Pay the TSA $100 and Bypass Airport Security

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Pay the TSA $100 and Bypass Airport Security

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday March 15, 2012 @12:14PM from the front-of-the-line dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Catching a flight in the U.S. isn't a great experience anymore due to the security checks involved. You have to remove your shoes, your belt, get your laptop out, be scanned and subjected to radiation in the process. Hundreds of other people are doing the same thing, meaning it takes 40 minutes instead of four. Now, the TSA has come up with a clever, money-making alternative. Instead of scaling back security or speeding it up, you can instead pay $100 and bypass it completely!"

36 of 527 comments (clear)

Thespians by wbr1 · 2012-03-15 12:18 · Score: 5, Insightful

Secuity theater has been on the decline from comedy to tragedy for a while. Now it is simply a farce. It is about control and money and the illusion of security.

--
Silence is a state of mime.
1. Re:Thespians by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-15 12:25 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  "Sorry, citizen, now that it's in the Free Market, it's no longer our concern. We trust that you understand, and remind you that you may worship at the Wal-Mart of your choice."
2. Re:Thespians by cpu6502 · 2012-03-15 12:42 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Indeed.
  I'd sooner deal with the 1 in 1 billion odds (TSA estimate from the article) that I will step on a plane destined for being blown-up, then the 1-to-1 odds that I or my wife will be sexually assaulted (or Xrayed).
  What's worse is the TSA is extending this BS to train terminals, along highways (border state checkpoints), and post offices, hotels, unemployment/social security centers. Except they call themselves VIPR instead of TSA. What a perfectly Orwellian name! :-|
  
  --
  My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
3. Re:Thespians by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-15 12:45 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Because it's free market when it's government regulations...
4. Re:Thespians by game+kid · 2012-03-15 13:07 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  The TSA will be checking at the aisles there soon too. The agents will double as customer service.
  "Welcome to Wal-Mart! Would you like a shakedown, staredown, or gropedown?"
  "Nah, I just want a flatscree--"
  "GUARDS! Terrorist with a bomb and a Quran on aisle 5!"
  "I can barely read the New York Post let alo--" *gets tackled to floor with a thud*
  
  --
  You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
5. Re:Thespians by Grishnakh · 2012-03-15 14:49 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Don't be ridiculous.
  For one thing, if people stopped flying as much and the airlines were in financial trouble, the government would bail them out just like they did the auto industry and banks. "Too big to fail", "national importance", etc.
  Secondly, why would a politician be "idiotic" to vote for yet another (no strings) bailout? Who's going to vote against them? Just look at the Obama voters; they're so dumb, they were complaining about Gitmo, the wars, TSA, etc. before Obama was elected, and now that he's continued those policies (or made them worse; the TSA wasn't nearly this bad under Bush), they defend him any time someone criticizes him. Even if Obama isn't re-elected (a very remote possibility at this point it seems), any Republican who gets elected (being Mr. Frothy or Romney, the two front-runners easily) is going to do the exact same thing. The only politicians running who wouldn't do the same thing are Ron Paul, who at this point looks like there's no way he'll get elected (he's lost too many of the primaries so far, though he's doing better than in '08 from what I can tell), and perhaps (I really don't know, since there isn't much info on him) that Richardson guy who's running against Obama on the Democrat ticket but the media hasn't said a single word about.
  The public has spoken, and they're clearly in favor of bailouts, TSA, and wars, on both the Democrat and Republican sides.
6. Re:Thespians by rubycodez · 2012-03-15 15:05 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  well, that's not true among my older friends and relatives, they routinely get in the face of authority like TSA, cops, politicians on our police-street direction at the drop of a hat. hard to intimidate someone in the 70s or more, e.g. "what are going to do, sonny-boy-with-a-badge, jail me for life? give me the chair? hah, I'll probably flop over dead tomorrow anyway! screw you!"
7. Re:Thespians by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-15 17:27 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Just look at the Obama voters; they're so dumb, they were complaining about Gitmo, the wars, TSA, etc. before Obama was elected, and now that he's continued those policies (or made them worse; the TSA wasn't nearly this bad under Bush), they defend him any time someone criticizes him.
  Err, what? Obama voter here -- and I certainly plan to vote for him again.
  I do hate Gitmo. And the wars. And the TSA. And bailouts (although you do know the first ~trillion dollars of bailouts in 2008 were done by Bush, right?).
  You know what else I hated? I hated don't-ask-don't-tell. I hated unnecessary restrictions on stem cell research. I hated medical insurance companies not disclosing what percentage of premiums went to actual medical care. I hated lifetime medical insurance maximums that meant my employed, fully covered neighbor who got breast cancer at 35 would be dropped from her plan before treatment was over, and I hated the pre-existing condition discrimination that would have kept her from ever having medical insurance again. I hated that same-sex partners of federal employees weren't eligible for spousal benefits. I hated the lack of financial reporting requirements that allowed enormous companies to get themselves into the "I need a bailout" position in the first place.
  So I'm now dumb for voting Obama because he only did ten times as much toward fixing the gripes I had/have as any other candidate in 2008 or 2012 would? That doesn't hold water. You're full of shit.
  Also, I realize it's fashionable to claim that Democrat and Republicans are the same. They're not. That's bullshit. They may both fail similarly in some significant areas (e.g. the TSA), but the Republican party has devolved into thinly veiled bigotry, xenophobia, and crony capitalism.
Great! by Black+Parrot · 2012-03-15 12:19 · Score: 5, Insightful

