Security queen of the world

The US is so good at efficient, enlightened, effective airport security that Secretary J’Nap is going to spread our wisdom around the world. DHS press release:

Secretary Napolitano Dispatches Senior Department Officials to Review Security Procedures With International Airport Leaders

 

Release Date: December 31, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary

Secretary Napolitano to travel in the coming weeks to build on these efforts

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced that she is dispatching Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute, Assistant Secretary for Policy David Heyman and other senior Department officials on a broad international outreach effort to meet with leaders from major international airports in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America to review security procedures and technology being used to screen passengers on flights bound for the United States.

“As part of the ongoing review to determine exactly what went wrong leading up to Friday’s attempted terrorist attack, we are looking not only at our own processes, but also beyond our borders to ensure effective aviation security measures are in place for U.S-bound flights that originate at international airports,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Because I am fully committed to making whatever changes are necessary to protect the safety of the traveling public, I am sending Deputy Secretary Lute and Assistant Secretary Heyman to work with our international partners on ways to collectively bolster our tactics for defeating terrorists wherever they may seek to launch an attack, and I will follow up on these efforts with ministerial-level meetings within the next few weeks.”

Click to read more ...

Repost - War against the carry-on

From OBOW - April 12, 2007 (the links are dead, hopefully the “organization” is too … UPDATE - Yes, the guy’s company went into receivership):

Luggage Express chairman Richard Altomare wants to ban luggage on airplanes - not all airplanes, mind you, just passenger planes. He’s quite happy to load your luggage (for a not-so-small fee) on his cargo delivery planes and is lobbying in Washington to end the traveler’s right to carry luggage. And he’s kind enough to support the “Coalition for Luggage Security”. One look at this group’s website would convince you that Lady Liberty, the founding fathers, and Uncle Sam himself approve of this ridiculous intrusion on travelers’ liberty. More from Mr. Altomare:

“We’ve moved 31 million suitcases and we’ve never misplaced or lost one,” he claims. “The suitcases are picked up by one of 4,000 companies that we contract, including UPS, FedEx and DHL. The luggage is barcoded and tracked from the beginning and tracked the whole way.” He says the company is moving “300 to 500 orders a day … More and more people are using us. This is an alternative. I’m not saying it’s a replacement for the existing system yet.”  — from ATWonline.com

…YET? How about NEVER! A  luggage ban would hurt everyone except cargo companies like Altomare’s. Travelers may be in for a real fight in coming years.

 MORE - How about this from the Coalition for Luggage Security’s blog:

“The Coalition for Luggage Security was created to help create safer skies by separating luggage from passengers. Creating a new concept where by things are done differently is often a challenge, but a worthwhile one. Being active as an organization, and as a member can help create positive change in all areas including luggage security, passenger security, airline security and airport security.”

Separating luggage from passengers - I thought that was the airlines’ job…

Security Theater 'R' Us - Daily roundup

The TSA is expected to release another round of security changes today in the wake of the terror scare.

The flight crews on individual airlines can decide if they’re going to enforce some of these rules TSA put in effect since the Christmas Day bombing attempt…

Among the precaution, once the flights take off, airlines have the option of taking the following precautions:

Requiring passengers to remain in seats 1 hour before arrival

Disabling on-board communications services

Not announcing flight path or positions

Banning any items in laps 1 hour before arrival. - WABC-TV, NYC

 —

Queue for up to three hours to be “patted down,” go through additional scans and physical searches of hand luggage, one hand carry item only, be told to stay in your seat for an hour before a plane lands, note that flight trackers are switched off (along with all other IFE which is integrated, no pillows to be hugged, no blankets to be worn on top, and no crew announcements to hint as to location or landing schedule. This is how the USA has responded to a lunatic who set himself on fire in a plane. But the over-reaction is already wearing thin.

The USA’s Transportation Security Administration or TSA has said that the new rules - at least insofar as they relate to what happens on an aircraft - are now to be regarded as a matter for the discretion of the crew. - Chief Officers Network 

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NYT “Room for Debate” on the Israeli security model.

NPR on roughly the same subject: behavioral screening/analysis as opposed to “profiling.”

