TSA Pre✓™ Expands to Charlotte and Tampa

Charlotte (CLT) - TSA Pre✓™ is now available for select US Airways frequent flyers and  CBP Trusted Traveler members at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are also operational at CLT.

Tampa (TPA) - Also, TSA Pre✓™ operations for select US Airways frequent flyers and  CBP Trusted Traveler members are live at TPA.

Did you know that kids 12 and under can travel with you through the TSA Pre✓™ lane? If you didn't, now you know! That info might come in handy this summer.

In case you're wondering what TSA Pre✓™ is, you can go here to read all about it. Long story short, it's an initiative that allows passengers to expedite their screening experience if they opt in. How do you opt in to TSA Pre✓™? Funny you should ask. Just go here. 

Here are some other TSA Pre✓™ posts that might interest you:

• TSA Pre✓™ Through Global Entry: One Sweet Deal!
• The Scoop on TSA Pre✓™
• More Than 1 Million Passengers Screened by TSA Pre✓™
• TSA Pre✓™ Pilot to Expand to 28 of the Busiest US Airports 

 

Blogger Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team 

If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by clicking here.

 

TSA Week in Review: Grenades Galore

Due the holiday, this Week in Review covers June 28^th through June 5^th. 

 

Grenades Galore – In case you haven’t heard, grenades and planes do not mix. Inert grenades were discovered at DSM, SEA, TPA, and BNA. Two live smoke grenades were discovered at DEN. Read here and here on why inert items cause problems at checkpoints. We don’t know they’re inert until we check them out and checking them out can often inconvenience your fellow passengers.

 

Stun Guns – 11 stun guns/devices were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the nation at: ORD, OGG, SMF, RIC, JAX, LGA, FLL & DEN. Among these items were a stun pen at Ketchikan (KTN) and a stun cane at McGhee - Tyson (TYS). Yes, a stun cane! That’s a first for the Week in Review posts… 

 Items in the Strangest Places - It’s one thing to forget you had a prohibited item in your bag, but when you intentionally try to sneak it past us, you could wind up being cited or even arrested by law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where passengers tried to sneak items past our Officers.

• A razor knife was discovered in the seat of a wheelchair at Salt Lake City (SLC).

• A 4” knife was discovered concealed inside a comb at Baltimore (BWI).

• A 3 ½” knife was found concealed in the lining of a bag at LaGuardia (LGA).

Kids Pack the Darndest Things – Even though a 9-year-old’s grandmother packed their bag, the child went in later and added 6 ground bloom fireworks. I can see why they wanted them. My 9-year-old self probably would have packed them too. These fireworks were discovered at Milwaukee (MKE).

 

Automotive Flares: Keyword “automotive.” Not only are automotive flares prohibited on aircraft, the look a little creepy due to their resemblance to dynamite sticks. Two of them were discovered at Phoenix (PHX) in a passenger’s carry-on bag.

Body Scanner Discoveries This Week – There were a total of 18 illegal items discovered this week with the body scanners at: ITO, ATW, JAX, PIE, 2 at ATL, ABQ, TPA, 2 at SMF, LAX, SFO, CLE, SEA, MSY, PDX, MDW, and LAS. Items were found in hands, pockets, and concealed in the groin area.

Miscellaneous Prohibited Items - In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers also found firearm components, realistic replica firearms, stun guns, brass knuckles, ammunition, batons, and a lot of bladed items.

Firearms - Here are the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday.

You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure. 

Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items.

Blogger Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team

If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by clicking here.

Random Testing of Liquids at Departure Gates. Nothing new...

While browsing the web this morning, I saw that the topic de jour was that TSA was now screening liquids at the gate. We've talked about random gate screening here before, and if you travel frequently, you've likely experienced a gate screening. Not a big deal really... Heck, even I have been pulled aside for random gate screening.

So, the most popular question that comes up with this topic is: "Isn't this redundant?" On the surface, it does seem that way, and it's the first logical thought that many have. However, any security expert will tell you that nothing is ever 100% secure. So, gate screening is kind of like our safety net to keep up with anybody who might be trying to get things past conventional screening.

