I should have posted this prior to Thanksgiving, but ... didn’t. The TSA thugs have really ramped up the unpleasantness.

This is a head’s up to all divorced dads who take their kids to the airport to go to the ex’s, and want to wait with them until the plane leaves: You WILL get strip searched. You WILL get hassled by the screenernazis even though you are not getting on the plane. You WILL be questioned as to why you do not have a “legitimate” ticket. You WILL be humiliated and degraded in front of your children, causing them additional anxiety during an already stressful situation. You PROBABLY WILL run into at least one screenernazi who wants to bar you from the gate area entirely because you do not have a “real” ticket. You MAY be searched again as you are leaving the area, even though you did not get on the plane and have been in a “secured” area.

And the airlines wonder why more people aren’t flying …

I wonder how much you lose when you return a refundable ticket? I mean, you could buy a refundable
ticket, walk through to the gate, see your family off, then come back and get your money back. There's
probably a non-refundable fee, but it sounds like the net result is paying a little money to avoid a
huge hassle. Do it online even.

Which, since it's possible to do this, even easy to do this, makes you wonder why they think
terrorists won't think of it.

I'm beginning to think that all the so called "security" isn't so much theater as butt-covering. When
another Event occurs, They'll be able to say they did everything they could, but those darn terrorists
are just so smart....

>>Which, since it's possible to do this, even easy to do this, makes you wonder why they think
terrorists won't think of it.

Why would a fanatical terrorist who is planning to sacrifice his life for the greater glory of Allah be worried about getting a refund? <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Don't tell me, I don't want to know .... <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I'm tempted to just say "Exactly." and leave it at that, but it wasn't obvious the first time, so...

For some reason, TSA seems to think that wanting to go to the gate area, without a ticket, is suspicious
behavior. Also, purchasing a one way ticket, or using cash to purchase a ticket are also well known
"red flags". So, purchasing a round trip, refundable ticket simply to gain access to the gate area
makes as much sense for a suicidal terriorist as it does for a Dad to see his kids off.

Or, to come at it a different way, terrorists who have no intention of flying can gain access to the gate
area with zero additional trouble. Simply buy a ticket. So why does the TSA hassle people without tickets
who want to do the same thing?

I've ranted about TSA's policies in a couple of posts, and I wanted to talk about why I feel
some discussion about such things is related to why we all come to this place.

My first flight after 9/11, I was stopped and searched. I knew security would be looking through bags,
so I fedexed what would have normally been my carry-on to my desitnation. Clever, right? Nope.
I was pulled aside and given a thorough going over because I didn't have enough baggage.

Agree with the TSA or no, one thing is very clear... it's better to fly beneath their radar. Don't stand out,
don't fit any profile other than the one most likely to get you through to your destination with the
least amount of hassle. And it's difficult to know, based on individual experience, exactly what that
profile is. If enough of us talk about what we did and how we were treated, maybe we can learn
enough from that to minimize the hassle factor.

There are plenty of news articles about how seemingly innocent behavior is enough to get you hauled
away in handcuffs. My personal favorite is the one about the school teacher arrested for carrying a
bookmark (commercially manufactured and sold as a bookmark) which one TSA droid felt looked
like a weapon link Sure charges were eventually dropped, but she missed her flight, and had to be
arrested in front of all those other people. Stressful? Yeah, I'm guessing a little.

If buying a ticket I don't intend to use allows me to slip through the weirdness at the security checkpoint
so I can meet my parent's flight, I'll do it. If I know ahead of time that Arc AAA's are ok to take aboard,
I'll feel better taking mine. If I discover that a fire steel is a no-no that'll get you pulled aside and
searched, I'll leave mine at home. Whatever it takes to make them put me in the "harmless" bin and
look at someone else. Urban survival.

</rant>

You guys are scaring me. I haven't been on an airliner since 2000, but I'm going to be on one in January. I've chosen to fly myself on vacations, but this time I'm going to the mountains for a snowboarding vacation, and the weather is likely to be too bad for a small plane. If the snow is good, the flying is bad. I'd really feel like crap if they got dumped on and I couldn't get there! Plus, the MEA is 14,000 for all routes going to Jackson, WY.

Do they get suspicious if you bring along WAC charts? I like to look out the window and follow along on a chart, so I know what I'm seeing. How about a GPS?

I'm sorry, sir, but could you come with me? We KNOW you're a terrorist, because you want to be able to precisely fix the location where you will assemble your IED and bring down the aircraft ... seriously, though, they don't NEED a reason to hassle you, I'm convinced most of them really enjoy their god-like power.

The real insult of commercial air travel started well before political terrorism gave excuse to the terror of bad service and manners. The old White Star Line failed miserably to protect it's clients on R.M.S.Titanic, but at least the orchestra dressed in tails and provided music. I used to fly the old PSA airline from San Francisco to L.A. on frequent leaves home. I became good friends with Wilheminia, a senior attendant. 'Willie' thought I was hopeless , dressing in uniform when it was unpopular, bringing her flowers from Market Street, reading some half forgotten author inflight and commenting how the cloud cover over the lights of L.A. looked like the Peter Pan ride at Disnyland. But she always reserved my seat over the wing by the emergency door and knew how I took my $1 whiskey. Willie perished in the San Diego crash and I stopped flying soon after. Airport security is vulgar, but no less than the behavior of people driving to that same airport. Motorcars were once seen as an elegant escape from crowded trains and dusty carriages. Now they are T.V. wrestling mentality armoured cars with insular environments the envy of NASA. I've taken to walking again. I carry a proper brit 'brolly.' God have mercy on any surly dog, neon swathed Lance Armstrong wannabe or self indulgent Cellphone Borg. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I dont know about charts but absolutely do NOT bring a GPS. Don't even mention the word GPS or you'll get the "royal" treatment!

I am sorry for your experience and understand you wnating to see your kids off etc..

BUT!

A) NOBODY! should be allowed past security without a ticket for any reason period.
B) This is the way its gonna be so get used to it.
C) If you think this is bad try flying with El AL
D) There will be another 911 so belly up to the slots and hope you don't hit the jackpot.
E) Memories are real short
F) Most of the same anti TSA this and thats cried foul on Sept 12 so grains of salt must be taken with these chronic whiners
G) If your kids were on the planes on Sept 11 youd be singing a different tune.
H) flying is a privilage and is not guaranteed by anyones constitution.
I) I think security and the ignorance of the TSA doesn't go far enough this is no game and pleasantness doesn't count. I anin't shopping a Macy's.
J) Security maybe a joke and butt covering but its all we got

Conclusion:

Take A Bus, Simple.

Flip