How would you of handled this security situation
 

Saturday, I flew from West Palm Beach to Austin. I arrived at the airport at 4:30 a.m. for the 6:05 a.m. flight. I was waiting for security to show up at 4:45. While I was standing in line (waiting for security to show up) I saw two men behind me (standing) and talking to each other. The one man showed me his 100 $1 bills. I replied, "too bad their not twenties."

The one man saw a wheelchair, so he sat down in it, tilted his head to the side and let his tong hang out the side of his mouth. His friend began pushing him along the line.

I called two different security people over. They ignored me. I walked up to a third one and said, I have a serious situation I want to report and told him. He did nothing.

The man in the wheelchair acted like he couldn't move or understand any verbal commands. They tried to check him physically, the best they could.

After I got through security, I walked up to another official and said, I hope you checked the main in the wheelchair very carefully, and explained that he had been standing in the line talking to his friend. He called over the manager and I told the manager the same thing.

I walked down to the gate and boarded the plane. The two men were the last two to walk on the plane. As they walked past me, I pretended to be sleeping.

$209 from West Palm Beach to Austin isn't a bad price (Continental) but this added stress wasn't worth it or necessary.

If I would have been the security official (I have no training) I would of asked for his ID. When he pulled out his Driver's License, he would of had some explaining to do.

I hope anyone over 16 flying needs to have identification, even if a mental state, or the terrorists have found a new loophole.

<i>&quot;I called two different security people over. They ignored me. I walked up to a third one and said, I have a serious situation I want to report and told him. He did nothing.&quot;</i>

TSA is a joke. Like they can protect us from anything.

<i>$209 from West Palm Beach to Austin isn't a bad price (Continental) but this added stress wasn't worth it or necessary.</i>

What does the airline or the price has anything to do with your story? Are you going to take the Greyhound next time?

I'm not sure I get the point of what was going on here. Was the man pretending to be disabled so he could jump the queue? That's a terrible thing to do, and shame on him if that was the case, but was this a terrorist threat?

After giving it some thoughts. I have the answer to the original question of how to handle it.

My answer - Great idea! I'll do it myself next time!

;)

None of this story makes any sense, so the logical conclusion is that our friend Wally started enjoying wine VERY early that morning.....:-D


AFAIK, one needs an ID and BP to get into the security queue. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Wally, what was the security risk? Sounds like you were pissed off at having to get up at 4 and then the other guys had an idea to jump the queue, not right but no security threat, only thing that was damaged was you.

Take a tip CHILL OUT.

More importantly, was there free wine on the flight?

I don't believe your reactions!!!!!! I was the only one who reported something suspicious to the TSA. I heard one man say, this isn't funny, stop what you are doing.

This trip was just a three-day get-a-way and after I got in the plane, my blood pressure was so high, I wish I would have just stayed home.

Aren't we suppose to report suspicious situations?

I suppose if you guys would of heard the guys on 9-11 saying they planned to overtake the pilots, you would have just said, have a nice flight.

I suggest you guys take Reading 101 again.

Obviously, what these guys were doing was just prankish, but misleading the TSA should be a crime.

And no, there wasn't free wine on the flight and Continental kept the &quot;Fasten Seat Belt&quot; sign on from Houston to Austin for the entire 31 minute flight.

(FWIW - always &quot;would HAVE&quot; -- never, ever &quot;would of&quot;)

Disturbing but also just curious -- what were they trying to do? -- they got on last, not first, so....

Wally, visit your doctor and get your BP sorted before you kill yourself, calm down. So you had to keep your seat belt on for a 31 minute flight - not suprised really, by the time ur up its time to come down, anyway this has absolutly nothing to do with the guys

Wally,

Let me come in and back you up. It never occurred to me that they did this to simply get to the head of the line. That seems like a lot of trouble for little gain. And what did they gain in the end? They got on last. Odd that they got on last because don’t people in wheelchairs usually get on first? That backs up your up-to-no-good theory. Not so much in the sense of something specific, but rather, “it doesn’t fit.”

How would I have handled it? I would have told them before we boarded, “I saw what you did. I don’t know what you’re up to, but if you try anything, I’ll effing smash you.” And, if I felt like my life were truly in danger, I would. I’d let them determine what I meant by “anything”, as that places pressure on them.

You say the TSA ignored you? Did they act like you weren’t there and said nothing at all? (The definition of ignored.) Not that I don’t believe you, but it simply isn’t specific enough.

The mention of the $209 fare was a red herring and had nothing to do with the situation. In other words, it may have served to dilute your point.

Just a couple of points. They did not do this to get to the front of the line. They did this because they were either trying to hide something (my original thought) or they thought it would be funny. They were two big guys. I think they might of been on crack cocaine, because of the way they were acting.

The first three TSA people ignored me. The last one listened and spoke to his boss.

So, let me ask one more question. If you saw someone walking, and talking and then went through security in a wheelchair acting retarded, would you do anything, or just laugh it off.

The title of this thread is &quot;How would you of handled this security situation.&quot; So far, no one has answered it.

I would like to hear what you guys would have done if you were in my shoes (will I did have to take them off during security).