We stay away from static security tactics. Layered security is common practice, providing the necessary unpredictable measure that makes it more difficult to do malice to the transportation infrastructure. If everything we did was always the same, it would provide a checklist for people to know exactly what to expect. While this would be extremely helpful for passengers, it would also be useful to those wishing to do us harm.

To keep this from happening, every day at airports around the nation, we work with airport partners to determine what additional screening tactics should be employed. These additional random tactics, such as gate screening, greatly increase security by making it truly unpredictable.

As far as the testing of liquids at the gate, this is just one of the many options we have to choose from when deciding what additional tactics to use each day. We started using test strips back in the summer of 2007 and continue to do so. The test involves a test strip and a dropper containing a nontoxic solution. In case you're wondering, our officers don't place the test strips in your beverages/liquids. They simply have the passenger remove the cap/lid and they hold the strip over the opening of the container. Procedures call for moving the test strip to the side and applying the solution from the dropper to test the strip. If the test results are positive TSA will conduct additional testing to make a final assessment.

In a nutshell, liquid screening at gates is random and it isn't happening at every airport every day. So other than possibly taking a few moments of your time before boarding your flight, it's business as usual.

Blogger Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team 

If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by clicking here.

TSA Pre✓™ Through Global Entry: One Sweet Deal!

As a spokesperson for TSA, I’ve been talking about TSA Pre✓™, TSA’s risk-based, expedited checkpoint screening initiative, for the past several months and decided it was time to put my money where my mouth is. 

I travel regularly for work and pleasure, but I am, shall we say, “thrifty.” Since I purchase the cheapest ticket and am not loyal to only one airline, I knew I would not be invited to opt into TSA Pre✓™ by one of the participating airlines (US Airways, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines or Alaska Airlines).

The only option available for me to receive expedited screening through TSA Pre✓™ would be to sign up for one of the Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Trusted Traveler programs (Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI). So I did.  

With my valid passport in hand, I visited www.globalentry.gov, and then clicked on the Global Online Enrollment System link, where I provided some personal data on my application online and typed in my credit card number. It cost me $100, but I figured that if I got accepted, the “membership” would be good for five years, which comes to $20 a year. As I mentioned, I’m “frugal,” so I did the math. Nearly all of my travel is domestic, not international. Most of my travel is through the busiest airports, and on the airlines participating in TSA Pre✓™, so that sounded good. I take about 20 trips a year for business and another eight trips a year on my own. Multiply that by two (one flight departing and one flight returning) and it means that I stand in about 56 checkpoint lines per year. My back-of-the-envelope math told me that for 36 cents per trip in an average year, I could leave my shoes on, keep my jacket on, not have to bother to remove  my laptop from my knapsack, and allow my 3-1-1 liquids bag to remain tucked into my carry-on. PLUS I wouldn’t have to wait in line for others to take off their shoes and fill up the checkpoint bins. I had two words to describe that outcome: Sweet deal!

After I signed up online and paid the fee, a few days later I received an email that told me that my application had been processed and that I should arrange for a visit to an airport where I would have to go through an interview. The letter gave me a temporary Global Entry membership number that I was permitted to start to use immediately for international travel, but not right away for TSA Pre✓™ .  

Fortunately for me,  I live only about 25 miles from an airport where an officer from CBP conducts interviews. I realize that’s not the case for a lot of people. I browsed the appointment times online, and scheduled the interview. On the day of my interview, I brought my passport, driver’s license, and conditional approval letter, which I had received from CBP shortly after I applied. I watched a brief video about the Global Entry program. The video told me that Global Entry was a privilege program that could be revoked if I violated any customs laws or was arrested. I was handed a “Know Before You Go” brochure. I answered a few questions, was photographed and fingerprinted and got a solid handshake as I left. It took all of 15 minutes. My Global Entry ID card will come in the mail within a few weeks. It’s not actually necessary for me to carry around the card and cannot be used at the Global Entry kiosk, but it will include my ID number and photo. My temporary ID number is now my permanent number.