Daily Tech: Obama Could Decree Wider Use of Full-body Scanners in Airports

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Obama’s options:

But broader policy changes have greater ramifications — tradeoffs that the Bush administration was well aware of. And while increasing security may seem like a political no-brainer, some frequent travelers have become so incensed at what they call “security theater” that they are recoiling at steps already taken, such as banning the use of blankets and personal items in the last hour of some flights.

 “I flew 265,000 miles last year,” said Bruce Schneier, a cryptographer and security analyst. “You know what really pisses me off? Making me check my luggage. Not letting me use my laptop, so I can’t work. Taking away my Kindle, so I can’t read. I care about those things. I care about making me safer much, much less.” - Politico

(Schneier implies on his own blog that this quote is a little misleading as to emphasis)

—

Was the crotch bomber a loner? It gets curiouser and curiouser, as Alice was wont to say in Wonderland. Wouldn’t she have loved security theater?

Update on December 31, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Update on December 31, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Defying logic, not terror

The WSJ Middle Seat Terminal’s Scott McCartney has put together one of the better summaries of the measures in place since the “pants bomber” lit up.

TSA has a long history with the flying public of little communication, scant explanation and seemingly mind-boggling rules. The same mistakes are repeating. The flying public deserves clear, logical rules about air travel and enough information to understand why steps are being taken. - complete post

Update on December 30, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

NYT - “For security ideas, ask business travelers”



Update on December 30, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Easing up already, pilot discretion? - NYT

Gale D. Rossides, the acting director of the Transportation Security Administration, said her agency had given airline captains discretion in determining when passengers could move about the cabin during a flight and whether they could have blankets or pillows on their laps.

More changes in security measures will take place in coming days, Ms. Rossides said in an interview Monday.

Some airlines and their passengers have been critical of the measures, which were hastily imposed after Friday’s terrorism attempt by a 23-year old Nigerian. But Ms. Rossides said the agency was intentionally trying to make immediate, simple changes even if they were to be revoked later.

Ban underwear

I just heard a story on CNN about the advisability of banning carry-on luggage altogether. And it said Canada, for now, has already done so! Banning underwear makes more sense than banning carry-on luggage. If you haven’t heard, the Christmas day bomber’s explosive was “anatomically correct” and concealed in his jockey shorts — so would it have been detectable even by the “virtual strip search” scanners? Probably not. Stay tuned.

Update on December 29, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

“Flailing panic”

Those responsible for these omissions (security failures leading to the Christmas day “bombing”) should be located and disciplined, and the gaps plugged. But I fail to see why airline passengers should be punished, as planned, for the failings of the authorities. A ban on more than one piece of hand luggage seems to me to be wholly unrelated to this event, and mere opportunism. I am not quite sure why security is being stepped up at British airports, which were not even involved in this incident (unless it is security for passengers arriving from Lagos, in which case we need to ask why this needs to be stepped up). A ban on in-flight maps (and in some cases in-flight movies) seems to me to be verging on the insane. Are we also to be stripped of our watches, so we can’t work out roughly where we are anyway? I take it that matey flight-deck announcements about speed and weather will also be banned, so as not to give terrorists help in working out the plane’s position. Why not black the windows out, in case we recognise a lake, a river, a coastline or a mountain range?

And then there’s the plan to strap bursting passengers, bloated with the water they’ve drunk to try to stop dehydration, and unsettled by pressurisation, into their seats for a whole hour before landing, with the lavatories locked. Pursue this unhinged logic a little further, and all passengers should be issued with giant nappies, blindfolded, shackled and tranquillised, Guantanamo-style - and not told where the plane is going, either. This is presumably the securocrats’ dream, a wholly safe world where only officials can travel.

Airline security seems to me to have reached a point where it resembles collective punishment, and punishment of the wrong people. It wasn’t the flying public that caused this mess. On the contrary, it was a passenger (as did those aboard United 93) who bravely tackled Mr Abdulmutallab. And I’m still anxious to know if this bomb was a real threat. The culprit, as I’ve said, presumably thought it was and so deserves everything he gets, if found guilty. - Peter Hitchens, dailymail.co.uk (underlining mine - ed.)

