Marilayne

Here is a letter I recently posted to the Department of transportation.<BR><BR>Do you think it really makes sense to search the same person two or three times at an airport? My 15 year old daughter was searched twice last week before boarding a United Airlines plane leaving for New York. She was also searched twice leaving New York. <BR>If this whole random search program is going to work you need to search different people at the different checkpoints. If you keep checking the same people over and over again you are not maximizing the efficiency of the program. I know I would feel safer if the persons checked were different at each checking station. This isn't saying much for your employees if one person can't check someone effectively enough that that same person has to be checked again. You should have some sort of stamping system that shows someone has already been checked. I must admit I started getting pretty hot after the last random check. <BR>If people realized this was going on I don't think they would feel the airports were safer either. I will write about this on every forum I can so the public will know what's going on and maybe you will do something about this ludicrous program.<BR><BR>What do you think?<BR><BR>

x

Marilayne, I think that you should ask each security employee who searches your daughter to initial her forehead with the date, time, and airport code to prove that she has been searched.<BR><BR>Then, they will know there is absolutely no way she could have picked up or been given any prohibited items between searches and wouldn't need to be searched again!

yyyy

This is yet another example of this "random search" farce. In the past few months I wonder how many incidents have been prevented by "random searches"- I'm guessing none. To be effective in finding anything you are looking for, there has to be some kind of guideline as to where to look! If you are looking for fish, you can save a lot of time by only looking in bodies of water. In the whole history of airline hijacking, how many of the perpetrators have been female- again I'm guessing none.

poorsecurity

Airport security is a farce. I too was searched twice on my last trip. And I'm an active duty in the US military. I am perfectly willing to be searched, but it really upset me that the only people "randomly" searched on the most recent flight I took were me, a 3 year old girl and a 70 year old African-American woman. While we were being searched, I saw several young muslim men board the plane. Now...who is more likely to be a threat? The 70 year old woman or the 23 year old muslim man?

youmustbe

How can you tell a Muslim just by looking at them?

itis

that's coz they walk around carrying the koran in their hand and have their foreheads stamped 'muslim'. oh, and are all terrorists who hijack airplanes. all 300 million of 'em.<BR><BR>

xxx

There are "red flags" that set off a person to get searched.<BR>1. Buying a one way ticket or RT with two different airlines.<BR>2. Buying tickets from a consolidator like priceline or hotwire.<BR>3. Bringing luggage as a carry-on only. <BR>I learned this the hard way a my husband travels a lot on business and our travel depends on schedule. After getting flagged time after time we asked an airline employee what causes someone to be "checked". While I think picking on me is rediculous (31 yr old fem.) I'm sure some evil doers have been cought this way not to mention drug smugglers. Unfortunately we have to get used to it, this is the way it will be from now on.

doyou reallythinkso

xxx<BR>1: Since round trips are normally cheaper than one way, why would any one buy one way?<BR>2: Millons do it every year!<BR>3: Carry on luggage has a better chance of getting caught with contraband then checked luggage!<BR><BR>You are getting checked because they can not profile the passengers therefore your chances of getting checked go up!<BR> I have been checked twice within 200 feet and a 75 year old lady behind me was also checked.<BR> It is a show to the traveling public. You still have a higher chance of being carjacked on the way to the airport!<BR>My Two Cents Worth

Gavin

The concept of a random search is crazy. If someone is willing to die for the cause then a 10-20 percent chance of getting caught in a random search is a small risk. The only way it is a deterent is if the potential terrorist believes that there is skillful selection process involved in picking those who gets picked for a secondary search.

right on

You hit the nail right on the head, Gavin. And obviously there is no selection process, at least not a sophisticated or skillful one.

xxx

Hi Do you really think so, like I said, many people's travel depends on schedule for business so when you're not paying price isn't a factor. Every time we travel 2 diff't airlines we have been checked without fail. Yes, it is quite frustrating! I think they're going after the same patterns the hijackers followed. I agree I don't look like a terrorist and I think it's frivolous but they may just catch someone else that way so I don't mind.