Why TSA feels up your grandma (and other answers to your burning questions)
You had questions, Team Zombie has answers!
This latest blog is brought to you by…well… YOU!
We needed to pause for a moment from our regularly scheduled Zombie program to respond to questions the readers astutely posed back to us. So this article is dedicated to Judey A., Hannah H., Laci B., Rob M., and several other dedicated readers who responded anonymously with some great questions, thank you.
Several questions were asked concerning TSA procedures, no doubt sparked from our previous Airline Nightmare article. We suspect these questions are derived from personal experiences or interactions with the TSA. This is a tricky area here. We all view things from different lenses. What you may view as a security feature being too much, others may feel is too little. We all come from a diverse array of backgrounds and experiences that formed our beliefs and tolerances as an adult, and how we feel about our own security. But, we’re going to give these questions our best shot.
Does pre-screening make us safer?
First, you asked if pre-screening makes us more or less vulnerable to attack.
A little background — TSA’s Precheck, a five year benefit for $85.00, requires an interview and a background check. Once accepted into the program and given a Known Traveler designation, you are considered low risk and the security process is somewhat streamlined when passing through TSA lines. This does not however preclude those who participate to divert from the similar security screening those not in the program experience. You can explore more about this program at universalenroll.dhs.gov/programs/precheck.
Team Zombie won’t endorse or recommend this or any specific program here, but frequent travelers do experience a shorter wait as they use a separate line to pass through the security process…for now! We liken this program to the 95 HOV lanes near Washington, DC. It was much faster if you purchased and drove a designated green fuel efficient automobile, which was authorized to use the HOV lanes. This saved commuters hours of accumulative time, ten years ago, back when few people opted to get a green vehicle. Today, so many car dealers and customers jumped on the green car bandwagon, they are no longer exempt. TSA reports that over 4 million people have already taken advantage of the Precheck program, some Zombie team members included, but we fear your $85.00 won’t be worth the difference in waiting in a few years when millions more join the program. Zombie food for thought!
Why does TSA feel up my grandmother?
There were also several questions about the TSA security process itself, and the effect this process can have on our seniors. We live in a time of heightened security measures, unfortunately. The security process and one’s experience with TSA can be a traumatic one for some portion of our population, particularly, those who a less traveled or not used to the sometimes necessary procedures used to thwart the evil of a few.
Each pass through a TSA line could be different from your last experience. It’s important you stay up-to-date and educated, as well as assist those who may be less inclined to be familiar with the current security procedures. To do so, Team Zombie suggests you contact your airport’s website (not airline), remember the TSA function has no relationship with specific airlines, that’s why you need to get to the airport early. Your airline may move you up in their ticketing line to help you get to your flight on time, but they have no influence with the TSA lines, which could be cumbersome at certain times of the day and certainly add to travelers stress levels.
As indicated in the previous related blog, the security procedures status, or what you may or may not be required to do from flight to flight can change at any moment. Any event around the world could bring a change in posture, and the reason could be easily explained on the news or completely concealed for intelligence purposes.
Where do I lodge a complaint?
TSA is bound by a strict code of ethics, procedures and protocols, so don’t be a zombie and blindly follow the other lemmings off the security cliff. If you believe a member of the TSA is not following or abusing his or her protocols, you should politely ask to speak to a supervisor. This is still America and you have the right to be respectfully heard. Remember, that first line supervisor also has a supervisor. Ask to speak to he or she if you feel so inclined to do so, a member of Team Zombie did once!
Keep this in mind; TSA has a tough and important job to do, their current and ever-changing procedures are strictly adhered to. However, you and your loved ones should never be singled out, targeted or profiled by age, race, dress, etc. There are times when how you plan your travel may get you a second look. Just as one example, some Zombie members who work for agencies that require “last minute” travel and ticket purchases might trigger a random secondary screening at one time or another, just because of the last minute purchase. If that is a considered some level of profiling, so be it. With the proper amount of preparedness and a level attitude, you and your loved ones’ experience with TSA should prove to be a positive one.
Do private airports have tight security?
Another question was sought concerning airport security at the small private operations. Those who have experienced private flights from a Fixed Base Operator (FBO), know some of these small [comparatively speaking], are not very small operations at all. FBO aviation flight operations in the U.S. rose by 1.35 percent between 2015 and 2016, marking the sixth straight year, according to the FAA’s Business Jet Report. New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport (near New York City), which is home to six FBO facilities and saw the most activity over the past year, logging 138,000 operations between February 2016 and January of this year.
Provided under the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 49, Chapter 12, Subsection 1562.25, is the outline of the security programs, screening processes and compliance all FBOs operating in the United States must follow. Thousands of private airplanes fly in and out of FBOs annually, and similar security requirements are required for those forms of transportation as well. Obviously, the harm that can be done with a large aircraft far exceeds the damage of a small private plane, but the security focus really remains the same for both types of air travel.
Is my personally identifiable information protected?
Finally, Team Zombie has also received an interesting question concerning your Personally Identifiable Information or (PII), specifically how organizations related to Homeland Security maintain and protect that information. This is a great question because most advice is usually provided in one direction to the public on how to best protect their good name, but we rarely talk about how organizations treat that same information.
Agencies that make up the Homeland Security enterprise are comprised of dozens of local, state and federal organizations. But there is good news! All agencies hold your PII with the highest level of security in mind and have policies detailing the care of that information. In fact, violations in the handling of your information could result in financial and criminal penalties.
Here’s a Zombie insight and general list of DO’s and DON’Ts agencies adhere to in an effort to insure your PII stays private:
DO be conscious of your surroundings when discussing PII.
DON’T discuss any PII on wireless or cordless communication devices unless absolutely necessary.
DO secure any notes, documents, removable media, laptops or any other material containing PII when not in use.
DON’T leave any PII unattended for any reason.
DO password protect and encrypt any PII attachment sent via email.
DON’T put any PII in the body of an email.
DO report any unauthorized disclosures of PII to your supervisor, even if the disclosure was accidental.
DON’T discuss, disclose or entrust any PII to individuals who don’t have the need for the information.
DO log off, turn off or lock your computer or devices whenever you leave them unattended to ensure that no PII is compromised.
DON’T take PII home in any format without written permission of your supervisor.
DO immediately report any suspected security violation or poor security practices related to PII.
DON’T dispose of PII in recycling or general trash bins.
DO destroy all PII in your possession when no longer needed and any continued retention is no longer required.
One Final Zombie TIP on your PII: Stay up to date and review your credit report for FREE from annualcreditreport.com. Here is the best part — Since each of the three credit reporting agencies share the same information about you and by law, must provide you with a free copy of your credit report annually, Team Zombie recommends you get a one free report every four months, alternating between the three reporting agencies and you will be able to stay on top of your good name, see who may be looking at you and detect and correct any fraud or other errors without paying a cent!