Explosive reaction

Word is that the new, emergency security measures instituted in reaction to the Christmas Day bombing attempt are “deliberately” unpredictable (as opposed to accidentally unpredictable for the last several years?). This is bad for carry-on travelers who always bear the brunt of security measures. Some snippets from a nightmare travel weekend:

• “Hand baggage restrictions last imposed in the wake of the liquid bomb plot in 2006 were back in place on most flights to America while security staff were ordered to conduct full body searches for every passenger at departure gates.”
• “as aircraft entered US airspace, with passengers confined to their seats for the last hour of their flight, banned from having access to books, newspapers or even blankets or pillows.”
• The term of the new restrictions: “indefinite”
• In-flight maps, phones, and wi-fi - switched off
• Carrry-on luggage limted to one and only one from the UK, zero from Paris with only a clear plastic baggie allowed!

(Source - UK Telegraph)

Update on December 27, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

From the TSA:

Q: What additional security measures is TSA taking domestically?
A: TSA has a layered approach to security that allows us to surge resources as needed on a daily basis. We have the ability to quickly implement additional screening measures including explosive detection canine teams, law enforcement officers, gate screening, behavior detection and other measures both seen and unseen. Passengers should not expect to see the same thing at every airport.

Q: What additional security measures are being taken for international flights to U.S. destinations?
A: TSA issued a directive for additional security measures to be implemented for last point of departure international flights to the United States. Passengers flying into the United States from abroad can expect to see additional security measures at international airports such as increased gate screening including pat-downs and bag searches. During flight, passengers will be asked to follow flight crew instructions, such as stowing personal items, turning off electronic equipment and remaining seated during certain portions of the flight.

Q: Do passengers need to do anything differently to prepare for checkpoint security procedures? Has anything changed in terms of what passengers can bring in their carry-on or checked bags?
A: At this time, security checkpoint requirements for passengers departing U.S. airports remain the same. Passengers do not need to do anything differently, but they may notice additional security measures at the airport.

Q: Should passengers plan to arrive at airports earlier than normal?
A: Passengers traveling within the United States should give themselves extra time to check in and proceed through the security checkpoint before their flight, especially during the busy holiday travel season. TSA advises that passengers traveling on international flights to U.S. destinations allow extra time for security and arrive an additional hour earlier.

Q. How long will these measures remain in place?
A: TSA will continuously review these measures to ensure the highest levels of security.

One bag = suspect?

The botched Christmas Day bombing was disturbing enough. The suggestion from this news story even more so for one-bag, no-check travelers:

Police know that the KLM ticket that Abdulmutallab travelled on was purchased on 16 December, with cash, in Nigeria. The departure airport was changed from Accra to Lagos shortly afterwards. When he took his window seat, number 19A, he had only one piece of hand luggage and none in the hold – unusual for someone who was allegedly planning a two-week stay in Detroit. - independent.co.uk

Ouch. What onebagger hasn’t gotten some suspicious glances on international departures? But we must hope it doesn’t become a guaranteed red flag. More on the failed attempt and why it is likely to make the security experience more unpredictable and likely more draconian:

Officials with the federal Transport Security Authority in the US said that while enhanced security measures had been imposed at airports across the country and abroad after the attempted bombing, it had no plans to alter basic procedures or requirements for passengers. But at least one US senator said she intended to convene urgent hearings on what new steps might have to be taken to protect international air travel. Senator Susan Collins of Maine said: “This incident is a disturbing reminder that the terrorist threat is still very real.”

Some airlines will be introducing tough new security checks.

Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, said: “With the full support of the Prime Minister, Transport Secretary, Foreign Secretary and ministerial colleagues, we will ensure that the UK continues to have in place the most appropriate security measures to protect the public from the terrorist threat, wherever it originates from.”



Update on December 27, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Tougher measures worldwide were demanded yesterday by the US Transportation Security Administration as it sought to prevent a repeat of the lapses that allowed a bomber on to flight 253 on Christmas Day.

New measures immediately put in place at Heathrow and other British airports included stricter security checks such as more frequent body searches just prior to boarding, and a strict limit of one item of hand luggage. Some airlines will now compel passengers to sit in their seats for the last hour of a flight. - independent.co.uk

—

After checking in and going through security as normal, passengers can expect extra bag checks and body searches at the departure gate before boarding flights.

