Since the last time I wrote about the Transportation Security Administration, the agency charged with protecting air travel has encountered some unexpected turbulence.
First there was the embarrassing release of an un-redacted version of its Screening Management Standard Operating Procedures in early December. Although the agency claimed that the manual was obsolete, many observers felt that it was a how-to book for aspiring terrorists.
Then there was the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas day, in which Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up a plane using a packet of powder sewn into his underwear. The humiliating breach of security was made worse when Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declared that “once the incident occurred, the system worked.” Her critics begged to differ, and the secretary issued a clarification.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. What followed was a knee-jerk response in which the TSA ordered airlines on inbound international flights to frisk their passengers, force them to remain seated during the last hour of their flight, confiscate pillows and blankets, and power down their in-flight entertainment devices. Those rules have since been eased. The agency didn’t bother to offer many details about the additional precautions, creating confusion the likes of which we haven’t seen since 9/11.
Somewhere along the way, I became part of the story. After I published the full text of the security directive on my blog, I was visited by a special agent from the Department of Homeland Security, who served me with a subpoena demanding that I reveal the source of the document. I refused. The agency withdrew its subpoena on New Year’s Eve, but the fact that an agent showed up on a journalist’s doorstep at dinnertime asking him to name names suggests that at best, the TSA is a troubled agency.
At worst? I don’t even want to go there.
I won’t insult my readers by repeating the obvious advice being dispensed by the so-called experts, such as arriving at the airport early or packing light. Instead, I’d like to take a longer view on traveling while under the influence of the TSA. Assuming that only half of the awful things people are saying about the agency are true, how do you fly?
One answer: You don’t. That’s what a growing number of Americans have decided. Scheduled passenger traffic on airlines dropped 5.5 percent in 2009, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, and 3.1 percent worldwide. That decline is the largest on record. The recession no doubt contributed to it, but I’ve spoken with countless travelers who say that they’ve had enough with the long lines, the intrusive searches and the uncertainties of airport security, and that they’ve grounded themselves.
The other answer, for those of us who don’t want to spend days in a car, is that you fly despite all that — and you expect the unexpected.
The TSA has even said as much on its Web site, TSA.gov, which for now is the best place to find out about how to prepare for your next flight. “Passengers should not expect to see the same thing at every airport,” the agency declares. “TSA has a layered approach to security that allows us to surge resources as needed on a daily basis.”
What does “surge resources” mean? Who knows? But that passengers should not expect to see the same thing at every airport — that, we understand.
All this raises a question: Is the agency being unpredictable because it wants to be, or because it can’t help it? “Let’s call it what it is,” said frequent traveler Oliver Wilson. “It’s TSA Theater, and I’m being kind here. That’s it. That’s the bottom line.”
Wilson ought to know. He’s a Los Angeles-based television and film producer.
But is this a well-rehearsed play we’re watching, designed to catch the criminals who would blow up our planes, or random improvisations that would scare away only the amateurs? I think you know the answer.
That’s why TSA reform should be high on the legislative agenda in 2010. Finding credible leadership for the agency, weeding out managers with a wrongheaded view of security and restoring the public’s confidence in what is without question the most dysfunctional federal agency in the history of the union need to be priorities. And if it can’t be fixed, our elected representatives should do us all a big favor by defunding the TSA and starting over.
Where does that leave you? The same place you were before the Christmas day attack, the incomprehensible liquids-and-gels ban and even 9/11.
Air travel is not without its risks. The TSA can’t protect you from every terrorist any more than the Federal Aviation Administration can protect you from every accident or the police can protect you from every crime.
We have to fly, anyway.
(Photo: alist/Flickr Creative Commons)
{ 1 trackback }
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for telling it like it is, which until recently too many people were afraid to do.
But two comments: First, it’s obvious that there will be no reform of the TSA. It will be allowed to continue just as it is. That’s because the TSA is too valuable as facile posterior-covering for failed bureaucrats and bureaucracies.
President Obama deserves credit for admitting that mistakes were made,
something his predecessor was incapable of doing. But at least so far, no
heads are rolling anywhere in the Homeland Security bureaucracy. He
admitted that they made mistakes, but nobody is being called on the carpet
and held to account for them. The only specific thing he mentioned was “enhanced airport security.”
