Airport Security (Merged) - Effects on Crew/Staff

[Nov71]

Cabin luggage

Does the relaxation in cabin luggage size mean we can carry on the approved size pre-emergency?
I would prefer an approved EU wide size standard (based onoverall dimensions) than airline specific restrictions. My cabin luggage tends toward the BA standard but determined by approval rating at purchase.

[NWT]

As to fake crews. At most UK airports to get throught security you have to have your ID card swiped.....however if you are foreign crew, its OK just show the ID, no check if its genuine...no real way of UK security checking, agreed they go through xray etc but a bit of inconsistancy there....all the more reason for better IDs

[matblack]

Return flight to MAN today from Gothenburg airport. No extra security at all. No shoe inspection, no need to take laptop out of bag, nasal spray liquid no problem. Similar to my flight last week from cph.That's 2 examples in 2 weeks of lots of security on the way out of the UK but none on the way back.

[fyrefli]

Originally Posted by matblack

Return flight to MAN today from Gothenburg airport. No extra security at all. No shoe inspection, no need to take laptop out of bag, nasal spray liquid no problem. Similar to my flight last week from cph.That's 2 examples in 2 weeks of lots of security on the way out of the UK but none on the way back.

Yep, it goes something like this:

UK reacts to apparent threat with misguided, hamfisted, industry-damaging ineptitude
UK tells EU and other partners they have to do same
EU and other partners, unsurprisingly, laugh in faces of UK, whilst raking in extra business from people changing plans to avoid UK airports
UK backs down

All entirely predictable (and indeed predicted in various places on these forums).

Cheers,

Rich.

[late developer]

Originally Posted by fyrefli

Yep, it goes something like this:
UK reacts to apparent threat with misguided, hamfisted, industry-damaging ineptitude
UK tells EU and other partners they have to do same
EU and other partners, unsurprisingly, laugh in faces of UK, whilst raking in extra business from people changing plans to avoid UK airports
UK backs down
All entirely predictable (and indeed predicted in various places on these forums).

It is tempting to believe this, isn't it?
I fly a lot as a passenger from Stansted. I've had my shoes off twice in the last month. Security was busy on Tuesday evening but I noticed that even at six thirty in the evening a third of the checkin desks were not being used. Now we are over the school holidays hump, passenger numbers are down I guess. Despite this, significant numbers of passengers were being refused entry to security due to their odd shaped bag protuberances not being greased well enough to fit in the bag test box! Perhaps as many as 1 in 20 were required to go back to checkin judging from the length of the queues of people paying for an extra hold bag at the Ryanair ticket desks.
Many were stressed as they were running out of time. I saw one woman aged about thirty who obviously didn't get the message. She paid for the bag that didn't fit in the box and then rushed off back in the direction of checkin to get her boarding card, but still touting three heavy stuffed carrier bags! "She'll be back" the Ryanair desk clerk said. I can only assume she was too, more late and more stressed than ever.
At the other extreme, in July I whad been surprised to see EasyJet checkin signs which seemed to encourage any quantity of hand baggage "within reason" or similar. Anyone else see those?
Perhaps the UK reaction to the August terror threat was not so unreasonable if it has (by extremes) returned hand baggage levels to something manageable and sensible. I reckon it was getting a bit daft before.
I would hate to have to do a security job which involved constant flow and analysis of such a huge multitude of objects and in such large volumes as was beginning to be the case at the beginning of the summer holidays.
And as for the aircrew risk - in the days when I humped bags, a couple of years ago, I was surprised at the variety and location of "Aircrew" bags which "seemed" immune to any real control. They not infrequently got offloaded with other bags and had to be expeditiously returned. In addition to that, we were constantly being asked to use our own security passes to allow airside to landside access to cabin crews and flight deck crews who wanted to use a proper toilet or whatever. Ours was not to reason why they were not issued with passes. It is mistakes in procedure like those which light the way to where security flaws may lie. If those aspects alone have been tightened up a bit, then surely the recent clampdown has been a good thing?
The other thing I was starting to wonder about was the true weight and loading balance when so many passengers load themselves to the hilt without any final weighing being done. I've done this myself - I am not obese but weigh 100kg in my underpants (which I always insist on wearing in the passenger compartment!). I have checked in 15 or 20kg in the hold and then, aided by a heavy winter coat with deep pockets, a handbaggage allowance, a credit card and a duty free allowance I've easily managed to arrive at the aircraft steps with another 20kg about my person. How much of my 140kg actually makes it to the loading sheet? Something well less than 100kg I suspect.
If there were 180 like me on one of Mr Ryan's 800s, that would surely get us pretty close to the max before the fuel is added? A bit like quick turned-round overheated brakes, maybe it doesn't matter too much anymore? A 737-800s may not be toothpaste-proof but perhaps you can load it with as much bravado as a Cherokee Six out of an African dirt strip! What say any of you 737 jockeys out there?
Captain's toothpaste apart, perhaps all that has happened is that the security baseline has been quickly and effectively returned to somewhere sensible, and some semblance of baggage control has returned. It was all a jolly inconvenient ride in August, but personally I don't think the industry is suffering from any lingering ineptitude - Ryanair charge £7 now for any unexpectedly stowed bag on the day so they ain't exactly loss-making this week. When I travelled in August with an IATA-sized handbag Ryanair dared not charge me to stow it to fit the new rules. I had not downsized my handbag and assumed I'd simply get to put it in the hold for free, and in August I was exactly correct. Ryanair's latest amended business model means they do dare charge unsuspecting punters now of course. So I have already learned that handbags really do have to fit in the box or I shall be returned to Go and must pay seven quid! And I fully expect that caution still applies now that we are back to IATA size testboxes which get used rather than being mere decorative items!
Oh and one other thing - In August I got pulled up onboard when I placed a boxed bottle of whisky in the overhead bin - no bottles up there of course! I knew that, but it's the first time I have ever been pulled up for the mistake - damn those new transparent plastic bags! Cost me my extra legroom exit row seat that did! All for the common good I guess
I shall still wonder about that weight and balance question, however! I always time the take-off run and anything over 35 seconds to rotation has me wondering even more!