And travellers were being told to remain seated for the final hour of the journey, with no access to the bathroom or overhead lockers, and nothing on their laps. 

Airport operator BAA said: “Passengers travelling to the United States should expect their airline to carry out additional security checks prior to boarding.

“To support this important process, which will take time, we would advise passengers to leave more time to check in and limit the amount of baggage being taken on board the aircraft. - independent.co.uk



Lost at sea

The mega-mondo blatantly bloated Oasis of the Seas carries about 7000 passengers. You couldn’t get me on the thing, but carry-on luggage only might be a good idea if you choose to cruise:

When I arrived at the ship, it took four hours for my luggage to reach my cabin. With the petulance of a man who had been up almost 20 hours, had no change of clothes, needed a shower and in five minutes’ time was expected for dinner, I called a man in Guest Relations. “It is hard to find one piece of luggage among 15,000,” he said unhelpfully.

Did I detect a note of pride in the way he said 15,000? Undoubtedly, it is the biggest collection of suitcases ever to put to sea. I knew that ought to have made me feel better. - telegraph.co.uk

Liquid ban will linger

… and watch it with that powder. The WSJ Middle Seat reports that the liquid ban will remain for at least another year and that certain powders are now being targeted for screening as possible explosive materials. I never believed the conjecture that the 3-1-1 regs would fade away this year. Nor do I believe that new scanning technology will lead to a 3-1-1 rollback one year from now (as the WSJ post mentions). Government regulations, like taxes, are easy to implement and almost impossible to get rid of.

About the powder:

“Officers will use X-ray technology to determine which substances may require additional screening’’ with a powder test kit, Ms. Payne says. For security reasons, she declined to say how that happens.

If a powder is considered suspicious, TSA uses a test kit that takes a small sample and screens it for dangerous substances.

TSA says the vast majority of commonly carried powders, like most medication, infant formula and makeup are unlikely to need further screening. Let’s hope we don’t get hit with a lot of “false positives,” sending people to secondary screening for their foot powder. - WSJ

No thanks, travelers say

Consumer Traveler - “Carry-on luggage survey results: We don’t need a federal law and we don’t want TSA enforcing one” - read it here

NPR on Lipinski's luggage bill

You can listen here to an NPR story on the problem of oversized carry-on bags and one possible solution - Congressman Lipinski’s luggage bill. Here’s what ohmygov.com thinks of it:

Trying to cut down on carry-on clutter is definitely a legitimate concern for anyone who regularly travels by air; the question is just whether or not it is a legitimate concern for congress. The greatest concern, especially at times like these, might just be how much this whole plan would cost. Lipinski’s bill would require TSA representatives to inspect and check any baggage that would exceed the federally mandated regulations, all at taxpayer expense of course.

Most people can agree that the waiting involved with boarding a flight is already interminable, adding on the layer of federal agents inspecting and checking baggage would probably result in more stops and starts than a Minnesota recount. In the wake of 9/11, most travelers embraced the added security as “the price you pay” for feeling and being safe on a commercial airliner, but there is such a thing as overkill. Lipinski’s bill would surely qualify for that label. - more here

Update on August 31, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Cast your vote for or against the Lipinksi bill here.

Will US standardize carryon sizes?

Maybe, if a Congressman Lipinski gets his way. The proposed standard is 50 inches max, which would curtail the current sizes of only a few carriers.

The bill would set the maximum dimensions at 10 inches by 18 inches by 22 inches. It would also require the Transportation Security Administration to install templates at airports to check the bags to make sure they weren’t too big.

AFA-CWA international (ed: flght attendant union) president Patricia Friend says that “the lack of uniformity in carrier programs and effective enforcement makes carry-on baggage a multi-faceted problem onboard aircraft today.” - AIRLINE BIZ

Cranky Flier also has a take on this. It’s hard to see what this would accomplish except to cost the TSA (and by extension, US taxpayers) some money. I’d be surprised if any new rule would be honored any more than the current rules.

Update on June 19, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Not sure anyone knows what to make of this.

