New Luggage carry-on limits, screening procedures

As a result of yesterday's alleged terrorist incident on board

a Northwest Flight, TSA has adopted new screening procedures.

Author of attached article recommends if your flying today give yourself

extra time...at least 30 min to check in, go through security.

“Passengers may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights,” according to the TSA.

http://www.elliott.org/blog/new-carr...rist-incident/

I am glad that the plot was foiled. So we will be into more suff to go through security. I just hope that the terrorists know that murder is a "sin" - and then maybe the rest of us can get on with our lives.

The article that started this thread is no doubt out of date as things have changed fairly rapidly. On Saturday the recommendation was to allow 3 hours for domestic flights and 4 hours for international. You may save time if you have only one carry-on bag -- some airlines require this -- others do not.

CruiseCruise's "Cruise Air" section is probably a good place to check on for regulations as they are announced. Here is a link to another change: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1108808

There was a guy arrested today, and all the news reported was that he spent too much time in the restroom. Surely there was more involved.

Unfortunately (as Col. Wes knows as a military man), there can be no such thing as "perfect security". At some point, we must achieve some sort of balance between security procedures, and inconvenience (more than that) of 99.9999% of the flying public. Indeed, it has gotten to the point (even before recent events) that we don't really want to fly anywhere anymore. It is (as they say in French Polynesia) too much trouble.

And as we live in the near exact center of the USA, that means no more cruising. And that's sad. But at least, we're safe. I mean, we haven't had a terrorist attack here since 1995, when Timothy McVey blew up our Federal Building here in Okla. City.

While I don't meant to get aggressive about this, the security situation at the airports has gone "over the line". I know a guy who was on the NWA flight out of Amsterdam on Christmas Day -- the same day as the alleged terrorist who tried to start a fire. The guy told me that the security at Amsterdam was almost a strip search -- it was that good. And it would have taken a strip search to have detected what the alleged terrorist had, as he was hiding it in a place only a strip search might have revealed. Enough!

We all know that when the world governments "ratchet up" airline security, they DO NOT add the additional security personnel needed to perform the additional tasks, but expect the passengers to be even more inconvenienced by delays and lines. Insufficient accommodations are made at the airports for those with any mobility disabilities, as should be required under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Once one enters an airport, porterage and luggage handling assistance is zero. My wife and I both have some degree of mobility disability, and any more airport inconvenience just "grounds" us. And that means "goodbye cruising", as we don't live within driving distance of any port.

Don't get me wrong. I am not opposed to airline security, and my idea of a good vacation does not involve getting blown up on an airplane! But if we need additional security, the government should be forced to add the personnel and facilities for it, instead of requiring passengers to be at the airport THREE HOURS early for any domestic flight (good God).

And where is the identification and direction here? Both problems happened of a flight from Amsterdam to the US. Now, I might want to fly form Okla. City to Denver. Do you know how many security problems there have been on this route? zero! So to go to Denver, I have to wait in some horrendous line run by a government too cheap to hire the personnel and buy the facilities equivalent to that level of security. Why?

We live about a 5-hour drive from FLL and have chosen to fly rather than make the drive. The flight is an hour. My husband has a bit of a mobility problem and now we're re-thinking our decision to fly. I had planned to get to the airport about 3 hours early so that he would not have to be rushed to get to the gate. Now I wonder if I need to be there 4 hours early?

Rich, good points. Below are more links for further information; first link is complete

full Text of new TSA special Directive published yesterday:

http://www.elliott.org/blog/full-text-of-sd-1544-09-06-authorizing-pat-downs-physical-inspection/

Here is a good story published in today in USA Today titled: New air scare brings renewed travel hassles.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-12-27-terror-attacks_N.htm

Also, below is a link to FlyerTalk's thread discussing the implementation of this

new TSA directive. Heated discussion? only 604 replies with 41 pp so far in

this thread since Saturday:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-safety-security/1032034-new-tsa-security-measures-aftermath-nw-ams-dtw-flight.html

Sorry to be politically incorrect, but we really need to go to profiling. When is the last time an American female of any age tried to blow up a plane?--Never as far as I know. Even the female suicide bombers in Iraq have mostly been mentally disabled or coerced against their will.

The other guy who was "arrested" had food poisoning; he wasn't arrested, and went on to his connecting flight after some questioning.

Depends what you mean by "American woman" I guess--what if she's of arabic descent, or somali? Here in Canada, a "Canadian" can be any color or ethnicity or religion.

The guy in the plane was perhaps airsick, definitely sick, not a you-know-what.

Sorry to be politically incorrect, but we really need to go to profiling. When is the last time an American female of any age tried to blow up a plane?--Never as far as I know. Even the female suicide bombers in Iraq have mostly been mentally disabled or coerced against their will.

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!! Totally and 100& agree with you.

Many people have disabilities so that they need to use the restroom more frequently than an hour. And, if TSA is going to pat down everybody and hand search all carry-ons, have they added the additional staff and security stations needed to do this in a reasonable time?

I have read Wes' posts, and it all sounds like a very broad response to a very narrow situation.

I also agree with Rachel. We need to pay attention to those who may be a threat to this country. Actually, people who feel they are being profiled do have a way of not being overly screened at airports. There just needs to be a few changes made.

Global Entry Passes have been available in this country for a couple of years (there is also a pass for some areas outside the U.S.). You have your background checked, are fingerprinted, and can enter the U.S. at most major airports without going through Customs (in most cases). You simply go to a machine and have your fingerprints scanned.