[ContIgnt]

Unfortunately firefli, I think your post sums up the whole situation perfectly ...

[pipistrelle]

security????

Rumour at edinburgh is that if the security staff don't like your attitude they call the police. Didn't know attitude was a hanging offence.

[winkle]

but if a passenger has attitude we give them all the chances in the world and then nothing happens till the punches are thrown, but as crew one wrong word (different staff different rules at the same airport) is enough to end you up jobless. WHO IS PROTECTING WHO FROM WHO!!!!!!!
who's side are these people on. i think in future we the crews should call the ploice and have the security bod checked out after all they are meant to protect us from the pax NOT the other way round.
and as for checking soles of feet -what are you people on.
new rules look good for pax but what about the crew what change then please enlighten me.

[pleasurablejo]

Why is it a security issure what size your hand baggage is at all ?, what's it got to do with them ? why can schedule pax carry bigger hand baggage through security than charter pax ??

[HZ123]

How quickly we slip back to our standard complacency and good humour. Until the next time.

[Desperate]

Originally Posted by pipistrelle

Rumour at edinburgh is that if the security staff don't like your attitude they call the police. Didn't know attitude was a hanging offence.

My advice is to insist the police are called. The police are bound by a number of rules - PACE (Police & Criminal Evidence Act) and whatever has replaced parts of it.

As long as you're not threatening or commit other cardinal sins (and you can guess they're all the ones that end in 'ism' or 'phobic') then the presence of the police should be to your benefit. You certainly won't lose your job and the police can be held to account for their actions - something lacking in the 'security' staff.

Don't forget, if there's a video of the screener's search point (and there nearly always is) then as long as you've only used your razor sharp wit you can rely on the video to clear you. Something tells me that you're entitled to be shown it under the Data Protection Act if you feature on it.

So don't be intimidated by the threat of Mr Plod. Chances are they'll be reasonable. If not you can complain about them and something should be done.

If it gets as far as Plod turning up, and as a result you feel sufficiently wound up, I'd also file a company ASR. Being wound up by security just before a flight is certainly an air safety matter. In all confrontations with security, ensure you get the names of others in the room.

You wouldn't want to be verballed up, would you.......

[Danny]

Unfortunately, too many people appear unable to understand that the title of this thread sates specifically: Airport Security (Merged) - Effects on Crew/Staff

There are threads dedicated to the effects on Pax & SLF in the appropriately titled 'Passengers & SLF forum' so I'm now closing this one and crew can refer to the newest thread on the topic which is specifically aimed at 'Effects on Crew/Staff' by following this link.