At this point I almost feel bad picking on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It’s not because I feel sorry for them but because it’s so easy that it makes me feel lazy as a blogger. The TSA have become on of my personal punching bags because every program they implement in the name of security ends up causing further headaches for those flying while offering no additional security. Case in point their new profiling scheme which ended up causing a four hour backup at the Logan International Airport in Boston:
New security procedures being tested at Logan International Airport caused significant backups at security checkpoints Thursday, according to airlines.
Backups lasted for about four hours after the Transportation Security Administration began testing a procedure that requires more human interaction between security agents and passengers.
The process takes about 30 seconds, but it caused many passengers to be delayed. TSA agents engaged in “chat downs” while checking their IDs and boarding passes.
So now instead of arriving two hours early to make your way through airport security you’ll be expected to arrive four hours early. I’m seeing a market in the not too distant future for people with mobile cots. After a couple more TSA programs jack the wait time up to 24 hours you can rent out a mobile cot and pay an airport employee to push you through the security line while you sleep.
The funniest part of this story though is the fact that the TSA was happy with their performance:
An airline worker said the lines were the worst he had seen in 30 years, but the TSA said they were pleased with how the pilot program has gone over the last month and in time it will help them decide who needs more screening and who needs less.
I’m not surprised by this as the TSA is a government agency and thus doesn’t understand efficiency.