Ahh yes, nothing like good ol’ fashioned government hypocrisy and stupidity.
On one hand, you have the SEC offering 10-30% bounties for government moles whistleblowers who get judgments against the companies they screw work for..
Then on the other, you have the idjits over at the Department of Homeland Stupidity who come and revoke your ability to carry in the cockpit (which all pilots should be able to) by posting youtube videos critical of security procedures.
One of those flaws, Liu says in the video, is that flight crews are subject to rigorous screening while ground crews can just swipe a card to open the door to the tarmac.
“I just wanted to show the disparity because they added another level of screening upstairs and downstairs they were just using the card swipe,” Liu told Fox News.
The airport said in a statement that the video presents “false and misleading information.”
“The video shows a door with a card swipe and suggests that access is gained to the airfield area through this door. In fact, the door shown in the video provides access only to an employee lunchroom,” the statement read.
Liu and his attorney, Don Werno, would not confirm or deny that the door shown in the video lead to a lunchroom but said that’s not the issue.
“The issue is that there are thousands of doors in airports around the United States that are unsecured and that the ground crew can bypass security to get to the tarmac,” Liu’s attorney Don Werno told Fox News.
The TSA said in a statement that it is “confident” in its airport security measures, adding that all pilots who are part of the program authorizing them to carry a weapon are expected to keep “sensitive security information” as a condition of their participation.
Let me explain how airport security works and address some of the things Mr. Liu mentions – at least from the perspective of working up in Traverse City as a ramper/gate agent/counter agent.
In terms of screening air crews, it’s true – generally. Most crews end up going through the checkpoint, or bypass it if they are an FFDO (Federal Flight Deck Officer) – those who pack in the cockpit.
That said, I’ve walked crews direct to the ramp because the TSA gate wasn’t going to open in time for them to do their pre-flight for the first flight (a common occurrence). I’ll be damned if my flight was going to be late because TSA likes to sleep in.
It’s also true that ground crews have the ability to bypass security by badging through various doors, though it isn’t just a straight swipe system. You have to enter a code as well. However, if, say, we wanted to shoot through to the gate area via the checkpoint, we have to get screened.
Of course, this just shows the stupidity of TSA in how they determine policies.
Let’s see… you’re flying the aircraft, so we need to make sure you don’t bring anything on the aircraft that might take it down? What? Hello? THEY FLY THE DAMN THING!? Here’s a quick lesson in flight – you push forward on the yoke to make the aircraft go down. With all however many people are on it.
Same thing sort of applies to the ground crew – these people are also entrusted to work with the aircraft and no go through security (which they shouldn’t have to), yet they have to get screened if they want to go through the gate area or fly out of the airport they work for?
Yeah, way to go TSA.
As for “sensitive security information”, they can blow it out their… yeah. Even if it was “sensitive”, it doesn’t matter when they can’t even find shit in plain site.
Of course, it shows that people could pack on flights without a problem, but that’s another post.
