I will be traveling out of LAX soon and am wondering about their security...how well do they search things now...are there bomb/drug/terrorist sniffing dogs? (And I've always wondered, do dogs that sniff out bombs also sniff out drugs, it amazes me, how does that work anyway?) Do they go through a lot of peoples' stuff? I will be flying on a Saturday morning, what's the wait time usually like? Does it seem like they're at least doing a decent job??

Having seen those dogs at work in Paris, it is quite amazing! They just walk around with their handlers and sniff things, much the way any dog does. But sometimes they will get really interested in someones bag, then everything comes to a stop while the dog has a good sniff over everything. The handlers at that time can question the person, or take them somewhere to open the bag and search it.
Right now-since we are flying this Sat, Contintental told us to still be there 2/12 -3 hours early for security. Keep checking with your airline though.

I was based at LAX as a flight attendant for 2 -1/2 years. It always amazed me how easy it is to get in from the employee-end. We had magnetic strip badges to let ourselves in the employee parking lot, then would catch a shuttle bus that would take us over the taxiways directly over the ramp to the terminals, never going through any real security. The doors within the terminal were only locked with a keypad type lock with a 4 number security code. I always thought it would be relatively easy to either become an airline employee, bribe an employee, steal a badge, "Tailgate" in after an employee, hangout and figure out the keypad security code (only 4 numbers), or bribe an employee......in other words many opportunities to make their way in. Not to mention during layovers when crews have their luggage sitting in the hallway while checking in or out or eating breakfast on the way out.....

P.S. I forgot to mention some unscrupulous employees were fired while I was there for rummaging through passenger luggage in the luggage room..... Makes me feel good when they now tell me to take off my locks.

SloPlugs,
How long ago was that? At the NYC area airports, there are new security doors and measures in place.
You can get your luggage locked after check in with the luggage ties now though, so that is not anymore of a problem that it used to be with regular locks.

I don't like the dogs as sniffers, prefer machines over animals. I'm just afraid that one of them might take an instinctual whiff of my crotch and I'd end up missing my flight as a result.

RE: my original question

But does LAX have dogs? Also, does anyone know what this is about: several times when I went through the San Jose, CA airport they pulled me aside and wiped my bag in a few spots with what looked like an oversize makeup remover pad, found nothing I guess, and let me go...what's that about??

Is security doing really thorough checks on everyone, will I probably have my panties peeked at? And finally, does it seem like they're doing a decent job??

I haven't seen any dogs - but haven't flown out of LAX in about a month. Maybe the dogs are behind the scenes. I would call the airport for an update friday but plan a good two-three hours for check-in given the state of things now. Remember that the checkpoints are just inside the terminals so you can't have anyone hanging out with you before your flight (only ticketed passengers inside terminals). A month ago they were still allowing curbside check-in - well worth the few bucks. Inside, it seems they are mostly using x-ray - you have to stand in a couple lines with your bags. It is fairly efficient.

Yes, I have seen dogs recently at LAX. They were walking theu the check-in lobby with the handlers.

The security people use those wipes on the luggage to check for any explosive residual.

I've seen them too. When they pick up the scent of a potential perpetrator, they are trained to hump his leg.

I hope this doesn't sound paranoid, but I really don't think it's very wise to be discussing security procedures at a particular airport in great detail on a public forum!

Andre

Andre
Yes it does sound paranoid.Anything discussed on this or another other "board" is public knowledge or hands on personal experience.Anybody wanting to dupe the system or exploit for whatever the reason is not going to come from a "board".

We just flew out of LAX into New Orleans and back a few weeks ago. FROM LAX, I arrived in New Orleans to discover they'd thouroughly inspected my hair gel and woolite and didn't put the lids back on. Thank God for ziplocks, they did close those. FROM New Orleans, as we stood at the baggage carosel at LAX, I was stunned to see my bags float down with the zippers open and my clothes and Mardi Gras beads spilling out.Though nothing was missing, it was annoying to say the least. If they are going to inspect everything, the very least they can do is put it back the way they found it!

Oh come on, Andre. Everybody knows that the cypher lock code is 83442, then a beep, then hit pound. Just be sure to close the door behind you, or one of the TSA sniffer dogs might chase you thinking you want to play fetch the baggie with him.

Wayfarer, I agree completely. And if we were still able to be present when our luggage was inspected and lock it securely afterwards, none of those problems would happen.

OK, OK, guess I was outta line...

Maybe I should send Tom Ridge my CV? ;-)

Andre

I worked there from 1998-2001. I still have a lot of friends and they said the employee parking lot situation is the same. I was recently at LAX, and I still saw one of the same doors I used to go through accessed the same way. I don't know if any other more recent precautions have been taken. I'll try to find out.....

I also wondered about those luggage ties; wouldn't it be easy for a dishonest employee to have a bunch of those and just put one on after they went through your stuff? I don't consider the method "High security."

I haven't said anything "Top Secret" (and there are some procedures not mentioned.) I think if the public knew the loops, the airlines would be pressured to tighten up security on the employee side. Even if the general public preferred to keep their heads in the sand, anyone who wants to know can easily find out. BTW, yesterday in the paper I read that a dog "Trainer" is now being sued because his dogs failed miserably in detecting explosives when they decided to do a check. The government had paid him $700k in the past 2 or 3 years to provided them with trained dogs, and most of them failed.

I am going to end up sounding like a paranoid terrorist/drug dealer, but sniffer dogs have always fascinated me...if this is off topic, ignore it, but does anyone know the ins and outs of how they train them? Do bomb dogs only sniff bombs and drug dogs only sniff drugs, or do they do both? Now I'm worried about the bag I take with me because at one point I was singled out three times in about six weeks at SJO to have my bag wiped--for explosives, as one poster said. I'm not a junior chemist or terrorist, I don't know what's on my bag or how TSA picks my same bag everytime for wiping--do they have a superhuman sense of smell? Am I going to get mauled by a dog at LAX or worse yet, an overfriendly TSA agent (good god are they over the top with the niceness sometimes, maybe it's just me)?

ALSO, I am retarded for forgetting to ask, but what does anyone know along these same security lines about Ft Lauderdale airport (my destination)?

Thank you all so much by the way!