Bombs Away

Since leaving the airline industry I really don’t stay up to date on the happenings. Oh sure, I know the Airbus A-380 took it’s maiden revenue voyage from LHR-SYD and the Boeing 787 is not really as safe as it should be, so says a whistle blower from Boeing. I do know one thing airline security in the USA sucks!

Just how bad is it? Well, as a former airline employee I avoided security at ALL times. Why? They were a pain in the ass to deal with, especially as an employee. There even opened an ‘Employee Only’ security checkpoint because of the exhausting security lines. They called these checkpoints “mandatory” but never enforced it. How do I know? Because I never went through security on a daily basis. Is that a bomb in my backpack?

From the multi-colored fish wrap [that’s the USA Today for all you Euros] comes this gem of a story, Most fake bombs missed by screeners. As a former employee at LAX I see security there failed 75% of the time when it came to undercover agents carrying fake bombs that were never spotted. 75%! I guess on the bright side, one in four planes will depart without blowing up.

Here is a mensa statement from the author of the article, “The failure rates at Los Angeles and Chicago stunned security experts.” How much money did the DHS put into the aviation industry for security? Billions? LOL. The response, “That’s a huge cause for concern,” said Clark Kent Ervin, the Homeland Security Department’s former inspector general. Screeners’ inability to find bombs could encourage terrorists to try to bring them on airplanes, Ervin said, and points to the need for more screener training and more powerful checkpoint scanning machines.

So as long as there are continued holes in airline security, which there will be, you, the friendly terrorists will have the odds with you, at least at LAX and ORD.

Friends ask me if I miss the airlines. In all honesty, I don’t and this is part of the reason why. The political bullshit and red tape that is security and that billion dollar black hole that claims our airline security has improved. LOL, okay. Sure. Just sit back and wait for the next airline to explode, it’s bound to happen.

This event will spawn yet another round of tighten security constraints where they will bad 3 ounces of all your fluids and require you to walk butt nekked through the metal detector and carry on bags won’t be allowed on. Glad I love to drive when I do on vacation.