2nd minister bullied by security thieves

[Carrier]

Second cabinet minister loses cool in airport - CTV News (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100318/minister_airport_100318/20100318?hub=Canada)

"When security at the Ottawa airport told Blackburn he would have to give up his bottle of tequila, sources say he asked that the bottle be kept for him. When security refused, he demanded that they empty the bottle in his presence."

The above seems to be a reasonable action. Being a security guard should not be an opportunity to steal or profit from passengers. That security first refused to make any provision for the bottle to be kept and then refused to empty it but instead escalated the matter by their bullying intransigence and avarice indicates the disgraceful treatment the travelling public are subjected to by the uncaring and abusive air transport industry.

Below is a post I made on another forum. The basic premise that the air travel industry needs to return to treating pax as customers has been borne out yet again. How long will it be before the cowardly public demand that their so-called representatives address such matters?

"There will always be some inconsiderate people. The problem comes when the majority act in such a manner. Long before then it is time to ask why. Could the way air pax treat the air travel industry be in some way related to the way the air travel industry treats its customers? Remember it is the whole experience that counts from first trying to find out the fares/flight times/baggage allowances/check in times/etc. when considering a journey to leaving the arrival airport on time with, hopefully, all of one's undamaged luggage.

There are far too many negative comments on Avcanada and other forums from posters who have an attitude problem towards the air travel industry's customers and particularly towards any who have the guts to complain about poor service or abusive treatment. Such posters should remember that the air transport industry and associated government agencies exist to serve the customers, not vice versa. They should remember that the customers are the reasons for the air transport jobs and that the customers pay the wages.

It's time to cut out this "shoot the messenger" attitude and identify and solve the real problems. There are endless reports of so-called "air rage" and of angry air passengers. Instead of addressing the problems it seems that any time a passenger/customer complains, abusive airline personnel or security bullies call it air rage or terrorism and often insolently deprive the complainant of their right to fly. In the face of such treatment it is not surprising that so many pax have nothing but contempt for the air travel industry and its employees.

There are remarkably few reports of train rage on the railways, coach rage on Greyhound and European equivalents or ferry rage on BC Ferries or Cross Channel ferries. These other forms of transport are doing something right that the air travel industry is not. How is it that so many are unable to comprehend this or do understand it but have another agenda?

It should be obvious that the answer is for the air travel industry to treat its customers with the same respect and level of service as these other forms of transport have shown are both possible and practical! The pax, with those few aforementioned exceptions, will then in turn again begin to show the same sort of respect towards the air travel industry and its employees. Once upon a time air travel was considered exotic and pilots and air hostesses were looked up to. Although this will never return to the same extent there is much that the air travel industry can and should do to improve the whole air travel experience. If it wants respect it has to earn it!"

[Willie Everlearn]

I find it unbelievable that Canadian aircrew (can't speak for the other countries and their crew) tolerate the nonsense dished out by the Government of Canada who created CATSA and turned them into a bunch of mindless thugs.

In numerous conversations with aircrew friends who trudge daily through our country's airport terminals and security barriers, I find it unbelieveable they tolerate such treatment.

For one thing, they are subjected to the closest thing to a NATO security clearance to obtain that treasured :RED: security pass, yet there they are handing in their crew baggage and nav bags for screening. Meanwhile, they strap onto their bottoms the "potential" weapon of Mass Destruction and flyoff to Saskatoon or Somewhere, Nova Scotia.

Let's hope a few more MPs 'lose it' and tear a strip off those idiots who lack the basics skills of law enforcement, common sense and discretion. It's not about your social position. It's about GET OVER IT!!!

If I were still with the airlines, I'd be chasing my MEC to get off their butts and have the security committee meet with the powers that be in Ottawa and get this mess sorted out.

Bring back the days of clearing security with your security pass. I think it's preposterous aircrew stand in line with fare paying passengers and get searched (randomly or not) by CATSA. It's simply that our idiot MPs think if the travelling public see their pilot getting beat up and harrassed at security it somehow makes them feel 'more secure'.

Didn't we have a gun registry that operated the same way as CATSA, rounding up millions of law abiding citizens?? Yeah. That's effective security.

Good grief. :mad:

Willie

[RatherBeFlying]

I think it's just fine that ministers get to put up with CATSA the same as the great unwashed:ok:

I was departing Abbotsford and forgot to put my mini screwdriver into checked baggage:eek:

Now the the Abbotsford airport folks have a "contraband" storage cum mailing station just before security BUT you have to take all the stuff you emptied out of your pockets back out to do so -- reasonable because it is unwise to leave temptations for the light fingered unwatched. Perhaps CATSA could budget for some bins:confused:

But why not put the "contraband" mailing station inside the security station? Any customer oriented organisation would realise that people do sometimes forget to pack all the "contraband" in checked baggage and need a way to deal with it with a minimum of fuss rather than to have to run out and hope too much time is not lost:ugh: