TSA can put a damper on holiday travel

oh, but to be the (first) Duke of Clarence. Now, that is the way to go.

 

He could have been. He has a pilot's license, but what I was gathering from him was that he'd go here and there with a group. He was not amused that he would get 'randomly selected' every single time he'd fly. He knew it was because he'd get one-way tickets at the last minute. Now that he's retired he doesn't want to deal with flying anymore. So much more relaxing to take the train.

He and his wife were very interesting to talk to.

The lounge car is nice. The train from Seattle to Portland is just gorgeous.

 

that would be the coast starlight? best train in the amtrak system except maybe the accela in the east coast. the folks using the train in washington/oregon also seem well mannered, clean...when it gets to California, the clientele tends to get scruffier and louder.

 

Yes, indeed. The coast starlight.

 

I agree with the zero tolerance, if you are unable to do the basics, then you shouldn't be here. I also agree that this is not that hard of a puzzle to solve, do what it supposed to be done, do it right, and many of the PR/customer interaction problems we have will resolve themselves - and the big arguments and discussions after that point become policy oriented, which is what they should be in the first place.

As of this morning (when I read my email and had the official response from HQ), TSA employees are currently only required to give their last name, and rank - this along with the time, location and checkpoint area will be enough information for an employee to be identified through local channels in the case of a comment/complaint/compliment. The same information is all that an STSO is required to give to a passenger as well. I think the official response posted by Bob is on the TSA Blog page, but here is a copy of it for your perusal:

"
Many of our readers have asked if our officers are required to give their full name when asked by a passenger. Hopefully I can provide some clarification.

If asked, our officers are only required to provide their last name and rank. This information is printed on the nameplate on every officer’s uniform. Furthermore, supervisors, managers, and customer support managers are not required to provide the officer’s full name.

As far as the photo ID badge on the officer’s uniform, this is a badge that all airport employees must wear. It’s called a Security Identification Display Area (SIDA) badge. Basically, it’s a badge that allows employees access to non-public areas. One side of the badge has the employee’s full name on it. Many officers choose to wear their SIDA badges vs. a name badge. This is permissible.

If at any time you need to file a kudos or complaint regarding one of our officers, the only information you need for us to be able to recognize an employee or resolve an issue is:

Last Name/Rank/Date/Time/Location

Our officers have a right to privacy, and TSA has the responsibility of protecting our officers from the harassment that could result from revealing their full names.

Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team"

 

It took two weeks to get that pissyassed response. Hardly a professional organization.

In my place of work I have business cards displayed in the public area so anyone coming in can take my card. My name is placed on our offical documents. If one were to look my name can be found in other places where we are registered for certain services. My name is listed with various federal agencies.

The simple point is that I am not ashamed to have my name associated with my employer. Apparently not the case for TSA employees.

 

So, West, what your response

says is that TSA Headquarters had to spend two weeks coming up with an answer to a very simple question.

Holy Shite! How many meetings did it take for them to come up with this response and how much did those meetings cost the US Taxpayer?

This is proof that the TSA is a mind-boggling inefficient organization - something we already knew but this is proof positive.

 

The level of hypocrisy required to protect the identity of thieves, thugs, and perverts from their victims is simply boggling.