Originally Posted by
BYUFlyr
Really? Are we still battling this issue as professional flight crews? Do these morons know that we are the ones in control of the aircraft and crash ax which sits behind our seat? I wonder if members of Congress get frisked before entering federal buildings or boarding their private tax-funded airplanes... it would make just as much sense. I applaud him for standing up for his rights, though I think I would've just demanded a private room and then immediately made every effort to expose this upside-down logic to the press. I hope ALPA gets all over this like white on rice (at a slightly hastier pace than CREWPASS).
The correct answer to the question is "YES".
In the 1992, Congress appropriated $2 million dollars for a feasibility study of a flight crew pass system; then called "TWIC". The study was done at CLT, DTW and MIA and the carriers that participated were Delta, Northwest and U.S. Airways. In the 90 days of the test, participating crewmembers went through a portal, swiped their dual biometric ID cards and underwent a quick fingerprint verification. The system worked and the FAA was impressed with the possibilities. As the approval process was nearing, it became a political football and Congress once again got involved and decided we needed "more tests". The TWIC (CrewPass) access program died a natural death. The irony was that the cost of readers and dual biometric ID cards came to about $12 per flight crewmember. There was an economy of scale and if flight attendants and ramp personnel were added, the cost per card dropped to under $10 a piece. We had over 500 pilots who volunteered to pay $25 out of their own pocket to participate. Just think, it could have become a profit center for the FAA.
Forget the TSA. They have nothing to do with policy implementation of this nature. It has to come from Congress as a
directive to the FAA and then TSA to implement. Until we, as a group of professional pilots,
demand that Congress acts, we going to continue to stand in line with Joe and Jane Public. Folks, it's that simple !
G'Luck Mates