Now only terrorists who can afford the $100 can take a bomb on your plane.

--
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
1. Re:Great! by Vinegar+Joe · 2012-03-15 12:20 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I doubt the Saudis who did 9/11 would have had too much trouble raising $100.
  
  --
  "The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
2. Re:Great! by Dyinobal · 2012-03-15 12:22 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  No no you mean the terrorists from Afghanistan.
3. Re:Great! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-15 12:26 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  No no no you mean those terrorists from Iraq, er, Iran.
4. Re:Great! by pushing-robot · 2012-03-15 12:29 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  From TFA:
  
  Enrolling [in Precheck] requires a $100 application fee for a background check, plus a brief interview with a Customs officer.
  Once in Precheck, TSA still checks names against terrorism watch lists before every flight, just as it does for other travelers. If a passenger is cleared for Precheck screening, a code is embedded in a traveler's boarding pass.
  Precheck members usually get to use security lines set up for first-class and elite-level frequent fliers. But Precheck travelers actually don't know if they will get to use the easy screening until the TSA officer checking IDs actually scans the boarding pass. If the pass has the code, a Precheck passenger is steered to a separate screening lane for what amounts to old-style airport screening.
  TSA says Precheck members are selected randomly for regular screening to enhance security. But that unpredictability irks frequent travelers. The agency doesn't make travelers go to the end of the regular screening line, however, but instead slips them into the front of the regular queue.
  So it's a bit more complicated than waving a Benjamin in front of your friendly TSA employee. Though that probably works, too.
  
  --
  How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
5. Re:Great! by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2012-03-15 12:35 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Even better! Now the somewhere-just-above-middle-of-bottom sheep get to feel more important than the sheep who weren't invited to enjoy shorter lines in Citizen+ class!
  
  Nothing destroys somebody's motivation to deal with the torrent of shit flowing down the hill quite like the knowledge that there is somebody just a bit further down than he is. With any luck, we will soon be rolling the program out to cover traffic offenses, modest drug possession, and suspicion of tax fraud, making dealing with the justice system easier and more comfortable for the people who count.
6. Re:Great! by Solandri · 2012-03-15 22:57 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  I have a Nexus pass (expedited crossing at US/Canada borders), which according TFA also qualifies me for Precheck. I got it when I used to cross the border to work in Canada. I wasn't happy about the requirements, but it was pretty much necessary for me to avoid multi-hour waits at the border lines.
  
  Getting the pass required disclosing/documenting all my international travel for a certain number of years (don't remember how many), my work and residence history, list of family members, I think a list of my bank accounts, list of vehicles I own/drive, all 10 fingerprints, and a ~20 min interview with a CBP agent. I also traveled by air frequently enough that I got the air travel option, which required adding my iris scans to their central database (at least I assume they're iris scans - they could've been retina scans). The application fee covers the work needed to process all this and (I assume) run their own background check to verify the info you submit.
  
