Airline crew can frequently show an ID and avoid being accosted with nude-o-scopes and metal detectors. Occasionally that’s been tempting for drug smugglers, but drugs aren’t the TSA’s purpose anyway. Still as a result crew do sometimes go through checks.
The Known Crewmember program, “a joint initiative between Airlines for America (A4A) and the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA),” has become more liberalized and useful over time — four years ago crew started being allowed to go through even when traveling personally and out of uniform. That was subsequently limited a bit. And this week it’s being significantly curtailed.
Effective August 28, 2019, KCM-authorized Crewmembers will be required to wear uniforms while using KCM access points.
Effective August 27, 2019, KCM-authorized enhancement to Unpredictable Screening Procedures (USP) will be enabled. This enhancement will include retention of the Crewmember selection for USP for a period of time at all KCM access points in that airport. NOTE: If the selected Crewmember exits the sterile area and attempts to reenter through a KCM access point during this time period, they will continue to be identified for USP.
TSA can’t be expected to know someone is an employee unless they’re wearing a uniform apparently. The implication then is a suggestion that they can be tricked by an employee uniform despite databases being tied together.
Though some airlines require uniforms to be returned, expect to see more on eBay. Apparently the known crewmember data program is insufficient to assure crewmembers are… known… so they’re going to be screened more rigorously at times too.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo generously speculates that this must be in response to a credible threat. If that were the case – and you believe TSA screening can foil plots at all – you’d think the program would be suspended. The fact that it isn’t being suspended, just limiting the program to folks in uniform, leads me to be skeptical of that explanation.
Sounds like the smartest thing I’ve heard all day.
I agree with Dustin, why would you give an all access pass to crewmembers who aren’t in uniform. If they are leisurely traveling they should be subjected to the same screenings we all are. I’m also glad they are limiting this to crew who are wearing uniform.
We have some big holes in TSA security. For example this past week I went through security and a few minutes after arriving at my gate a random airport retail worker pop opened an emergency exit door so they could bring some products into a nearby kiosk. It would have been really easy to follow them through.
Unrelated but surprising is that Air Traffic Controllers get no special treatment at TSA checkpoints, No Precheck, nothing. Seems odd to me for some reason since they can access cockpits, ride in jumpseats, control you know…air traffic.
At the end of the day, ANYONE having access to a plane should be screened.
Curious about ramp staff…the baggage handlers and fuel people…do they go through security too ? I’d be more concerned about them…. you know sneaking a bomb in and then putting it into the luggage hold…
And considering Al-Qaeda spent all that time and money training people to fly planes… Couldn’t terrorist organizations like that also train and flip a flight attendant? It also doesn’t help that all this information is out there in a public forum !
@Ric Not usually. Actually screening every airport employee every day has been estimated to cost roughly the TSA’s entire current budget. Given their track record of success, I think it is a wise decision to simply not bother expanding the security theater.
Sure, it’s a security hole, although they do go through clearance checks before getting their badge, so it isn’t as though there’s no security at all.
Yes and if you’re in TSA PRE and a pilot in front of you triggers the metal detector, they pull you over for a pat down.
@Super Leisure Man
If you’re riding the person’s ass in front of you in the metal detector line, then perhaps you deserve the pat down
Nude o scopes? God you are a prude!! Get over it dude – no one is that interested
@AJ +1
@bhcompy, No, I saw this happen to my wife. She politely let the pilot go ahead of her since he wasn’t putting anything on the belt.
Gary, what happened to the article about the Lebanese militia flying business class? Did it get removed by the thought police?