Would probably have done what you did, and maybe also talked to the gate agent -- the airline might have been more sensitive to legal liabilities than TSA.

I think you did the right thing. Not long ago my DW and I were on a flight from San Juan to Dallas and the young girl seated in our row was acting very strange, very jittery, kept looking around, kept standing up and looking at the back of the plane (this was before taxi for take off). Suddenly she announced she had to go the toilet so we let her out (she had window). Not much after that we began taxi and then took off but she had never returned. I immediately called the FA and told her and asked what was going on. They had made her sit in the last row where they could watch her. Several other passengers in our vicinity also raised their concerns about her. Turns out she was just a really scared, nervous flier and the FAs intercepted her as she left the loo and had her stay back by them.

So it was nothing but it had all the earmarks of something sinister. I sure don't think I was wrong to alert the FA to her behaviour. If I had not I would have been irresponsible.

If you really believed it was a security threat, take out your cell phone and dial 911. Assuming the TSA can handle a REAL threat is probably just plain dumb. (Or tell a cop if you see him)

Call in some REAL enforcement, not the &quot;psuedo&quot; enforcement the TSA provides.

(hit reply too soon)
Now since the OP did not call 911, if he still feels the situation was not handled correctly, it's time to complain. Not here, but to someone that can make a difference.

For TSA complaints I do write the following

1. The TSA (I doubt this does any good, but one never knows)
2. The airport authority. (I realize they have no authority, but they should KNOW what the idiots are up to)
3. My Congressman (or woman depending on your district) and Senator. They fund this lousy excuse for &quot;security&quot;

I would certainly not laugh it off. But I don't know what I'd do if security won't pay attention to what I'm saying.

I would have spoken to TSA as you did. If they did nothing, I would have then followed them to their gate and spoken to the attendant. If they were getting on my flight, I would have also mentioned it to the flight attendant (figuring the attendant at the gate might not have been able to mention it).

My guess is that the flight attendant is going to be the one most likely to pay attention because it will be his/her life at risk as much as mine.

I don't think you overreacted, Wally. 31 minutes is a LONG time to go without getting up!!! :D

But seriously, I would've done the same thing you did. I would've spoken with the TSA ppl and pressed until I got a &quot;satisfactory&quot; response, which would have been them pulling the idiot back through for a proper inspection.

What a jerk!

It makes me mad when I see people pretending to be disabled. As I mentioned, they did &quot;walk&quot; on the plane and they didn't look real happy ten minutes before take-off. What happened at security, I guess I will never know.

Wally, I think you did the right thing. I don't think I would have sought out as many TSA people as you did, but I might have notified the gate agent.

To all of you TSA bashers, what's your better alternative?

&quot;It makes me mad when I see people pretending to be disabled.&quot;

Be careful, Wally. These two were clearly shamming a disability, but don't assume anything about people who are able to walk onto a plane, &quot;even though&quot; they have been designated handicapped and get pre-boarded. There are all kinds of medical problems that don't stop you from walking a short distance, or perhaps don't even stop you from walking at all but require specific seating arrangements.

Those TSA people are pin-heads. We're all aware of it. They treat their job just as the one flipping burgers at MacDonalds... I guess things would need to get much worse here (terrorism) before the Federal government takes it more seriously and deals with airport security as it should...

...But the other side of the coin is, I'm sure these TSA people also get many &quot;false alarms&quot; from travelers, every day... The same NUTS can be the hysteric ones who see a bomb in every bulging handbag...

To me, those 2 guys were maybe drunk, maybe on drugs, or maybe just two idiots. And maybe all of the above. My logic says, that a real terrorist would try NOT to turn any attention to himself, unlike those two clowns.

Nevertheless, I agree, I would turn TSA's attention, and if unresponsive, I'd find a POLICEMAN.

I'm with you, wally. If it were me, I would have screamed bloody murder. Pretending to be completely incognizant is pretty extreme, and I would definately have seen that as a potential risk.

At best, those jerks are complete morons who deserve to be btch-slapped for acting so rude and selfish, and delibrately wasting other people's time.

At worst, they could have been up to some sort of genuine criminal activity.

Either way it's unacceptable. They shouldn't have been allowed on the flight (I'm assuming they got busted after you talked to the manager?)

I don't know if they got busted or not, but they sure did have the TSA people working at the airport. I think I counted 30 TSA people, and that only accounts for the one side of the airport. And PBIA is no Heathrow when it comes to airport size.

Whether we believe TSA is a joke or not, we are paying for it dearly, (Thanks for the additional taxes, Republicans) and we should report anything suspecious.

&gt;&gt; Aren't we suppose to report suspicious situations? &lt;&lt;

Did you also report your neighbors as Soviet spies in the 50s?

Guess I'm younger than you. No.

Princess, our neighbors must have been spies....they talked funny and dressed oddly and ate lots of boiled cabbage. I still think they were a bunch of pinko commie bed-wetters.

Reisender: did they stink of that boiled cabbage? Or release those cabbage farts? That's terrorism right there?

I'm a pinko commie, and even I can see the difference between reporting someone to airport security who is completely misrepresenting themselves *to* airport security, and reporting someone who is minding their own business in the privacy of their own homes.