In other words, the only people he wants to punish for the systemic failings are air travelers. The people who failed will continue to fail, but the TSA will get more funding and authority to add new hassles and intrusions to the script. The “enhancements” won’t be any more effective than the TSA’s existing inconsistent improvisations, but that doesn’t matter. It’s much easier to call on the TSA when action is needed after an embarrassing failure than to herd all the cats in the Homeland Security bureaucracy. And some people will indeed consider the extra hassles a reassuring sign that the government is doing something to protect aviation. That has some value, but it doesn’t do anything to address the failures or to protect us from an attack that doesn’t repeat the tactics for which the “enhancements” are a reactive counter-measure.
Second, you’re correct in implying that the one and only thing we can do about the TSA (and also the way airlines mistreat their paying customers) is to “just say no.” Complaining or protesting won’t help, because nobody who has the authority has any interest in changing anything. But we DON’T “have to fly, anyway.” At least not always. It’s true that too often we don’t have any other choice. We have to fly for business, or to visit far-flung family. But in other cases we DO have a choice.
Last year, I spent some very enjoyable time creatively planning a delightful mix of road trips and staycations. And you know what? I’m not exaggerating when I say that those were probably the best vacations I’ve ever enjoyed in my life! I’m astonished at how many fascinating places there are within driving distance, which I had foolishly overlooked in the days when flying was easy and fun. (I wish I could have taken a train instead, but Amtrak’s ridicuous routes and schedules are useless for me.) I didn’t fly, and I didn’t have to “spend days in a car.” I’m already starting to research this year’s local adventures, which might include a somewhat longer road trip than what I did last year. The key is to spend the time researching and preparing, which is a distinct pleasure of its own.
If I can protest the ineffective stupidity by enjoying some of the best vacations I’ve ever had, you can too! Just remember, you DON’T always have to fly!
THE AIRLINES CHARGING EXTRA FOR CHECKED BAGGAGE ONLY ENCOURAGES PASSENGERS TO CARRY ON BAGGAGE WHICH ONLY ADS TO MORE SCREENING AND DELAYS. CARRY ON BAGGAGE ALWAYS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRLINES EVEN BEFORE THE INCREASED SECURITY. DON’T ALLOW CARRY ON BAGGAGE AND RETURN TO THE FREE FIRST TWO CHECKED BAGS.
What’s this I hear about hold luggage not being inspected/xrayed/scanned for explosives?
If it’s so, then why do we not hear more about this? I am already uncomfortable enough in the belief that commercial cargo is not inspected. To put all baggage in the hold, might not be the best idea, long term.
All-in-all, maybe the whole country should get a grip on itself and accept that flying, even with the rare explosion in mid-air, is safer than any other way to travel long distances. I take a chance on being murdered by a drunk or inattentive driver every time i go through an intersection on a green light. It’s so common a cause of death i don’t even think of it anymore. It would ruin every day in every way to do so. If we flew every day, I expect we’d all calm down because the potential for death with every trip would be routine and shifted to the back of the brain. Or are airlines/government worried about losing face or rising industry insurance rates, or some such. Not to mention all the jobs in the “anti-terror” industry.
Something tells me we are dealing with a complex situation and trying to deal with it in a one-faceted manner.
Or am I just thinking too much? I have pledged not to fly this year. Still haven’t paid for the last couple of trips……and besides, I can’t breathe properly in the tiny space I’m allowed in the flying sardine cans. And I’m not even overweight or overtall. So flying is last choice.
I don’t expect Congress will do anything about the TSA. The Senate can’t even confirm a TSA administrator, held up because of right wing political concerns that have nothing to do with security. Shame on all of them.
TSA=the stupid arrive, or they stand around or thumbsucking assholes, or they steal alot….
On my last two flights, one domestic, from Newark to Anchorage, and the other international, from Newark to San Jose, Costa Rica, I did, indeed, encounter the unexpected. TSA agents ranged from serious, but not surly, to downright friendly and I got through all security lines quickly without experiencing or witnessing any hassles. In fact, my flying year has been pretty much like that. (I’m platinum, but only on Continental.) My husband won’t fly, unless it’s an emergency, preferring drive anywhere, including coast to coast. We each feel pretty comfortable in our modes of travel and equally as safe.