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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 9:07 am
by GORDON
Still removing shoes and belts? Are the naked scanners still in effect? Serious questions, I haven't flown since forever.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 9:22 am
by Leisher
Belts and shoes, yes. However, everyone with a brain knows it and they zoom right through.
The scanners aren't what they were. All airports have them now, and they're all but unavoidable, but I think the photo part has been removed. Now you can see the image come up, and it's a cartoon person where any area in question gets highlighted and they pat you down there.
The pat down folks, in particular, are really nice. They crack jokes and call you sir. Much different from what they used to do.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 9:31 am
by GORDON
Being touched, scanned, and forced to remove shoes (which, because of my fucked up legs, I can't do while balancing on one foot, and they don't provide chairs at that point in the line, so fuck you, cripple).... all of that still sounds incredibly invasive, to me. Maybe if they'd actually ever caught a terrorist I'd have a different opinion, but they haven't.... billions of patdowns for zero return.
No flying for me any time soon. I wont financially support it by paying for a ticket.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:08 am
by Leisher
Actually, I think they do provide lanes or areas for folks who aren't as nimble.
The customer service aspect has improved tremendously, although I agree that their overall results still suck.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:11 am
by GORDON
Do you fly out of Detroit, by chance? I was usually flying out of there before I stopped, and they were the rudest of any other airport I had to go through. Straight-up ghetto attitudes.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:22 am
by Leisher
It's Detroit, what do you expect?
Actually, I have found that if you don't mind catching a connecting flight in Chicago, it's cheaper to fly out of Toledo.
Round trip Detroit to Charlotte $800+
Round trip Toledo to Charlotte with 1 stop in Chicago $550 and that's including a first class bump on my return trip. It would have been $300 if I had taken their suggested return flight leaving at 5:15 a.m. (I did not...)
Detroit will have more times when flights are leaving, but unless you have ridiculously rigid travel time or date requirements, Toledo is usually a better option.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:28 am
by TheCatt
My experience was the same as Leisher's.
As for the lane, yes, they provide a non-scanner lane for people (children, elderly, not as nimble, etc), at least at RDU.
I typically wear shorts with a bult-in belt. Did not get grief for it this time.
I did get my leg patted down for reasons unknown, but fortunately, I was hanging to the other side.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:34 am
by Malcolm
Are they effective? No.
Are they overpaid people too underqualified to do other jobs? Yes
But at least they're improving their attitude and not wasting as much of my time.
They're wasting more of your money, though. They still make you take off your shoes. You still have to use those fucking ridiculously small containers for any type of liquid or paste. I have no less desire today to see that agency collapse under its own fucking stupidity and uselessness than I did ten years ago. Any candidate I vote for in any federal election is going to be on the platform of dismantling that organization of fascist douchebags founded by a retard and perpetuated by future retards.
Edited By Malcolm on 1433860946
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:51 am
by Leisher
Sure they're wasting my money, and sure they're wasting my time, but they're not going anywhere anytime soon. That's reality.
So the fact that they're being nicer and have sped up the process is welcome.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:55 am
by Malcolm
Leisher wrote:Sure they're wasting my money, and sure they're wasting my time, but they're not going anywhere anytime soon. That's reality.
So the fact that they're being nicer and have sped up the process is welcome.
Slow, incompetent waste doesn't get any more sympathy or acceptance from me than friendly variety. I've only seen them speed things up for those willing to pay for the TSA prescreen line. Give that mafia their protection money.
Edited By Malcolm on 1433861767
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 11:06 am
by Leisher
And that's why you're part of the problem.
Airport security isn't going away, and is not only needed, but wanted.
The current setup sucks, but simply spewing hate at it is not a solution or even a rational way to address it.
They fixed things the public was pissed about:
1. Lines don't take as long.
2. There are lines for less able bodied folks.
3. They have dramatically improved their attitudes.
4. They don't do the naked photo scanning. (Or are hiding it exceptionally well.)
If you don't recognize the positive progress in a broken system, then they won't listen to your feedback going forward. "Just do whatever because they're going to bitch about anything we do."
Movement in the right direction is better than no movement or movement in the wrong direction.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 11:13 am
by GORDON
Touching me is a deal breaker.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 11:16 am
by Malcolm
Making me take off my shoes, and unpack/repack my shit in front of them is fucking stupid. They can bite me until they change those aspects.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 11:19 am
by TPRJones
I refuse to surrender my fourth amendment rights just to get on a damned airplane. If they have probably cause and a court-issued subpoena they can see in my bag. Until then they can go screw.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 11:20 am
by GORDON
TPRJones wrote:I refuse to surrender my fourth amendment rights just to get on a damned airplane. If they have probably cause and a court-issued subpoena they can see in my bag. Until then they can go screw.
That too.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 12:46 pm
by Vince
I address it by not flying anywhere.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:11 pm
by Malcolm
I'm forced to take a plane at least a couple times a year because driving takes 10 hours plus and this country can't figure out how to build a train system that moves faster than 1 mph.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:20 pm
by GORDON
I think the only way "forced" comes into it is if you're traveling across oceans.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:23 pm
by Malcolm
GORDON wrote:I think the only way "forced" comes into it is if you're traveling across oceans.
I'm forced to fly like you were forced to pick up an additional member of your household.
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:34 pm
by TPRJones
Like, GORDON got a dog? Or is there another kid on the way?