Whole body imaging petition

If you don’t like having your soft tissue displayed on a TSA monitor, consider signing the Privacy Coalition’s petition:

The Privacy Coalition is engaged in a campaign to suspend the use of “Whole Body Imaging” — devices that photograph American air travelers stripped naked in US airports. The campaign responds to a policy reversal by the TSA which would now make the “virtual strip search” mandatory, instead of voluntary as originally announced. EPIC and others say that there are inadequate safeguards to prevent the misuse of the images. We are asking Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to suspend the program and allow for public comment. For more information, see EPIC’s Whole Body Imaging page.

Organizations, experts, and air travelers are invited to sign on to the letter below urging Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to suspend the program until the privacy and security risks are fully evaluated. - sign letter/petition here

(Thanks to Til for finding this)

Update on May 20, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

The TSA, gotta love ‘em. If you want avoid the virtual strip search just act like a hyperactive toddler and wiggle, alot:

“This question keeps popping up on our blog as well as other forums around the internet. Will children be screened by Whole Body Imagers (WBI)?

Yes and no.

Anybody can opt out of WBI screening. Adults, children, Klingons, etc… If you opt out of WBI screening, you will receive a patdown search in lieu of the WBI screening.

Children are allowed to be screened by the WBI if they’re able to stand motionless with their arms outstretched and feet shoulder width apart for 5 seconds. (If your child is like my 4 year old, they can’t stand still for a single second unless they’re watching that yellow sponge guy who shares my name)” - TSA Evolution of Security blog

Major TSA policy change

STAND BY FOR A MAJOR CHECKPOINT POLICY CHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE TSA BLOG:

Starting this week, officers will be asking passengers to put their shoes directly on the X-ray belt instead of in a bin at the checkpoint.

This will help to declutter bins and give officers a better view of shoes coming through, as well as everything else. Our officers are seeing some pretty packed bins with shoes, electronics, wallets and other items, and when they can’t get a good look, a cluttered bin is more likely to get pulled aside for additional screening. Nobody likes that.
If you don’t hear the directions or put your shoes in the bin by accident, fear not - you won’t be sent back to the end of the line for a do-over. - Evolution of Security blog

You won’t need to go back through the line because you misplaced shoes will be run immediately through a shredding machine! OK, I made this last part up.

Security, insecurity, and getting through

Why does OBOW report often on travel security issues? Well, light/ultralight travelers are highly knowledgeable and skilled at what they do - travel. They take great pains to prepare for all contingencies and follow all the rules because doing so makes travel easier. Security measures, be they maddening, ridiculous, or necessary, are are a fact of modern travel experience; information about them is travel power. So we look even to the sometimes vacuous TSA blog for help:

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard somebody say “I don’t pose a threat.” Intelligence has shown that western acting/looking terrorists are being recruited just for that reason.

What I’m trying to say is you know you’re not a terrorist, but we don’t…and we can’t take any chances and just take your word. This is another reason why our Behavior Detection Program is so important. We focus on behaviors to flush out the possible terrorists, not appearance.

If this can be believed, attitude and perceived mental state are more likely to promote smooth security sailing than appearance per se. Who knows? Experience tells us the random element is always there, but patience and kindness are still virtures. The trick is not run out before you find your seat on the plane.

Swine flu screening hits travelers

Get ready for the long, hot, swine flu summer:

Governments in Asia _ with potent memories of SARS and avian flu outbreaks _ heeded the warning amid global fears of a pandemic.

Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines dusted off thermal scanners used during the 2003 SARS crisis and were checking for signs of fever among passengers arriving from North America. South Korea and Indonesia introduced similar screening…

India will start screening people arriving from Mexico, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Britain and France for flu-like symptoms, said Vineet Chawdhry, a top Health Ministry official. It also will contact people who have arrived from Mexico and other affected countries in the past 10 days to check for the symptoms, he said. - Huffington Post

Update on April 29, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

“Heat scanners give cold comfort during flu outbreak”

Fixing the TSA

An interesting think tank article that proposes solutions - including privitization and expansion of the Registered Traveler Program - to improve the TSA:

“while the Department of Homeland Security may preach risk management, TSA, its largest operating agency, does not practice it. As a result, improved security comes with too much wasted effort, at a social and economic cost that is too high and ultimately unsustainable….TSA could deploy new technology in Registered Traveler lines and test it under real-world conditions— what the Pentagon calls operational test and evaluation. Under these circumstances, TSA should welcome rigorous GAO audits to identify system weaknesses and make adjustments before making a large-scale investment. Better technology that allows passengers to keep their shoes on and keep computers in their briefcases would increase system throughput and require fewer TSA employees at each checkpoint.” - entire article here

Secure Flight begins

TSA Press Release

WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today the implementation of the Secure Flight program, which shifts pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from individual aircraft operators to TSA and carries out a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. To date TSA has assumed the watch list matching responsibility for passengers on domestic commercial flights with four volunteer aircraft operators and will add more carriers in the coming months.

