British Airways Chief Slams US Security Requests

Ponca City writes "Reflecting a growing frustration among airport and airline owners with the steady build-up of rules covering everything from footwear to liquids, Martin Broughton, chairman of British Airways, has launched a scathing attack on the 'completely redundant' airport checks requested by the TSA and urged the UK to stop 'kowtowing' to American demands for ever more security. Speaking at the annual conference of the UK Airport Operators Association, Broughton lambasted the TSA for demanding that foreign airports increase checks on US-bound planes, while not applying those regulations to their own domestic services. 'America does not do internally a lot of the things they demand that we do,' says Broughton. 'We shouldn't stand for that. We should say, "We'll only do things which we consider to be essential and that you Americans also consider essential.''' For example, Broughton noted that cutting-edge technology recently installed at airports can scan laptops inside hand luggage for explosives but despite this breakthrough the British government still demands computers be examined separately. 'It's just completely ridiculous,' says Broughton."

Comments

Full body grope and cavity search from now on

[DesertNomad]

Looks like Mr B has just bought himself a lifetime ticket to that line...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-safety-security/1123034-tantric-tsa-art-foreplay.html

Argh...

[Entropius]

When I was in Tokyo/Narita, they had these nifty little tubes with a microwave emitter and antenna in them. Send a pulse of 2.4GHz microwaves into a drink bottle, same stuff as your microwave oven uses, and check if it resonates strongly. I bet the things cost under a hundred bucks to make.

All the "liquid explosives" people are worried about are not mostly water. All of the crap people take on planes to drink is mostly water. Yet the TSA won't let me take a bit of juice or water through security? What a crock.

I asked a TSA guy about this, and he said that "we're developing new x-ray scanning technology that can check drinks, but it won't be ready until 2012, and it is very expensive."

Huh? The Japanese have solved this problem with a fucking microwave oven, and we're wanking about with this ridiculous security theater?

Re:Argh...

[GaryOlson]

Apparently the Japanese use engineers and scientists to solve technical problems. In the US, lawyers and nanny-state politicians define the problems, define what tools can be used to solve the problems, then require the engineers and scientists use the wrong tool because they won't pay for the right tool. Of course we can't solve the problem; the problem has been distorted beyond reasonable solution.

Re:Argh...

[IICV]

My wife took a vial of mercury on a flight once (it was for science, and the destination lab was in a third world country with no way of getting any). Mercury does this to aluminum, over the course of a long enough period of time (and this was a very long flight). TSA didn't find it.

The worst part? TSA actually went through the case she'd checked (it was a suspicious one, I have to admit) and opened some of the flasks in there. What was in those flasks? Nothing - literally. They contained high-quality vacuum, to be used for taking samples at the destination (again, lab in a third world country, not equipped to pump down those flasks). Despite opening the case, searching through the contents, and actually going in to some of the flasks the TSA actively missed something that would have been dangerous to the plane in the hands of the wrong person.

Why? Well, the vacuum flasks looked like bomb components you'd see on TV (to the point where my wife even in a nice little note saying "please don't open these, they're just vacuum flasks, we're poor scientists, here's a number to call at the university if you don't believe me"), while the vial of mercury was tightly packed in a Nalgene, the sort of hard shelled water bottle hikers use sometimes.

I Wont Travel to the USA because due to Privacy

[Anonymous Coward]

I have cancled my travel plans to the USA post 911 due to thier increased security checks and invasive tests. There is no way I will allow myself to be entered into thier databases as there is no garentee this information will be correctly entered and maintained, and for it to remain private.

Put your money where your mouth is?

[balsy2001]

I hate what TSA has done to the airport/airplane experience. So much so that I am on personal boycott of all commercial flying (unless forced to for work). I know it won't do anything but I do it on principle.

If British airways is still flying here, there is still money to be made. If the profit margin gets to small on flights here they will stop.

Re:Put your money where your mouth is?

