See, here's the problem with having a dog and pny show instead of
security:
"The guy who scanned the bag pulled it out, turned it on, then "
Then the suspect device detonated, sending shrapnel through the room and injuring 50 people.
If you don't know what it is, you DON'T OPERATE IT. If it IS a suspect device, your crude attempt to inspect it probably will set off a booby trap or the device itself, causing massive damage.
I can't appreciate untrained guys endangering me that way. Last time someone opened my suspicious
laptop bag, rather than asking me to open it, I told him point blank "You realize that if there was anything to be worried about in there, you might have just detonated it and killed us all?" His face went white for a minute as he realized what he had just done, and why his
training was INCORRECT and DANGEROUS. If you're going to open a suspicious device--do it like the pros do, in a secure area, NOT IN A CROWDED ROOM.
If your flashlight can accidentally be turned on--that's a bad design. But a piece of paper placed over the
battery contacts is one of many ways to safe that for
storage and travel.
Hud, I've had the pleasure of having a TSA inspector throw a full scale conniption because I had missed a PENNY in my pants pocket, and his metal detector kept going off. One penny. Which neither of us felt during a pat-down.
SeaTac, LaGuardia, JFK, FLL, MIA...there are a number of places where
security tends to be on the paranoid side. Heck, in some of them they do extra random "gate checks" and reinspect passengers at the boarding gate--after the primary inspection--just to see what they missed.
Really, what's all the fuss about? 9/11 did not happne because of a lack of passenger screening. It happened because US airline industry policy was sub-par compared to the rest of the world at that time.
In 2001, three "third world" airlines were attempted hijacked. In all cases, the
cabin door was locked and kept locked and the aircraft immediately put on the ground while an air marshal dealt with the threat. GLOBAL policy was "keep the door locked, land the aircraft immediately" and that's all it takes to prevent an aircraft from being used as a bomb. The US carriers were aware of this, and chose not to follow the standard of security. ALL THE REST has been a dog and pony show.
And yes, the entire US airline industry was well aware that aricraft could be used as bombs. You may
recall a best-selling Tom Clancy novel and
movie that had been out 20(?) years earlier, where most of our Executive branch was wiped out by "bombing" the Capitol Building during the State of the Union address the same way. You'll now also notice that the entire executive branch no longer attends the SOTU address, specifically since that threat was pointed out by Mr. Clancy.
The airline industry? Nope, couldn't admit their liability, couldn't admit they ignored global standards. Gives us
dogs and ponies instead.
I'm glad you've found more lenient inspectors and airports. I'll keep packing my
PFD in the checked luggage instead. With the cart removed, to make sure some dummy doesn't pull the cord just to "see what this does".
Really, ask someone with explosive ordnance experience. You never, never, "see what this does" or "see if this works". Because one day, IT WILL.
BTW, here's the absolute prohibition on sealed compressed gas cylinders direct from the TSA:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...essed_gas.shtm
If they allow PFDs
in conflict with their own ban...ask yourself why the CO2 bottles on PFDs aren't called out and exempted on this page. You may also note that on the main page for travelers regarding prohibited items, the TSA also says that TSOs (the agents
) may prohibit items which are not on the prohibited list. Yes, they give the local agents full discretion, and like most agencies, the supervisor is not going to lose face by overruling his staff.
It is sadder still, because (we'll never have to make a water landing, they used to say) the airline issued life vests really are chokers if you ever try to wear one in the water. Literally. Next time the flight crew demo them for you, you'll notice they've cut open the front seam, so they can FIT over a larger
head and neck.
Nice doggy. Good pony. Wonderful show.