The TSA is Still Frustrating and Dangerous

David J. Danto

Travel thoughts in my own, personal opinion

eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD on all

The TSA is Still Frustrating and Dangerous – October 2024

This is not a new complaint. The TSA is not only annoying and frustrating, it’s downright dangerous. Different US airports have different levels of inspection and passenger experiences, and after the lessons we learned on 9/11, that means we’re only as safe as the weakest checkpoint. So, either loose airports are not providing enough inspections or overzealous ones are unnecessarily inconveniencing passengers. It HAS TO BE one or the other.

On my latest trip through Newark’s new Terminal A this week, I encountered the all-too-common TSA chaos. The terminal itself is a beautiful addition, equipped with some of the most advanced scanners available. But despite the high-tech equipment, the TSA agents insisted on emptying out my entire canvas briefcase – item by item.

This wasn't an isolated incident; I’ve traveled for over a decade with the same bag packed in the same way, always ensuring compliance with TSA regulations. Yet, at Newark, it felt like the contents of my bag were being treated as if they posed a national threat.

The frustration didn’t end with me. Dozens of passengers were stuck in the same line, with many waiting anxiously for their bags to be hand-inspected. Some were seriously worried about missing their flights due to the slow and tedious process. What made the situation even more exasperating was the attitude of the TSA agents. When passengers offered to let those at risk of missing flights go ahead in the inspection queue, the agents ignored the suggestions entirely. It was as if they were determined to maintain a rigid, sheep-herding mentality, with no regard for the actual needs of the travelers they were supposed to be assisting. This kind of inflexibility is not only frustrating – it’s dangerous.

If Newark's level of scrutiny is truly necessary for safety, then other airports like Las Vegas or Denver, where the very same bag always passes through without issue, must be missing the mark. But if those other airports are indeed adequate, then what’s happening at Newark is nothing more than needless overreach that serves only to inconvenience passengers. This disparity in security standards raises a troubling question: What’s the point of the TSA if the screening process is so consistently inconsistent based upon location?

The TSA was established to create a uniform and secure screening experience across all U.S. airports, but today, that consistency is nowhere to be found. The patchwork system we have now, where some airports go to extreme lengths while others appear lax, is exactly the kind of weakness that could be exploited. We already saw what happens when terrorists find loopholes in airport security – on 9/11, the attackers targeted Boston's Logan Airport precisely because it had more lenient security checks at the time. The idea was that by having the TSA, we’d close those gaps and ensure that all passengers are screened to the same standard, regardless of where they depart. Clearly, that hasn't happened.

The inconsistency extends beyond just the inspection process; it affects the entire travel experience. At Newark, despite the advanced scanners that should theoretically reduce the need for manual inspections, the agents continued to empty bag after bag.

If such thorough inspections are deemed essential at Newark, then those standards should be applied uniformly across the country. Conversely, if other airports can maintain safety without causing significant delays and hassles, then the excessive measures at Newark are a waste of time and resources. Either way, the current approach leaves us with a system where the quality of airport security varies widely, which in turn makes everyone less safe.

The TSA’s mandate was to eliminate these inconsistencies and ensure uniform security. But instead of creating a seamless network of reliable checkpoints, we have a patchwork of varying practices, where your experience depends more on which airport you fly out of than on any consistent standard of safety. If lax checkpoints exist, they compromise the entire system. If excessive procedures are unnecessarily implemented at certain airports, they only serve to inconvenience passengers without adding real security benefits.

The stakes are too high for this kind of inconsistency. We cannot afford to let some airports become weak links in the chain, nor should travelers be subjected to arbitrary and overly stringent security measures based on geography. The TSA needs to standardize its procedures and train all personnel to the same level of competency across the country. Only then can passengers have confidence in a process that is supposed to protect them. And before someone representing or apologizing for the TSA tells me that “it’s all supposed to be random” trust me, it’s not random. Newark is ALWAYS overzealous. Las Vegas, Denver and many other airports are ALWAYS not concerned enough to unpack the bag. That’s why this is dangerous.

In the end, the TSA must remember that its purpose is not just to enforce rules but to do so in a way that genuinely enhances security. That means prioritizing consistency, safety, and the passenger experience – simultaneously. We shouldn’t have to choose between security and sanity, nor should the level of scrutiny vary so drastically from one airport to the next. Until these inconsistencies are addressed, our air travel system remains vulnerable, and public trust in the TSA continues to erode.

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This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal opinions.

All image and links provided above as reference under prevailing fair use statutes.

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