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TSA to Maintain Its Ban on Liquids and Gels

Two weeks after authorities banned passengers from carrying most gels and liquids on board airlines, the nation's top aviation security official yesterday said he did not have a timetable for scaling back the restrictions.

"The threat is not over," said Edmund S. "Kip" Hawley, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration. "This issue is not by any means over. . . . We're not going to feel a pressure on time."

What the Terrorists Want

I'd like everyone to take a deep breath and listen for a minute.

The point of terrorism is to cause terror, sometimes to further a political goal and sometimes out of sheer hatred. The people terrorists kill are not the targets; they are collateral damage. And blowing up planes, trains, markets or buses is not the goal; those are just tactics. The real targets of terrorism are the rest of us: the billions of us who are not killed but are terrorized because of the killing. The real point of terrorism is not the act itself, but our reaction to the act.

And we're doing exactly what the terrorists want.

Do more bags mean less safety?

The nation's top aviation security chief warns that an unprecedented 20 percent surge in checked baggage since the London bomb plot scare could be causing some new "vulnerabilities" at U.S. airports.

In a Thursday USA Today interview, Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley warned the massive increase in checked bags could overwhelm TSA screeners, which would actually lessen security.

Hysteria Rules the Skies

"This weekend I am taking a flight from the south of France back to London. Since I do not want to be taken off the flight — or even worse “removed” from the flight as the current terminology goes as if the passengers were some kind of stain or obstruction — for the new crime of traveling while Asian, or the related crimes of traveling while Arab or Muslim, I am wondering what precautions I should take."

Forget Legroom. What About More Water?

AS travelers adjust to the new rules against carrying liquids onto planes, what about the most essential liquid: water?

Before the London terror scare a few weeks ago, water bottles in a variety of shapes and sizes could usually be seen poking out of backpacks, carryalls and totes in departure lounges.

Now that passengers must rely solely on what the airlines provide to quench their thirst, there’s reason to be concerned that it may not be enough.

More great cartoons at http://www.mattbors.com/

Coming soon...

Flying the paranoid skies

When an iPod fell into a toilet on my flight to Ottawa this week, authorities took no chances with such a perilous situation

Air ban on woman in blasphemy row

A devout Christian was banned from flying with the budget airline Easyjet after she asked staff to "stop blaspheming".

Harry Shearer's Le Show: Tales of Airport Security: "Where do they get these nutbags from?"

quote:

Originally posted by static:
Flying the paranoid skies

When an iPod fell into a toilet on my flight to Ottawa this week, authorities took no chances with such a perilous situation

The guy who accidently dropped is iPod in the toilet speaks to The Register...

FAA Bans People From Flights

'Zero Tolerance for People,' Chertoff Says

In a move aimed at further tightening airport security, the Federal Aviation Administration announced today that it would ban all people from flights leaving or entering the United States, effective immediately.

The FAA, which has in the past banned such objects as toenail clippers and hair gel, took the extraordinary step of banning people after the Department of Homeland Security conducted a thorough investigation of previous terror plots.

"We looked at terror plots of the past, and in each and every case, people were involved," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at a Washington press briefing. "These new rules send the strong message that the FAA has zero tolerance for people."

Mr. Chertoff said that while banning liquids from flights was a constructive step, the only true solution was to ban people altogether.

Faces may reveal motives

DULLES, Va. -- As the man approached the airport security checkpoint here recently, he kept picking up and putting down his backpack, touching his fingers to his chin, rubbing some object in his hands and finally reached for his pack of cigarettes, even though smoking was not allowed.

Two Transportation Security Administration officers stood nearby, nearly motionless and silent, gazing straight at him. Then, with a nod, they moved in, chatting briefly with the man and then swiftly pulling him aside for an intense search.

Another flier had just made the acquaintance of the TSA's "behavior detection officers."

While this is still absurd considering the other security risks that still exist such as cargo, it makes a million times more sense than "random" searches.

This toothpaste and shampoo will fly...

ATLANTA -- It's a grainy substance, sprinkled from a dispenser onto your moistened toothbrush.

Powdered Toothpaste Substitute might not make your pearly whites shine brighter or whip cavities any better than the standard gel. But it has one leg up on the competition: You can legally tote it onto an airplane.

With most non-solid substances banned on flights, makers of personal items for such body parts as teeth and nails are fighting tooth and nail to promote available alternatives. Or in the case of Travelon, a product design firm in Elk Grove Village, Ill., that specializes in luggage goods and accessories, rush out fresh items.

Put food in checked luggage

Q. Several readers called or wrote to say they're still confused about what they can take on airplanes in the wake of travel restrictions that started this month in the U.S. The questions included: Are barbecue sauce and frozen poi allowed in checked luggage?

A. The federal Transportation Security Administration is not allowing most liquids, aerosols or gels in carryon baggage — including bottled water, shampoo, and toothpaste — and other items of similar consistency. Even yogurt, pudding or Jell-O.

But Honolulu TSA customer support manager Allen Willey said most foods are OK in checked luggage. Oddly, the folks at the checkpoint will take away your bottled water or coffee, even though at most airports you can buy identical beverages a few feet past the checkpoint. At the jetway, airline officials will have you throw them away when you board your plane.

Willey said he knows the beverage policy can be somewhat puzzling.

quote:

Originally posted by static:
This toothpaste and shampoo will fly...

ATLANTA -- It's a grainy substance, sprinkled from a dispenser onto your moistened toothbrush.

So a white mystery powder is ok to bring onto a closed ventilated people carrier. Can we freak out about Anthrax again, too?
This has got to stop, I'm becoming way too cynical...

Don't know how many of y'all read Salon but Patrick Smith, a former airline pilot and now weekly columnist, has had some very good articles regarding air travel and especially security as of late. You can check out his most recent article here (subscription or free day pass required).

More proof that the majority of my fellow Americans are pig-stupid cretins:

A new USA TODAY Gallup Poll shows most Americans overwhelmingly support current security measures and don't want the new rules of flying relaxed. Among the findings of the poll of U.S. adults, taken Aug. 18-20:

• 77%say they think airport security is effective.

• 70% say none of the security measures used in airports should be stopped.

Link to USA Today story

Maybe it was really 'A new USA TODAY Gallup Poll shows most Americans who read USA Today overwhelmingly support current security measures'?