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Re: Recent Events - Airplane Bathroom Cameras
I basically like all the suggestions so far. Here's the version from my little world...
I like the idea of using some sort of identifier other than the person's name when booking a flight. Perhaps assigning each person a passenger ID the first time he/she flies (or first time after the rule was made) and keeping track of a few things would help weed out a lot of non-threats, such as businesspersons who fly often. Thorn's idea about using data and looking for patterns makes sense. Flight destinations, age, ethnicity, etc. ARE appropriate to use for screening, especially when that many lives could be at stake. I think the number of bags checked, any obvious display of nationalistic or religious loyalties, any prior problems/arguments with the flight crew or other passengers, other people they fly with, etc. should be logged as well.
When booking the flight, people should have to declare how many checked bags they plan to bring, and this should be locked in on their ticket so they are obligated to not exceed that number. When traveling with pets, one has to call and make special arrangements, so I think calling to make arrangements for firearms, large musical instruments, and other items that require special handling is also a good idea. This is not so much a safety thing but it is for the protection of the owner's property. Plus if the check-in desk knows that three guys with weapons and one with a tuba are going to be on the flight, they can have someone ready to handle and inspect those items so the owner does not have to waste time waiting and does not hold up the regular line. People checking NO bags should have to use the self-checkin kiosk.
I like Deviant Ollam's idea of behavioral profiling. I think this should be done as people are entering the airport as well as at the security check point at the gate. Additionally, the flight crew should be taught the basics of behavioral profiling. shrdlu is right that there are instances when being politically correct is not feasible. Which is more important - lives and security or the dignity of a few people who were wrongly scrutinized? We know that a handful of ethnicities, ideals, and nationalities have been behind the attacks that have happened so far, and we know that certain clothing, colors, sayings, and symbols represent those ideals or nationalities. The personnel conducting behavioral profiling should covertly keep a close eye on such persons, only making a scene if it seems necessary to do so. The profiler should also notice if the person seems to have any sort of connection or relationship with someone else who is present or if the person seems to be spending a lot of time nervously making calls, making lots of bathroom visits, etc.
At the checkpoint, someone should check a person's ticket to make sure it is valid. If the person is carrying a carry-on item, the TSA official should stamp or punch the ticket once for each item. If the person has no carry-on item and did not check a bag, this should throw up a red flag for additional screening, especially if the ticket is one-way. They should be searched and asked why they were heading one-way with no bags, and a profiler should be present to gauge their reactions.
I am still not sure how I feel about everyone's bag being scanned. Personally, I hate for my bag to have to drag across those filthy little rollers. I think taking off shoes and outerwear is ridiculous. Unless someone is wearing a particularly out of season ensemble like a long trenchcoat or gangstawear puff jacket in the middle of August, then there should not be an issue. The people who DO dress like that year round should expect to undergo a more detailed screening. Rather than standard metal detectors, airports need to use ones that show WHERE the metal is that is registering with the detector. A 5" knife-shaped thing in someone's boot is a cause for concern. Heavy piercings and a metal studded belt are probably not. And some chick can hide a knife in her weave just as easily as she can in a purse, but nobody would expect that. Military-grade devices used for detecting explosives, detecting abnormalities on a person's body (such as a vest loaded with explosives), and detecting the density of metal objects should be used. These devices do exist, but it seems like only the military is making use of them at this point.
Instead of the flight attendant being a nice girl in a pencil skirt asking you if you want a Sprite, she should be armed and trained to handle violent/terrorist scenarios - calmly asking people to return to their seats does nothing. In addition to the safety video shown prior to each flight, there should be a video about how the passengers are expected to behave and what will happen if they do not. Bathrooms on the plane should have blast-proof walls and doors that lock from the outside, and if a passenger ends up being armed or has explosives, the flight attendants (and some volunteers, if necessary) should try to throw the person in there and lock the door. True, this may make the bathroom unusable for the rest of the flight, but I think anyone who had to go would have already wet themselves at this point.
