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[Jeff Wrangler]

TSA Travel Tip #2

     More so if you are changing planes too.    Don't book a flight with a very short lay-over.    We all hate to wait, but if you have a layover of less than an hour I'd be surpized if your bags make it off the first plane and onto the next one.   Don't forget.  They board the plane about 30 minutes prior to departure anyways.   So you will need time to deplane,  make your way thru the terminal to your next gate (which may include a subway or shuttle) plus a visit to the restroom because we all hate those little Airplane Lavs.   So that 60 minute layover is tighter than you think.

Hey, never mind the baggage making it, what about yourself? I would never schedule a layover of less than an hour, especially if it were in an unfamiliar airport. If you have to go to a different terminal for your connecting flight, and find your way around an unfamiliar place, and get in line to clear security again you'll never make it. Not just 60 minutes, I'd say 90 minutes to two hours can pass remarkably quickly.

Seriously, though--the tips are most appreciated, David--especially if I end up flying to Colorado in May. ...

[David]

I understand security, but don't you wish there was some way you could say, "Look, let's be real here. I just spent $24.99 on this in the gift shop at the Chicago Art Institute. It is a Christmas gift for one of my oldest and dearest friends. I really, really do not plan to not plan to comandeer the plan with an enameled letter opener...really!"

But you could never say that.

People DO say that all the time.    And our reply is always the same.  Sir/madam, you do not need to surrender the item.   You can put the item in your bag and we'll walk you to the checkpoint exit so you can go over to the Airlines ticket counter and ask them to "check" that bag so it goes into the planes cargo compartment.    Another option is to give the item to a friend or relative who brought them to the Airport,  or take the item to a "mail-it-home" booth.   Or if your car is out in the parking lot, run back out and leave the item in your car.     

Taking away letter openers, swiss army knives and gift bottles of wine are not the first thing we suggest.  It is the last resort if the passenger refuses to do one of their many other options. 

Probably the most absurd thing I have ever seen was a few years ago, when security was ultra-strict (in the first year or so after 9/11). Remember when they would pull people out of line, randomly, as they were getting on the plane, to do yet another security check? Well, during one of these checks, they pulled out an elderly lady, in a wheel chair, who was on oxygen. The poor woman was barely conscious. It was obvious she was not faking and there was no way she was a security risk. But she got re-screened....

L

     Pulling people out of line for random screening is still done.  For many reasons.

     If there are terrorist operatives watching the checkpoint, they will realize that we are unpredictable as to who we grab for additional screening. 

     We have caught Grandmas sneeking handguns to florida for protection at home when they're down there.     Plus TSA officers do need to keep their skills of inspecting PWDs (people with disabilities) in practice.  Perhaps a Supervisor selected the woman for that reason?

     We can't "Profile" people of Arab decent despite what happened on 9-11.    Don't forget, the second largest Terrorist attack in our country was done by Timothy McVey. 

    I can't tell you why we do everything we do for security reasons, but think about it.     We are not going to slow people down and do things for no reason.   EVERYTHING we do is because there is a valid threat potential in that scenario.   

   If anyone wants to know why we take away liquids over 3.4 ounces, just do a websearch on Ramzi Yousef and the 1994 Bojenka plot.    London was to be a large scale operation of the same type of attack.

[David]

and get in line to clear security again you'll never make it. Not just 60 minutes, I'd say 90 minutes to two hours can pass remarkably quickly.

  Ah!    here is the trick!     If you arrive at your lay-over Airport and don't leave the concourse, you don't need to go thru security again.     You only get screened at the departing Airport.    Everything inside the inner concourse (beyond the security checkpoint) is considered a safe zone, or a "sterile" area we call it.   So just don't exit to go outside for a smoke.  Then you'll need to come back in and go thru Security again.

That is how the 9-11 terrorist got on the planes in Boston.  They departed from Portland Maine where they observed slack security. (Pre-TSA) Once they got to Bostons Logan airport they knew they could walk right over to the next plane without going thru Logans tougher security.     This is why ALL Airports regardless of size must enforce the same rules, no exceptions.

But you are right Jeff.   If you are unfamiliar with the airport, the plane change can have you facing a long and complicated maze to your next gate.   

[MaineWriter]

Thank you, David. All your points are very well taken. Although I still wonder about the moribund grandma..seriously, I wonder what she was even doing getting on a plane! But that's another story.

To be honest, I try to be very well prepared before I get to the airport: leaving my swiss army knife at home, putting little bottles in a plastic bag (per your instructions, David) and so on. Most of the time I sail through without any problem which is why I was worried about my knife yesterday.

Then there was the woman ahead of me in line yesterday...you have to wonder if some people live with their head under a rock. This lady had a rolling carry on, overnight bag size. The screener asked if she had any liquids and yes, she did. So she opens her suitcase. Full size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, contact lens solution, who knows what else...all packed in among her clothes, not in little bottles, not in a plastic bag, not even in a toiletry bag. If felt like shouting, "Who taught you to pack? What if that bottle of Herbal Essence opened up and squirted all over your clothes??"

