In my daily perusal of travel-related news, I happened upon this article (http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/01/politics/tsa-failed-undercover-airport-screening-tests/) which cites a failure rate for TSA screeners as high as it was in 2007, despite an enormous amount of money being invested in new screening equipment, training, and policies. It made me wonder "are we any safer today than anytime in the past decade or so?" Tough question, right?
The sloppiness of TSA in the US was highlighted for me at the end of April when I departed LAX for Australia. At the time, not only did PHX airport screeners miss a tiny pair of scissors I'd forgotten at the bottom of my bag, so did the LAX screeners. My experience went like this:
Since I was traveling with a friend I opted out of the PreCheck line and went through the regular take-your-shoes-off-put-everything-in-a-bucket line in a show of solidarity. My bag was x-rayed twice in the US and I only found out about the scissors when the security screeners in Adelaide, SA informed me as they nearly tackled me (I'm kidding, of course). They were on those tiny scissors like white on rice. So, certainly shame on me for forgetting about the scissors, but what about those people who ARE trying to conceal something? They are a lot more devious than me. Are the screeners in the US up to the task?
I don't know. I feel a little better about the job they are doing compared to pre-9/11 but not super confident that they are catching all they should. What do you think? Is the TSA helping secure our safety as we take to the skies? I'd love to hear your opinion on the matter, so leave your comments below.
The world can be a terrifying place but it shouldn't stop us from exploring it and, while disheartening, the TSA gaffes won't stop me from going where I can, when I can.
Peace, love, and travel!
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