[Builder]

You Americans are so cute with your fear of terrorists. You're quite happy for thousands of people to die on the roads, but one itty bitty terrorist attack and you go cower indoors.

Home of the brave my ass - you should try living somewhere with a real history of terrorism and you'd see we pretty much just get on with our lives. Some idiots blow up the tubes yesterday? Ah well, as long as mine is still running, I'll use it today with no changes to security. The IRA blow up another pub? Well, this one is still standing, so I'll have a pint. ETA blowing up shit all over the place? Can't let the fuckers win, so we'll get on with our lives.

But no. America has ONE attack on their own soil and they go mental.

Re:YES! It's actually insane and insulting...

[jrumney]

When we got to Seoul we disembarked the plane in a secure area, went to the transfer area (still secure) and had to go through screening all over again. This seems silly;

Maybe there are a handful of airports in the world that can't guarantee security of their "secured area," but the shiny modern airport in Seoul (Incheon) is not one of them

But if the flight is arriving into Incheon's secure area from one of those airports that cannot guarantee the security of their secure area, then Incheon's security has been breached. So the extra check to transit between the arrival lounge and departure lounge is not silly. The second extra check on the other hand is just there to appease the TSA, and that is silly/

Re:YES! It's actually insane and insulting...

[Anonymous Coward]

Mmmm ...

It's strange really. On one hand a cash strapped US is trying to promote tourism and overseas visitors for the cash that can bring in, and on the other the security industry (which failed so spectacularly in the first place) is promoting this gung ho, demeaning and impossibly aggravating set of procedures for the same said tourists.

I used to visit the US fairly regularly .... once every two years or so. Nowadays it's about last on my list, simply because of the aggravation involved in setting up the trip, getting the necessary documentation, undergoing the various intrusive security procedures and the like. It's simply not worth the trouble.

As a disgruntled air traveller

[ickleberry]

I now take the ferry to England to avoid this carry on. Yeah it takes a big longer but that is the only disadvantage

*Take as much crap as I can carry
*Nobody cares how many screw drivers, nail clippers, 8p8c crimpers, LED bulbs, gas soldering irons, unusual electronic items, bottles of water I take with me and use on the ferry. *Queues short or nonexistent
*Use up expensive satellite bandwidth for free
*Decent quality air for the entire journey
*Nobody blasting on the loudspeakers trying to sell me shite while I try to sleep
*Decent food
*If a bomb does go off there is a good chance of you surviving
*Fixed fair - no cancellation,change fee, come back when you like
*Good scenery along the way

Airport security seems like an exercise in compliance - "oh we dont see too many of these around, we're going to scan it seperately and ask you why exactly you're taking it with you, and if we dont like your answer you'll be waterboarded". Anyone taking stuff besides clothes and a Kindle full of DRM can expect a fair bit of hassle

Airlines seem to make and change rules just to catch people out. They charge administration fees when it doesnt cost them anything. Airports and airlines get away with it because people just accept their shit and don't stop flying. Even when you go to look for the people responsible for bringing in the rules you are given the run-around.

The worst has to be the recent rules against liquids specifying the exact type of plastic bag and container they must be in and sending people back to buy an overpriced plastic bag if its slightly too big. Things are so bad now, the odd plane getting blown to pieces almost seems worth it now.

Re:YES! It's actually insane and insulting...

[CrackedButter]

I don't even bother to go to the US. I won't either until they calm the fuck down.

Re:US doesn't know how to handle terrorism.

[Sockatume]

I should point out that those "nervous ticks and involuntary reactions", if you're referring to so-called microexpressions, are currently well in the realm of pseudoscience. They're no more revealing than general nervousness or erratic behavior. (Perhaps unsurprisingly the TSA is very enthusiastic about adopting the technique.)

Re:YES YES YES!

[rufty_tufty]

Yeah because it's not like the UK has any experience with terrorism, I mean there was that whole pesky IRA thing, but it's not like it lasted for 8 decades or anything...