I do think that the government should make it easier for those of us that have gone through background checks in order to get the Global Entry Pass to go through x-ray. We still have to go through the VERY slow lines (where clueless people still try to carry 1/2 a bottle of water or a large tube of toothpaste on board. We should still be checked -- just maybe not to the extent as people that have not been fingerprinted and had their backgrounds checked. They need to focus on people like Abdulmutallab, who purchased his ticket paying cash (one way) and only had one piece of carry-on luggage.

Spending time searching Barbara Walters (who has been singled out repeatedly) when others should be thoroughly searched (like the 500,000 on the terrorist list) is difficult to understand.

Well, it may not be the people, but it may be the places. All recent incidents have happened on flights between Amsterdam and NY. That should tell somebody at TSA something -- there may be a special risk there, BUT NOT ALL OVER THE WORLD! So applying strict security measures everywhere for somethings that happened on a single route is a major over-reaction.

Well, Amsterdam and Detroit, actually.

We live in Ohio. Recently we have opted to drive to Florida to cruise instead of flying, about a 20 hour drive. Initially this was a cost versus time decision. $500 round trip flight per person, compared to $500 round trip driving for wife and myself, and son if we bring him along, + 2 extra days time. Add the inconvienence of air travel; security, delays, luggage hassle and charges and it's a no-brainer for us now. Airfares seem to have dropped some at this time but we still would rather drive.

This is exactly what is going to happen, unless TSA adopts some "smart", effective, targeted, adequately manned, and quick security. The result will be "perfect security", as nobody's going to fly.

This is exactly what is going to happen, unless TSA adopts some "smart", effective, targeted, adequately manned, and quick security. The result will be "perfect security", as nobody's going to fly.

Unfortunately, if people were to cut back on flying, the airlines would cut even more flights. Also, it seems like we would be punishing the airlines for the failures of the TSA. IMO, they (and we) have been punished enough. There has to be another way.

...There has to be another way.

Passengers could be sedated, stripped, loaded into cocoon-like devices and loaded onto the plane as cargo, to be awakened at their destination, refreshed and ready to cruise, without jet lag. Luggage could be loaded into an attached segment of the cocoon, eliminating lost luggage. For a small extra fee, the cocoon could be plugged in and turned into a tanning bed. On very long flights intravenous feeding could be utilized, which would no doubt leave a better taste than current airline food...

;):cool:

Passengers could be sedated, stripped, loaded into cocoon-like devices and loaded onto the plane as cargo, to be awakened at their destination, refreshed and ready to cruise, without jet lag. Luggage could be loaded into an attached segment of the cocoon, eliminating lost luggage. For a small extra fee, the cocoon could be plugged in and turned into a tanning bed. On very long flights intravenous feeding could be utilized, which would no doubt leave a better taste than current airline food...

 

;):cool:

I kinda like the sedated part and being awakened at the destination.:)

Don, I am so looking forward to meeting you!

don...:D lol

I read today that some airlines are backing off from the rule that a passenger must stay in their seat the last hour. According to one source, it is up to the airline and the pilot as to how stringent the rules will be. This makes sense since it is TSA that needs to be doing their job -- the airline is secondary.

Well, there is a point where the inconvenience and lack of assistance at airports will just stop people from flying. Business meetings can be conducted over the internet, If companies would just wise up to the savings that are already there for them using this mode, business meetings where people are flown in would already be a thing of the past.

For us vacationers, many (like us) saw this coming and took advantage of very low cruise fares in the early 2000's, and will now forgo vacations involving flying, if it means a three hour wait for a DOMESTIC flight. This does not bode well for the cruise lines, for obvious reasons -- and this is unfortunate. It is also unfortunate that it will adversely impact the airline industry, which already has problems. The last thing our economy needs right now is for TWO more major industries to go out of business.

Up to this point, the TSA has been allowed to gradually increase security, without adding personnel and facilities to handle it -- putting the burden on the backs of the traveling public. I do not question the need for security -- only the under-facilitating of it.

Look at it this way. People in Okla. City used to fly to Dallas. But if we now have to get to the airport three hours early, then tolerate flight delays and such, we can drive it quicker. My record time is 2hrs. 45 min. Average is 3 1/2 hours. Now who is giong to fly that route? Nobody.

Regardless of our political parties, we all need to contact our elected Federal officials and demand doubling or tripling TSA personnel and security facilities to acomodate any increased security measures, instead of further burdening us travelers. And if carry-on items are a security concern, we should demand regulation prohibiting airlines from limiting or charging for checked luggage.

Guys, I've got to many airline/airport horror stories to tell to even start telling them. And all this was before the recent fiasco. Until this mess gets corrected, our flying days are over.

Apparently delays at Pearson International in Toronto have been the worst in the world over the last few days. I suspect that's because this airport has the most flights per day into the US, but that's just my intuition.

Right now Air Canada is not allowing any carryons at all except for a small purse, diaper bag, medications and laptops. Argghh.

Apparently delays at Pearson International in Toronto have been the worst in the world over the last few days. I suspect that's because this airport has the most flights per day into the US, but that's just my intuition.

 

Right now Air Canada is not allowing any carryons at all except for a small purse, diaper bag, medications and laptops. Argghh.

Wendy, I heard this morning that all Canadian flights to the U.S. have these restrictions (and the small purse is debatable, according to the Canadian station I listen to). The restrictions will be in effect until January 4th when they reevaluate the situation.