I basically like all the suggestions so far. Here's the version from my little world...
I like the idea of using some sort of identifier other than the person's name when booking a flight. Perhaps assigning each person a passenger ID the first time he/she flies (or first time after the rule was made) and keeping track of a few things would help weed out a lot of non-threats, such as businesspersons who fly often. Thorn's idea about using data and looking for patterns makes sense. Flight destinations, age, ethnicity, etc. ARE appropriate to use for screening, especially when that many lives could be at stake. I think the number of bags checked, any obvious display of nationalistic or religious loyalties, any prior problems/arguments with the flight crew or other passengers, other people they fly with, etc. should be logged as well.
When booking the flight, people should have to declare how many checked bags they plan to bring, and this should be locked in on their ticket so they are obligated to not exceed that number. When traveling with pets, one has to call and make special arrangements, so I think calling to make arrangements for firearms, large musical instruments, and other items that require special handling is also a good idea. This is not so much a safety thing but it is for the protection of the owner's property. Plus if the check-in desk knows that three guys with weapons and one with a tuba are going to be on the flight, they can have someone ready to handle and inspect those items so the owner does not have to waste time waiting and does not hold up the regular line. People checking NO bags should have to use the self-checkin kiosk.
I like Deviant Ollam's idea of behavioral profiling. I think this should be done as people are entering the airport as well as at the security check point at the gate. Additionally, the flight crew should be taught the basics of behavioral profiling. shrdlu is right that there are instances when being politically correct is not feasible. Which is more important - lives and security or the dignity of a few people who were wrongly scrutinized? We know that a handful of ethnicities, ideals, and nationalities have been behind the attacks that have happened so far, and we know that certain clothing, colors, sayings, and symbols represent those ideals or nationalities. The personnel conducting behavioral profiling should covertly keep a close eye on such persons, only making a scene if it seems necessary to do so. The profiler should also notice if the person seems to have any sort of connection or relationship with someone else who is present or if the person seems to be spending a lot of time nervously making calls, making lots of bathroom visits, etc.
At the checkpoint, someone should check a person's ticket to make sure it is valid. If the person is carrying a carry-on item, the TSA official should stamp or punch the ticket once for each item. If the person has no carry-on item and did not check a bag, this should throw up a red flag for additional screening, especially if the ticket is one-way. They should be searched and asked why they were heading one-way with no bags, and a profiler should be present to gauge their reactions.
I am still not sure how I feel about everyone's bag being scanned. Personally, I hate for my bag to have to drag across those filthy little rollers. I think taking off shoes and outerwear is ridiculous. Unless someone is wearing a particularly out of season ensemble like a long trenchcoat or gangstawear puff jacket in the middle of August, then there should not be an issue. The people who DO dress like that year round should expect to undergo a more detailed screening. Rather than standard metal detectors, airports need to use ones that show WHERE the metal is that is registering with the detector. A 5" knife-shaped thing in someone's boot is a cause for concern. Heavy piercings and a metal studded belt are probably not. And some chick can hide a knife in her weave just as easily as she can in a purse, but nobody would expect that. Military-grade devices used for detecting explosives, detecting abnormalities on a person's body (such as a vest loaded with explosives), and detecting the density of metal objects should be used. These devices do exist, but it seems like only the military is making use of them at this point.
Instead of the flight attendant being a nice girl in a pencil skirt asking you if you want a Sprite, she should be armed and trained to handle violent/terrorist scenarios - calmly asking people to return to their seats does nothing. In addition to the safety video shown prior to each flight, there should be a video about how the passengers are expected to behave and what will happen if they do not. Bathrooms on the plane should have blast-proof walls and doors that lock from the outside, and if a passenger ends up being armed or has explosives, the flight attendants (and some volunteers, if necessary) should try to throw the person in there and lock the door. True, this may make the bathroom unusable for the rest of the flight, but I think anyone who had to go would have already wet themselves at this point.
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