  In exchange for selling my soul to the government, I got through the border in 5-15 minutes. At the major airports I can skip the regular immigration lines, and take the automated Nexus/Global Entry lanes which typically have no line. You scan your card into a machine, which takes pictures of your eyes and compares to what they have on file, then spits out a card saying you're legit. You then give this card to a Customs agent who typically waves you through. They whole point of the program is to pre-screen you to determine if you're a low-risk traveler, then not have to waste time scrutinizing you as closely every time you cross the border.
  
  It is ridiculously easy to lose this pass. There were horror stories of people losing it for trivial things like failing to declare to Customs that they had an eaten apple core in a bag they were using for garbage in their car. In theory you're allowed to appeal if you lose it, but nobody had ever heard of an appeal succeeding. And once you lose the pass, you are banned from the program for life.
  
  So no, it's not as simple as just paying $100. For the typical slashdotter, I think the fingerprint and iris scans would be dissuasive enough.
I knew freedom had a price.... by russotto · 2012-03-15 12:20 · Score: 5, Funny

...but I didn't expect it to be just cash money, and I certainly didn't expect it to be so low.
1. Re:I knew freedom had a price.... by Black+Parrot · 2012-03-15 12:23 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  TSA Menu:
  Skip opening suitcase - $10
  Skip opening computer - $10
  Skip taking off shoes - $5
  Skip anal probe - $250
  Skip groping - $500 for hunk or babe; free for everyone else.
  
  --
  Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
2. Re:I knew freedom had a price.... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-15 13:01 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  If they're brown pat them down, if they're black send them back. That's just standard TSA protocol.
Well, if you were in the Third World by medcalf · 2012-03-15 12:23 · Score: 5, Insightful

You could do the same thing, but cheaper. Seriously, how is this fundamentally different from legalized bribery?

--
-- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
1. Re:Well, if you were in the Third World by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2012-03-15 12:36 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Because bribery would be illegal...
Wrong summary by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-15 12:23 · Score: 5, Informative

The TSA's new program, Precheck, is free (right now it's by invitation only though). The $100 is for Global Entry, the program that lets you skip the lines for immigration. If you have Global Entry you automatically get Precheck, but Global Entry is not necessary for Precheck.
I hate the TSA as much as the next guy (probably more than most since I'm an international student and have to put up with their stupid security theater often), but get your facts straight.
Re:All I can say is by AmigaMMC · 2012-03-15 12:31 · Score: 5, Informative

It's not exactly like that, and it's not exactly new. First you have to pass a rigorous background check, the same one I passed to work for an airline.
Something people may not have caught... by Rone · 2012-03-15 12:37 · Score: 5, Interesting

The article mentioned a couple things that have profoundly disturbing implications when considered together:
1) This expedited screening program is by invitation only.
2) The TSA agents staffing the expedited checkpoints are smiling and extra-friendly.
So now, air travel has a caste system. VIPs (everybody who might possibly have a chance to successfully reform/dismantle the TSA) get kid glove treatment, and the filthy plebes get the rude assholes who steal stuff from your luggage and molest your children with complete impunity.
Joy.
1. Re:Something people may not have caught... by Overzeetop · 2012-03-15 13:25 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  The caste system has always been in place. Coach/steerage gets the general line. First class gets a special, shorter line (since it's just FC passengers). Private jet passengers have no line, no check.
  This is more of a nod to the frequent fliers who are constantly going through this. I'm of two minds about this: folks who are putting up 200k miles are unlikely to be terrorist bombers, and this addresses part of the "bad for business / lost hours" problem that the TSA creates which I like to harp on. That said, it just makes those of us who fly infrequently madder to see folks breezing through the lines and TSA agents standing around doing nothing while the regular line snakes around the corner.
  As for the smiles - that's just human nature, not some kind of special Disney treatment you get with your pass. Those agents don't have to deal with constantly grousing passengers, people who have lost patience with the lines and required security striptease, and the inevitable idiot who has no idea what their doing (or is intentionally belligerent) and fouls up the works. I'd smile too if everyone who passed through my line was happy about NOT being in that OTHER line.
  
