my two cents
I hope we are going through a transition phase at the moment. In the States they are talking about pre-clearance for frequent fliers. I hope that we as aircrew (at least cockpit crew) can become part of this system. I believe it undermines the confidence of our passengers when they see the bloke, who will shortly be flying them a third of the way across the world, being treated as a suspect by security. IF the TSA feels we are an imminent threat I would like to see the aircrew being processed out of view from the passengers. At a number of airports in Europe this is already the case. One item that is on my list; the licenses that we all carry. Don’t know about the USA anymore, but the JAA version has no security features (not even a picture). Combining this with some sort of biometric check could add a more substantial layer and speed up the process.
There will always be holes in any system that we can think of, the criminals will find them if it is their intend. At my airline we are having huge problems with passengers from certain regions transporting drug internally. Usually by swallowing, but I was amazed to see a sample of what a female passenger had stuffed inside her private parts, just as an example.
The passengers have to be made aware that he/she has a central role to play in these scenarios. The numbers will always be in the favor of the passengers/crew when compared to the number of terrorists. It is the final line of defense if needed. Now I feel that the governments and the industry are trying to put almost all the emphasis on the procedures happening on the ground. But we need to be more forthright and get across to the paying public that they do carry a direct responsibility for their own safety while they are in our care. There is an old saying: “First time shame on You, second time shame on Me”. If there is a repeat of 09-11 it is not only the industry that missed some lessons, but also the paying public who failed in its duty to itself.
In the meantime I will sit in my fortress up front, having my food and drink handed to me like I am Hannibal Lector, wishing for some common sense to return. Santa please! It is the only thing on my list this year.
Regards, O.