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Arrests in Boston Underscore TSA Folly
The arrest of five airline employees in Boston underscores one of the most ridiculous protocols of airport security: the fact that tarmac workers are exempt from TSA screening, while pilots and flight attendants are not. Also last week, the renowned graphic designer Massimo Vignelli passed away at age 83. Vignelli was the creator of the famous "AA" emblem of American Airlines. Unfortunately for him, he lived just long enough to witness the ruination of this iconic logo. (www.askthepilot.com) المزيد...
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Well, as he said, KCM did take 10-12 years to get there, and it's placement in the story just gives emphasis to he idiocy in place that took it so long. There should be a national outcry on the ramp worker thing. That totally defeats the purpose of pax screening, at least in my mind, by allowing access to the plane by unscreened people. Holding off KCM for so long is like a kindergarten mistake up beside this.
The only reason you would need to screen catering kitchens or employees thereof is if you were worried about them poisoning someone. Meals are loaded onto carts with no extra room for things like smuggled drugs... and then they are served to passengers. From my years as a flight attendant, I can tell you that we open the catered food containers and count them during pre-flight checks, and would see and report anything unauthorized in the meal carts. So no, catering kitchens are not part of this problem. The ramp personnel, however, have access to compartments in the plane that are not accessible by the flight attendants or passengers, and can easily bring contraband on board and remove it at the destination. In certain destinations, like Jamaica, the f/a's are not allowed to leave the plane during stopovers because the ramp and cleaning personnel come aboard and steal the passengers' carry on bags, and drinks from the plane. This has been a security issue as long as the airlines have been in existence.
Do you chemically field test the contents of the wine bottles?
The problem with the ground workers is definitely one of the big secrets nobody talks about. And it extends beyond the workers with access to the aircraft; arguably you would need screening of the kitchens and employees who work at the catering kitchens.
I'm not sure what the solution is, but the ground worker issue is really reflective of the larger situation; the TSA security charade is largely ineffective, so it's not much worse to have ground workers be unchecked. That's why the TSA is moving masses of people into TSA Pre and encouraging airlines to do so. It's no less secure than the "full" screening, so why not (finally) reduce the hassle?