I’ve entered my new “Known Traveler” number in my airline profiles. (Apparently people forget to do that, so please consider this a reminder to do so.) The number is on the back of the card, upper left-hand number next to the words PASS ID, which I suspect stands for “Passenger Identification Number.” If you don’t have a card you can also find the number in your GOES account online.

I’m amazed that it was so darn easy.  If you see me in an airport, be sure to say hi. I’ll be the one with my shoes on. 

Lisa Farbstein

Guest Blogger & TSA Spokesperson

TSA Week in Review: Portland Passenger Puts Pistol in Potted Plant

Due the upcoming holiday, this Week in Review covers June 22^nd through June 27^th. 

Items in the Strangest Places - It’s one thing to forget you had a prohibited item in your bag, but when you intentionally try to sneak it past us, you could wind up being cited or even arrested by law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where passengers tried to sneak items past our Officers.

• A passenger at Portland (PDX) remembered they had a loaded .22 caliber pistol in their carry-on bag prior to going through the checkpoint. After speaking with a TSO, they were directed to the baggage counter where they could declare the firearm and check it as luggage. Well, a few moments later, he was spotted by our Behavior Detection Officers placing the gun in a potted plant and walking back toward the checkpoint. Needless to say, he was arrested by local law enforcement before reaching the checkpoint. 
• A passenger at Tampa (TPA) tried to conceal a knife by placing it inside a sock stuffed into an envelope with dolls. 
• A passenger at Greensville/Spartanburg (GSP) had a knife concealed in a can of loose tobacco.

Passenger Divests Grenade – A passenger at Las Vegas (LAS) truly didn’t know that grenades were a problem because they placed it in a divesture bowl out in the open for all to see. The passenger stated that he uses the item as a paper weight. Another passenger at Newark (EWR) had a novelty grenade torch lighter in their checked baggage. While I know that inert grenades are cool conversation pieces and make great paperweights, read here and here on why inert items cause problems at checkpoints. We don’t know they’re inert until we check them out and checking them out can often inconvenience your fellow passengers.

Body Scanner Discoveries This Week – There were a total of 9 illegal/prohibited items discovered this week with the body scanners at: HTS, OGG, MLI, PBI, FAT, 3 at SFO, and ATL. Among these finds was a passenger at Moline (MLI) who had a 4” knife concealed in his sock.

Stun Guns – 7 stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the nation at: BNA, 2 at SFO, ATL, HSV, JAX, PHL

People Say the Darndest Things – Here is an example of what not to say at the airport. Statements like these not only delay the people who said them but can also inconvenience lots of other passengers if the checkpoint or terminal has to be evacuated:

• During a bag search at Baltimore (BWI), a passenger stated: “I have a bomb in my bag.”
• During checkpoint screening at Orlando (MCO), a passenger stated: “I have a bomb in my shoe.”

Miscellaneous Prohibited Items - In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers also found firearm components, realistic replica firearms, stun guns, brass knuckles, ammunition, batons, and oodles of knives.

Firearms - Here are the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday.

You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure. 

Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items.

Blogger Bob Burns

TSA Blog Team

If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by clicking here.

Traveling with Crematory Remains

The subject of traveling with crematory remains has been in the news recently. As part of our standard operating procedures, TSA has a clear process for screening crematory remains. Our Officers routinely conduct these types of screenings throughout our nation’s airports.

Passengers may transport crematory remains as part of their carry-on property or checked baggage. Some airlines do not allow crematory remains as checked baggage, so check with your airline first.

If carrying on the crematory remains, they are subject to screening and must pass through the X-ray machine. If the X-ray Operator cannot clear the remains, TSA may apply other, non-intrusive means of resolving the alarm. Under no circumstances will an officer open the container, even if the passenger requests this be done. If the officer cannot determine that the container does not contain a prohibited item, the remains will not be permitted.

We understand the emotional stress passengers may be under when transporting the remains of a loved one.   Our guidelines for traveling with crematory remains  is not intended to make this already emotionally difficult process more complex than needed. However, crematory remains are one of the many sensitive items that could be exploited by someone wanting to conceal a dangerous item.

If you have questions, concerns or would like to provide feedback, please feel free to contact the TSA Contact Center, 1-866-289-9673 or use the Talk to TSA feature on our website.