“The implementation of Secure Flight is a critical step towards mitigating threats we know exist in our aviation system,” said TSA Acting Administrator Gale Rossides. “Secure Flight improves security and protects passenger privacy and civil liberties by ensuring the confidentiality of government watch list matching protocols.”

Under Secure Flight, airlines will gather a passenger’s full name, date of birth, and gender when making an airline reservation to determine if the passenger is a match to the No Fly or Selectee lists. By providing the additional data elements of gender and date of birth, Secure Flight will more effectively help prevent misidentification of passengers who have similar names to individuals on the watch list.

In addition to addressing misidentification, Secure Flight protects sensitive watch list data and enables officials to address security threats sooner, keeping air travel safer. By implementing one watch list matching system, the program provides a fair and consistent matching process across all airlines.

TSA continues to provide a robust redress process through the Department of Homeland Security’s Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) (www.dhs.gov/trip), a single portal for travelers to seek redress for adverse screening experiences and resolve possible watch list misidentification issues. Secure Flight uses the results of the redress process in its watch list matching process to prevent future misidentification of passengers who may have a name that’s similar to an individual on the watch list.

The second stage of implementation, which is expected to begin in late 2009, will assume the watch list matching function for passengers on international flights from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and international air carriers.

TSA’s goal is to vet 100 percent of all domestic commercial flights by early 2010 and 100 percent of all international commercials flights by the end of 2010.

For more information on Secure Flight visit www.tsa.gov.

(Underlining mine - brad)

Wave to the scanner

Not creepy or anything….

“Transportation Security Administration (TSA) undated handout image shows a composite of 4 separate scans, a female in the left two and a male in the right two, from a whole body scan machine, or millimeter wave machine being used at a security check point at the Salt Lake International Airport in Salt Lake City, Utah. The new machine developed by New York based L3 Communications is in use for the first time today by passengers and takes a whole body scan penetrating clothing. This is a pilot program by the TSA to test the machines in a live setting for the first time at Salt Lake International Airport” - Yahoo/Reuters

Update on March 31, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

The TSA says “Smooth”

“The success story here is not that we kept a bottle of lotion off of a plane, but we found an intentionally hidden item on a passenger. We found a hidden item and knew exactly where it was without having the passenger undergo a hand-wanding or patdown.”

Update on March 31, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Screened and re-screened

You’ve made it through the TSA checkpoint. Whew, you think, that’s over. Think again - you may be re-screened at the gate, as this slighlty smarmy TSA blog post reveals:

“Many travelers have noticed that strange things are afoot at departure gates across the nation. Should you pack your tinfoil hats? Nope… Save them for December 21, 2012 when the Martians attack.

Anybody who keeps up with TSA knows that static security is not our cup of 3.4 oz. tea. We’re constantly evolving in an effort to make things more difficult and unpredictable for those wishing to do us harm. And that’s the case here. Over 2 years ago, we started an employee screening program that included unpredictable gate screening. Just recently, we strengthened our layers of security by increasing the frequency of gate screening. Travelers haven’t seen this much gate activity since TSA rolled out in 2002, so people are taking notice.

In some cases, travelers have become concerned about the safety of their flight after being selected for gate screening. There’s no reason to worry. It’s not being screened due to any specific threats.

Gate screening allows us to screen anybody who has access to the aircraft. Oh yeah, and there are signs at the checkpoint or at the gates informing passengers they may be subjected to gate screening.”

Oh, signs - well that makes it all OK. And the TSA is shocked (shocked!) that these measures should raise the fear and stress index. Round up all the usual suspects, I say.  Here’s an AP story about the issue.