[MartynSinclair]

Interesting article from ABC news about the conflict between law makers and the TSA. Could this really bring air travel to a stand still in Texas if the law is passed.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/texas-legislators-tsa-mess-texas/story?id=13695896

[stevescoots]

kind of security related,

I came out of T4 on Saturday afternoon, waiting outside at the bottom level there were some elderly japanese tourists boarding thier bus and an old man was taking a picture of his wife stood infront of the bus. Some jumped up little security guard stated shouting at him to put teh camera down, I guess the old man did not understand him so the guard, a guy only in his mid 20’s shouted put the F**king camera away voulted over the barrier and grabbed it from him.

I have to say i was shocked by his abuse, the bus driver even more so as he started to remonstrate with the security guard. As i said this was at the bus stops outside, an old japanese man, I saw no signs at all saying no photo’s……A nice welcome to england for tourists. I hope someone lodges a formal compliant.

and 3pm saturaday, not one iris working in T4….

[ConstantFlyer]

I don’t understand these liquid restrictions. If different liquids could cause an explosion when mixed together, how come there’s a huge vat of the confiscated ones in every security search area?

[VintageKrug]

That’s a good point, ConstantFlyer.

However, the liquids restrictions should be eased in 2013 as a consequence of better technology:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8651984.stm

[CallMeIshmael]

Now Bermuda..
Comments indicate that strip searches upon arrival in Bermuda are not uncommon

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2029423/Woman-strips-naked-stopped-Customs-officers-Bermuda-airport.html

[MartynSinclair]

We all agree that Security – Immigration – Customs have jobs to do to protect all sorts of nasty things.

I regualaly travel with a former International Sportsman who is black and his partner is white.

He gets similar treatment, especially in Europe, even when travelling on private jets. Never had as much as a parking ticket.

I know everyone has a job to do, but the whole airport process/experience, from start to finish needs an overhaul. Other threads have shown women in the US going through security in bra’s an nickers – yes we can laugh, but the problems still remain.

My own view has been that airports should be airports and not shopping centres, but then again, that would affect the profitablilty of the shopping centres ope…..oooops I mean airport operator.

[JeremyFQTV]

And I’d always assumed that such treatment was reserved for Gold Members…..

(sorry)

[barnacles]

Martyn (et al) . . . you all highlight the absurdity of current procedures. I understood that the arch thingy we all go through (at least at LHR) is programmed to ‘bleep’ at random, just to keep the security guys on their toes, but I may be wrong.

My advice would be to push it as far as you can just to get the jobsworths to feel wanted . . . a while ago at LHR I took exception to some poor foreign lady of advanced years being told to empty her handbag next to me, and explained to her a tad too loudly, but in a spirit of levity, that her whole experience was “a conspiracy between BAA and the post-security retailers”, designed to force her to go shopping and part with some of the contents of her bulging purse.

You can imagine what happened next – I was detained and a manager summoned, to give me a verbal dressing-down/bollocking (excuse my French) for using a ‘suspicious word’. Cue further discussion and more raised voices, but, at the risk of sounding petty, also a rather smug feeling on my part when they let me on my way a few minutes later.

However, as some of the posts have pointed out, the experience would most likely have ended far less happily in the US.

PS: Martyn (sorry this is re another thread), did anything ever happen (by which I mean did you hear anything meaningful from the CAA) about standby pax/children swapping crew seats on BA? Just wondering, as the post seems to have ‘expired’

[MartynSinclair]

Hi Barnacles

Yes I did hear back from the CAA. The queries “were passed to the Flight Operations Inspector assigned to BA to investigate with the Company”.

Safety perspective the CAA was happy as the – the -400 is certified for many more pax than BA currently carry on the upper deck.

Would not comment (to me), quite rightly, re specific BA ops.

Unless one of the BA bods reading this forum is prepared to publish the specifics from the ops manual, the question remains open!

[maxgeorge]

Simon Rowberry,

Re: your post of 28/03 about the cucumber surprise in Harry Shearer’s film “Spinal Tap”. Shearer ( the voice of the Mr Burns in The Simpsons) has a weekly radio show, often very droll with some trenchant, biting witticisms, with a feature called “Tales of Airport Security”.

The segment airs experiences, absurd or inexplicable, of listeners to the programme.

harryshearer.com or kcrw.com. Search “Le Show”/segments.

Broadcast on 89.9FM Sundays at 10h00 if you’re near Santa Monica, California.

PS I recently had cause to speak with a couple of TSA supervisors at the Bradley Terminal at LAX. They were both unfailingly polite and helpful.
I didn’t know whether to fart or blow my nose…

[Swissdiver]

Well, Martyn, now at T5, right after a very similar experience. I have NO clue why the machine beeped (it seems it was not random) as I always wear the same shoes, a jeans, a shirt and the same blazer when travelling… And I didn’t beep in GVA a couple of hours ago… As mentioned earlier, I prefer by far sipping my Lynch-Moussas 2004 in the lounge than still being to argue with a supervisor with no result to expect…

[MartynSinclair]

I have just passed through flight connections into T3 and what a shambles the security process still is.

The couple in front of me had 2 large bottles of liquid that were taken off them. The security personel werent interested in explaining what they were doing as they were too engrossed in conversation to notice that they had merely handed the said bottles back to the passengers who put it back in their case and walked off!

I walked over the the team leaders desk in order to mention this to them (as a BAA passholder I am in fact required to do this). One of the guys imediately stopped completing the crossword and went to investigate whilst the other 2 ladies viewed me as if I had intetrepruted their T break.

Its a pity that very few of the staff manning machines appear to realise the responsibility they have in their job.

[LPPSKrisflyer]

Sadly more evidence that security at LHR is not fit for purpose. I have had no faith in it for several years.

It will be interesting to see how the new arrangements at LGW south terminal work out. I haven’t been through there for years but it all looks very hopeful. A colleague tells me the staff are very polite and helpful, something that you just could not associate with any security staff at LHR.

[MartynSinclair]

Perhaps if security was either centralised or managed more effectively by BAA, rather being a contracted team of part timers.

http://www.baa.com/portal/page/Careers/BAA+Airports%5ECareers%5ESearch+our+jobs/

[CathayLoyalist]

MartynSinclair’s original post back in March I had a carbon copy at T3 four weeks ago. Removed my belt etc as requested but not asked to remove shoes. Beeper goes off and a pat down ensued and like you got very very close to an assault. Very rude guy who said ’empty your pockets’ to which I replied ‘please’ – he didn’t take to kindly to that but if they want respect as the notice on the wall states that is a two way street. It would be helpful to get a legal opinion, Business Traveller Administrator can you help,on just how far can security can go or rather at what point they over step the line and are liable to an assault allegation. I do not believe they simply have carte blanche

[Author]

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