Originally Posted by
FDXFLYR
I completely agree with your position, I'm the same person when I'm in uniform or when I'm in street clothes. My credentials should be the determining factor if I'm a known crew member, not the clothes I'm wearing. But to make my life easier, I just carry a non-uniform shirt in the outside pocket of my suitcase, go through security in uniform then once in the secure area, I just swap shirts in the bathroom. I think it demonstrates just how silly TSA procedures really are but swapping shirts makes everyone happy.
yeah- but now you have a wrinkled uniform shirt, that you wore walking from the 97 degree parking lot. Or you're jumpseating to the planet in civvies, and your uniform is hanging in your locker, jumpseating to grandma's w no uniform etc.
Identity is the issue, and the policy contradicts itself.
Personally these kind of policy decisions just drive me nuts, and if ALPA was working with the TSA/ATA on the program- they should have objected to the absurdidty of that proposal, and vehemently objected to the uniform restriction.
And if the TSA is firmly against ALPA's stance with no justification- then publicly throw them under the bus, by name. If they offer justification - "communicate" it to us.
i.e. "ALPA endorses Known Crewmwber, but Mr. Jackxss from TSA is unwavering in his stance to restrict it uniformed pilots. The rationale is xxx, and the adminstrator is more concerned about image/control/etc than true identity, trust and security".