Gleeful Gecko » Flight Security

Protecting Us From The Red Baron

Brett — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:33:31 +0000

The latest in TSA’s efforts to catch up to potential threats takes them all the way up to the the 1920s. I feel much safer now. Thank god someone reported him.

A Revisit to Airport Security

Brett — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:22:19 +0000

Right after 9-11 I flew to the UK and back and there was very heavy security, but nobody minded at all. The risks were still unknown and we all wanted to be safe. Now however we are pretty aware of the risks, ranging as they do from shoe bombs to chemical bombs and the like but airport security seems to getting stupider rather then smarter as time goes on.

Two stories today tell a story of airport security that is rapidly spinning out of control. The first is a story from the Houston Chronicle about how to avoid the security people stealing from you. Not in the third world, but here in the good old US of A. Remember these crooks are the ones we are trusting to keep the bombs out of our planes if they can be bothered when not stealing cigars.

The second story shows how incredible stupidity has come to dominate the whole airport security theater, a flyer at Heathrow wasn’t going to be allowed on a flight because he had a picture of a cartoon robot on his shirt. The threat we were protected from? The robot had a gun.

I want to fly safe, I want people keeping bombs and bad people off my flights, but these idiots and thieves are making a mockery of airport security. We can’t let this go on like this.

UK Airport Wait Times Longer Than Flights

Brett — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 15:44:01 +0000

This Telegraph story tells an interesting story about flying in the UK at the moment, the waits at the airports are now longer than the flights themselves for short haul flights. The English folk I work with complain about the brusque treatment they get when arriving in the US, they are not treated as welcomed visitors but as potential terrorists, but I think the UK airports are getting to be worse than the US ones. The US may have them beat on New Jersey Charm but the UK does long lines and senseless bureaucracy better than anyone in the world. The people I feel most sorry for are the ones transferring at Heathrow, they get the lines and hassles but never even get the see the country as a counterbalance.

Poor Organization At Heathrow, What Else Is New?

Brett — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 13:32:29 +0000

Had an interesting flight home yesterday, the flight itself was fine, late but not horribly so, but the scene when we arrived at Heathrow Terminal Four was best described as chaotic. The English, good love them, love to stand in line so they were forming lines in front of some new barrier tents, but nobody knew what they were lining up for. The tents were set up in one of the three drop off lanes for passengers, we were lining up in another which meant the third lane was a complete stand still backing up traffic quite aways and helping lead to more chaos.Because people were coming from all directions there were new lines springing up from each direction and lots of arguing about ‘queue jumping’ or line cutting with tempers flaring all over the place.. There were no Heathrow staff where the lines were forming up, there was a lone staffer in the breaks between the tent barriers directing the damned into the tents while letting the innocent go through. There was a lone lady handing out fliers on what was going on, but she never got near me in the half an hour I was in line. My best guess is that they were only letting people through that had tickets to a flight within a reasonable time, by the time I got the damnation screener I was let right in, at that point I was about two hours and fifteen minutes before my scheduled flight time. The poor damnation screener was having a rough time, the people he damned were sent into a tent to await their flight being called out. They may have been calling them out, but I only heard one flight called in the half an hour I was in line.

Once inside I heard the fate of those whose flights were messed up the day before, one woman was sobbing to lady directing a check in line that her family had been in line for six and a half hours and this was at ten am. All I could do was say ‘there but for the grace of god go I’ and head in to my flight. Who says the romance of flying is dead? Heathrow does random mindless security theater better than any place in the world.

Flying Thru Heathrow During This Crack Down

Brett — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 22:51:01 +0000

Heya, this isn’t really for my normal audience but here are my notes on flying thru Heathrow during this current security crackdown. This is based on my flight of Friday August 11th 2006, the rules may have changed while I was flying or tomorrow or who knows when, but some of this wasn’t very clear to people so I thought I would put my notes up.

The advice I had was to arrive early, but once at the airport I was not allowed into the terminal to check in until my flight was called two hours before the scheduled take off, this meant waiting outside in the parking garage in a large crowd for hours for me. I recommend you try to arrive just before the two hour mark, there was no benefit at all to being earlier.
Everything really, really must go in the checked bags until you pass thru security. This means no books, magazines, cell phones, non-prescription medicine etc. I saw a huge stack of book and cell phones by security and big bag of medicines, combs, pens and what not further on.
Once you are thru security you can buy some items in the shops, but if you are on a US flight as I was you will be searched again and any electronics or liquids will be taken away. I bought some magazines and some cards for my son and had no trouble, but you can only do this once you have passed thru security and are in the waiting area, not while you are in the check-in terminal.
Everyone I dealt with today was good natured and trying to do their best. This runs from the airlines staff from British Airways who were great today, to the airport folks out in the parking area, to the security folks. Everyone was great, but it really helps if you are ready for them and watch what is happening rather than waiting until you are at a counter and then try to figure out the rules.
If you flying from the UK to the US there was no green lane to go thru customs, all bags were being searched. This was quick, but it was complete, everything was looked at and questioned.

The flight today was by far the biggest hassle I have had flying since September 11th, that said, it didn’t take that much longer than normal even with all the extra security. Again, I expect them to look to lower the hassle, but it may not be quick so if you are flying particularly to or from the UK be prepared, travel light and keep your sense of humor.

Update: Here is an article on the new rules in the US. They are a bit more complicated than the UK rules, but more permissive than the ones I flew under last Friday. Here is an article on the situation in the UK, the rules seem to be the same but less flights being allowed.

Updated Again: Security level in the UK lowered, but not until Tuesday the 15th, 2006.

With the reduction in the threat level, the Department of Transport said passengers would be allowed to carry a single, briefcase-sized bag aboard aircraft, and that books, laptop computers and iPods would be permitted again. However, Heathrow and other major airports said they would not adopt the relaxed regulations until Tuesday.

Via