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Subscribe to RSSIsaac Yeffet, the former head of security for Israel's El Al, and Erroll Southers, a former nominee to head the TSA, debate the merits of the TSA's policies and various screening methods. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Are you a trusted traveler? Would you like to become one if it meant you could avoid the long lines and invasive procedures that currently constitute airport security?
If so, you’re among the 61 percent of frequent leisure travelers and 75 percent of frequent business travelers who said they would be very or somewhat likely to enroll in such a program as a part of a survey released this week by the U.S. Travel Association (USTA), a nonprofit group representing the travel industry.
Rick Wilking / REUTERS
A TSA worker runs her hands over the head of a traveler during a pat-down search at Denver International Airport last November.
The survey asked 1,007 adults how likely they were to enroll in a program that offered expedited, risk-based airport screening, required a background check before traveling and cost $100 to $150 annually. While the majority of frequent travelers responded favorably, 48 percent of all travelers said they were not too or not at all likely to enroll.
The poll comes at a time when airport security procedures are coming under increased scrutiny. In recent months, high-profile incidents have involved a 95-year-old woman who was allegedly required to remove her adult diaper, an 8-month-old baby who received a pat-down and a former Miss USA who claimed she was groped by a Transportation Security Administration agent.
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The USTA poll also supports a December report released by the organization claiming that current screening procedures are turning people off air travel. According to that report, survey respondents said they would take an average of two to three more trips per year if the hassle involved in flying could be reduced without compromising security.
For security experts, trusted traveler programs represent a shift away from the current one-size-fits-all model of security screening. “The current system is set up so you’re guilty until proven innocent,” said Kiersten Todt Coon, a partner at Good Harbor Consulting LLC. “It’s just a very cumbersome way to handle security.”
While it’s still unknown what any particular trusted traveler program might entail, frequent travelers may also be encouraged by ongoing developments at the TSA. The agency is expected to begin testing an expedited program for flight crews this summer and another for passengers this fall or winter.
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Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.
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"Trusted Citizen". Now THERE's an idea. It not only moves a giant leap further away from the ideals of American citizenship, it commoditizes the presumption of guilt. We all know how much power Credit Reporting agencies wield and how little power John Q. Citizen has to keep them playing fair. It only took a couple of minutes worth of research to discover how deeply interlinked with the background checking industry they already are. We all know that in this climate of "privatization" the job of checking on the daily activities of ordinary citizens will be labelled "Big Government" and immediately outsourced right into the hands of an industry that already rivals the banking industry in its size and power. And the minute the Government hands these "Trusted Citizen" investigations to the private sector, We the People lose the one tool we have left to maintain some small authority over our private lives -- political pressure.
...in the Year of Our Ford...
AC
TSA agents basically act like they have no downside to their behavior. I fly every week and I have seen agents standing around talking, holding up lines. If I was their boss, I would be kicking major ass.
The best was that it took 3 male agents to help a good looking woman who was stupid enough to try to wear metal studded pants, shirt and belt through security. They ended up holding up the line during one of the busiest times of the day to help this poor young (stupid) girl.
The other thing that really took the cake was when the agent confiscated some of my toiletry items because they were not in a plastic bag. I had taken them out and put them in a bowl for screening, but because they were not in a plastic bag, they had to be confiscated. Is that stupid or what? Oh my they are more visible than they would be in the plastic bag, so we need to confiscate them. That is so stupid as to be beyond comprehension.
What would make TSA better? They need to have silent shopper type of review. There is no civilain review of their activities, but there needs to be. I would also give a poor review to any airports, or TSA supervisors where there is more than a 20 minute wait to pass through security. If it happens three times in a year, you are fired - no ifs and or butts. Go find another job you can screw up.
What would make the TSA better?How about No TSA at all,how's that?Then it would make everything better.````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
We should have such a program, but at no cost to the traveller!! All they will do is run your info through the computer, how much does that cost?? What do we pay general taxes and the taxes and high airport fees built into our tickets for, anyway?
A metal detector, that explosive sniffer, and a lock on the cockpit door. That's all we ever needed.
Hell throw in the occasional Air Marshal if you like.
Seriously, statistically we are more likely to die going down stairs. I can think of eight people I have known that have died in car accidents, and not one that was killed in a terrorist attack. Enough with this over-exaggerated threat already.
If you can't cope with the security, just stay home. The delay in many lines is merely due to travelers that can't understand the simple rules. If you can't deal with putting your liquids in a clear plastic bag then you can't deal with flying. This is just a lot of morons whinning about being inconvenienced.
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. *Ben Franklin*
As someone with knee replacements I would look forward to something like this but I don't have any real hope that it would keep me from being treated like a criminal at the airport. Every time I read something about TSA security they bring up the underware bomber but they probably would not have gone through the pat down screening process since they were not children or elderly. I wish someone would do a study as to the number of people going through security and of that the number of people going through pat downs and a break down of age and physical conditions.