The agent gave the options you outlined, David, but she ended up having everything taken away. She didn't feel like she had enough time to go back downstairs and check her bag, she didn't have any one to give the stuff to, she came to the airport in a cab. So...

But, duh...!

L

[MaineWriter]

To Jeff:

I was going to say the same thing as David about the concourse. Once through security is the norm, as long as you don't go outside the security area. The exception is if you are coming back from Europe, but that's another story.

From Philadelphia, you should be able to get a direct flight to Denver, which eliminates the layover problem completely. But if reasons of cost or scheduling mean you must change planes, consider going through a smaller airport. I love making connections in Cincinnati  and opt for that whenever I can. Avoid Dallas, O'Hare (Chicago) and Atlanta.

You can do a ton of research online beforehand so you will be prepared: airport layouts, gates for arrival/departure, % on time departure/arrival. So even if you are going some place you have never been, you can arm yourself with knowledge to make the trip less stressful.

You can even look at pictures of the food they may (or may not) feed you on the plane! www.airlinemeals.net

L

[Kelda]

  Ah!    here is the trick!     If you arrive at your lay-over Airport and don't leave the concourse, you don't need to go thru security again.     You only get screened at the departing Airport.    Everything inside the inner concourse (beyond the security checkpoint) is considered a safe zone, or a "sterile" area we call it.   So just don't exit to go outside for a smoke.  Then you'll need to come back in and go thru Security again.

That is how the 9-11 terrorist got on the planes in Boston.  They departed from Portland Maine where they observed slack security. (Pre-TSA) Once they got to Bostons Logan airport they knew they could walk right over to the next plane without going thru Logans tougher security.     This is why ALL Airports regardless of size must enforce the same rules, no exceptions.

But you are right Jeff.   If you are unfamiliar with the airport, the plane change can have you facing a long and complicated maze to your next gate.   

David these tips would be great on a seperate thread, so they are easy to find...

xx

[Jeff Wrangler]

David and Leslie,

Actually, while I don't mean to argue, Logan/Boston was exactly what I had in mind--though I must clarify and say that the last time I traveled by plane was the summer of 2004, so I suppose it's possible things have been changed at Logan. But:

That summer I flew from Philadelphia to Provincetown, USAir from Philadelphia to Boston, change to Cape Air for the short hop down to P'town. I've done that many times since 1987 (it's great because it's possible to have breakfast in Philadelphia and lunch in Provincetown). The two airlines were (and probably still are) located in different terminals at Logan. Going up, it was necessary to clear security in Philadelphia, and again in Logan. Coming home, it was necessary to clear security in Provincetown, and again in Logan.

It was unavoidable both ways because you had to use two different terminals--leave one secure area, go to another terminal, and go through security again. The checkpoints were (are?) at the head of the terminals, and the concourse was (is?) not secure. And if your flight from Provincetown is late--mine was the year before, in 2003 (fog)--an hour isn't enough.

So I would never book a connection less than an hour, especially if I had to chage airlines. But, sure, if you don't have to leave a secure area to make your connection, no problem. But if you do. ...

(Hey, David, how long do you have to be on the job before you can get transferred to P'town?    )

From Philadelphia, you should be able to get a direct flight to Denver.

Leslie, that was the first thing I determined--yes, there a number of direct flights via a number of airlines.  Thanks!

[David]

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[David]

Hi Jeff,
 
  Hmm,   I hadn't thought about the Cape Air flights.    Were those even TSA people screening them?      At Bradley, even the small planes  (commercial ones) use the main terminal.   

   A transfer to Provincetown?  LOL !  Now your talking!

David 

[MaineWriter]

In my journeys, I have noticed how many airports, especially older ones (and Logan falls into this category) have real challenges in retrofitting their physical plant to meet today's security requirements. I don't know if it was by accident or design, but Logan has five separate terminals, each with their own security screening checkpoint.

There have been times that I have flown into Logan and they have taken us from the plane, by shuttle bus, to our next terminal. But usually that is when I have been on a little plane (ie, coming from Portland) and transferring to a bigger plane. I also believe that terminals B, C, an D are all connected by walkways that are behind the screening area (or in the sterile area, as David would say). But it is a hike from B to D, that's for sure!

Compare that with Denver International with one terminal and one security area. Once through, you take a subway to the various concourses. All the concourses have restaurants and shopping...it is a great set up. Atlanta (Hartsfield) is the same way, but I don't like it as much because it is so crowded.

Another airport I avoid, because it has problems like Logan, is Dallas.

I was somewhere not too long ago (Kansas City, maybe?) and all the restaurants and shops were outside the security area. I could see what the original plan had been and how they had to modify the building to accomodate the screening procedures. But from a traveler point of view, it was a major pain in the neck!

L