  --
  Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Once again /.'s summary deviates from reality. by Registered+Coward+v2 · 2012-03-15 12:38 · Score: 5, Informative

Precheck does not let you "pay $100 and bypass it [TSA security] completely!" All it does is let you leave computers, liquids (within TSA guidelines) etc in your bag and not take off shoes, belts, etc. Your stuff is still x-rayed, you still go through a metal detector; the big advantages you're in a line with people who actually understand the drill and don't screw up the process by bringing in a bottle of water, etc and the line is shorter.
To do this, you go through a background check and TSA interview, plus pay $100. It's an outgrowth of the SENTRI and Global Entry programs, which let you avoid the long immigration lines when returning to the US. And yes, it's worth every penny if you fly a lot.

--
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
For the people that matter. by Sean_Inconsequential · 2012-03-15 12:42 · Score: 5, Insightful

The article makes it seem as though the offer will only be extended to those who, due to flying frequently, are invited to the program by air lines. So really it is for CEOs, celebrities, and politicians that fly frequently to avoid those few run-ins that they have had in the past. Maybe it is just cynicism, but I am feeling like this is just "we are trying to be better" posturing masking an attempt hopefully prevent accidentally groping someone that can use their social position to have their voice easily heard by a large number of people.
So how do I qualify? by Teppy · 2012-03-15 12:44 · Score: 5, Funny

I just need to not have a history of not being a suicide bomber?
Re:All I can say is by larry+bagina · 2012-03-15 12:46 · Score: 5, Insightful

Is it as rigorous as the background check needed to be hired as a TSA employee?

--
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Re:All I can say is by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-15 13:02 · Score: 5, Funny

Yeah- you have be able to order pizza (and read the ad on the box) or pump gas (and read the ad on the pump).
Yes- the TSA hires from ads on Pizza boxes and gas pumps.
http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=97&sid=2000678
Re:All I can say is by wbr1 · 2012-03-15 13:09 · Score: 5, Funny

So the choice is rigorous background check or rigorous backside check. Great!

--
Silence is a state of mime.
Re:Sorry... mathematics nazi. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-15 13:12 · Score: 5, Informative

I think you have a misunderstanding of the context. Sure, there are more than 7 terrorists in the world. But the air transport industry handles 2.75 billion customers each year. Of those 2.75 billion per year, if only 2-3 are terrorists looking to actively carry out an act of terrorism in the air, then he is correct.
We've always been friends with Iraq... by Overzeetop · 2012-03-15 13:17 · Score: 5, Informative

and always been at war with Iran. The ministry of truth keeps all the old newspapers updated so that I can verify that fact.
Did you hear that the chocolate rations are going up again?

--
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Re:All I can say is by Gadget_Guy · 2012-03-15 13:20 · Score: 5, Funny

so... you enjoy the probing...
"it still beats dealing with the airlines"
Flawed by suso · 2012-03-15 13:42 · Score: 5, Insightful

It's not exactly like that, and it's not exactly new. First you have to pass a rigorous background check, the same one I passed to work for an airline.
Yeah, exactly, you have a pass a rigorous background check that will ensure that under no circumstances can you be bribed or threatened into bringing a bomb onto a plane by threatening or giving a pile of money to your family. First rule of security. Treat all people the same. Anyone getting special treatment is a huge liability.
Re:All I can say is by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2012-03-15 14:26 · Score: 5, Funny

Yeah- you have be able to order pizza (and read the ad on the box) or pump gas (and read the ad on the pump).
I think I've seen those ads on matchbook covers too - "Can you draw this clown? You might qualify to become a TSA Agent!"

--
#DeleteChrome
1 in a Billion by Some+Guy · 2012-03-15 14:55 · Score: 5, Insightful

From the article:
"We can reduce the size of the haystack when we are looking for that one-in-a-billion terrorist," said TSA Administrator John Pistole.
Wow.
So if there's 7 Billion people in the world, then... there are only 7 people we need to find. Wow we're wasting a lot of time, money, and resources at the airports.