMENT: Have You Had a TSA Patdown?

Related reading:

• What is the TSA’s Backscatter / Millimeter Wave Technology?
• Which Airports Have Full Body Scanners?

More TSA / Airport Security Reading: Airport Security Rules | How to Pack for Airport Security | TSA Blog | Air Travel for Beginners | Does LAX Have Scanners? | Does Atlanta Have Scanners? | Does the Albuquerque Airport Have Scanners? | Does JFK Have Scanners? | Does the Guam Airport Have Scanners?

Student Travel Blog Home

It just can’t be a good thing when a member of the U.S. Congress publicly accuses you of stealing, taking bribes and drinking on the job. But that’s pretty much how the morning of August 1st started for Transportation Security Agency (TSA) airport security screeners.

The member of Congress is Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Alabama), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Transportation Security Subcommittee, and the event was his subcommittee’s public hearing ominously titled “Breach of Trust: Addressing Misconduct Among TSA Screeners.”

It didn’t take Rep. Rogers long to set the tone for the day, saying in his opening statement, “Stealing from checked luggage; accepting bribes from drug smugglers; sleeping or drinking while on duty — this kind of criminal behavior and negligence has contributed significantly to TSA’s shattered public image.”

Also See: TSA’s New ID, Boarding Pass Scanning System Draws Criticism

Rep. Rogers suggested that the size of the TSA workforce had resulted in a dangerous lack of oversight, increasing the likelihood of misconduct. “I think the number of employees could be reduced dramatically, with significantly more attention paid to qualifications and training,” he said.

“It is true that other Federal departments struggle with criminal cases against their employees,” stated Rogers, “but TSA, unlike most agencies, interacts with the general public in a very frequent and personal manner.”

Noting that only a small percentage of TSA’s more than 45,000 employees were “bad apples,” Rogers said he had called the hearing in order to give the TSA a chance to publicly describe its efforts to identify and remove misbehaving employees.

Trying, but not really succeeding in doing that, was TSA deputy administrator John Halinski, who attended the hearing because head TSA administrator John Pistole was busy representing the government – and taxpayers – in labor negotiations with the American Federation of Government Employees, the union trying to win a new, improved contract for TSA employees. More on that later.

After instead testifying at length about the importance of TSA’s airport security mission, how they do it and how good they are at it, Mr. Halinski agreed that, “It is not enough to train and engage our workforce — we must hold everyone accountable in the success of our mission.”

Also See: Congressman Takes On Rogue TSA Airport Screeners

Halinski cited the TSA’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), established by administrator Pistole to “ensure that allegations of misconduct are thoroughly investigated and that discipline is appropriate and fair across the agency. OPR ensures that our workforce is treated fairly by removing people that do not meet the high standards of integrity that our mission requires.”

“All aspects of our workforce regimen — hiring, promotion, retention, training, proactive compliance inspections, investigations and adjudications – are driven by adherence to the highest standards,” stated in his testimony.

To help ensure that “adherence to the highest standards,” Halinski described the TSA’s new Office of Training and Workforce Engagement (OTWE), intended to centralize technical and leadership training throughout the agency. “Maintaining and enhancing the capabilities of our employees, and particularly our TSOs (security screeners), is a priority,” he said.

TSA’s New Contract: On August 2, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), announced that it had agreed with the government on a new collective bargaining agreement, which AFGE’s TSA council president Kim Kraynak-Lambert said would give TSA employees “new rights and new working conditions, and a chance to form a true labor-management partnership.”

“What this contract will do is provide for increased uniformity on fair treatment and the other issues important to employees across the nation’s airports,” said AFGE president John Gage in a press release. “Improvements in working conditions will also benefit both TSA and the officers by fostering a family-friendly workplace where the employees have greater job satisfaction and feel supported in performing their important security work.”

TSA employees will be voting on ratification of the new contract over the next few months.

Also See: TSA Defends Boarding Gate Drink Checks

Here’s a frequently asked flyer question: which airports have scanners? You know, those TSA x-ray machine things that send pictures of your naked body to some faceless TSA employee (yeah, no, we’re not crazy about those AIT scanners). Well, the answer is: most.

You’ve got a few choices when you get to the airport’s security screening checkpoint: a patdown, the scanner, or — with any luck — an old-fashioned metal detector. Learn a bit about each of those at a few major airports:

• Denver Airport and the Metal Detector

• Chicago Airport and the Patdown
• Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and the Scanner

Airport security is one reason why I love trains.

Add Comments!

Though polls show that most find the airport x-ray backscatter machines to be despicable (enough so to keep them from flying), others think that the machines keep them safe (evidence shows otherwise, but…). So, what will you do? Be able to see your laptop while taking the walk of shame, or choose the squeezee and lose sight of your laptop?

• COMMENT: Would You Walk Through a Full Body Scanner at the Airport?

Have you opted out of the full body scanner and had a TSA patdown under the new, more aggressively gropey guidelines? What did you think? Would you choose a patdown over the scanner again?

• COMMENT: Have You Had a TSA Patdown?

Related reading:

• What is the TSA’s Backscatter / Millimeter Wave Technology?
• Which Airports Have Full Body Scanners?

More TSA / Airport Security Reading: Airport Security Rules | How to Pack for Airport Security | TSA Blog | Air Travel for Beginners | Does LAX Have Scanners? | Does Atlanta Have Scanners? | Does the Albuquerque Airport Have Scanners? | Does JFK Have Scanners? | Does the Guam Airport Have Scanners?

Student Travel Blog Home

It pays to shop for airfares with airports in mind.

Sometimes, a short drive can save a lot of money.

This week, Cheapfares.com released its annual ranking of U.S. airports based on affordability, which is measured through the average fares found at Cheapfares.com for each airport.

As I looked at the list, I was struck by the fact that many of the airports that rank highest in affordability are actually located in very large air markets where there is a much busier hub not far away. With that in mind, take a look at a few Alternative Airports in Large U.S. Cities.

Aside from that whole seeing you naked thing, airport security’s chief bummer for us is the minute amounts of liquids we can pack. Seems criminal to buy and then toss tubes of sunscreen and shampoo that can’t be carried on, and my carbon footprint’s big enough without doubling up on what I already own by buying wastefully packaged tiny toiletries. Solution in the US of A? Amtrak!

We just love Amtrak in comparison to flying. Bring oodles of baggage on Amtrak if you like: Amtrak’s baggage allowances are up to three carry-on bags (of up to 50 pounds) plus up to three more giant bags and snowboards, skis or bikes.

Bring any sized toiletry or bottle of tequila, and stretch out in roomy seats or actual bedrooms with bathrooms. Look at the view. Eat. Be merry. Think about riding Amtrak’s rails versus flying this summer; you won’t be sorry:

• Learn About Taking Amtrak

Do make sure Amtrak’s trains go where you want to get with an Amtrak routes map, a trick interactive trip planning atlas online. Check it out — students get a 15% Amtrak discount, too.

• Amtrak Routes

• Get 15% off Amtrak with Student ISIC Card

Related Train Travel Reading: Amtrak Pictures | Amtrak Routes | Buying Amtrak Tickets | Amtrak Viewliner Sleeper and Other Sleeper-Bedroom Options | Amtrak Observation, Dining Cars and Other Services | Tipping on Amtrak Trains

Screenshot courtesy Amtrak.com | Student Travel blog home