Today I witnessed pilots/flt att throwing away their toothpaste/lotions/makeup in order to avoid checking their bags because they did not want to delay the flight...
I applaud their dedication but there comes a point when we must flex our little muscles and send a message to Fred/Arpey/Kellner/etc to get off their collective ass and push the hard working bureaucrats at DHS/TSA/Congress/Senate to come up w/ a National Transportation Workers ID.

Crews should not throw away their toiletries...check your bags and delay every turn if required.
We all pulled together to help our airlines aftre 9/11...but that was 5 years ago! This national ID is way past its due!

Give us background checks, security checks, financial checks, etc...just give us the ID that will enable us to bypass all the eyewash TSA B.S.

 

Yep, the man is right on.

 

Now they are saying uniformed crews do not have to comply w/ the toiletry gestapo...only Intl crews.

But, TSA inconsistencies are bound to rear their ugly head!!!

 

This message board has become a ounding off board.

 

Well said CargoBob. Call your representatives, get something done.

Voicing our opinions on this on an online message board, is not going to make it happen any faster.

 

I am under the impression that the whole no toiletries and no carry on bags thing only applied to crew members operating out of the UK.

There is a plus side to this... you wont have any problems finding overhead space on a dead head for the next couple of weeks because everybody is going to start checking bags a lot more often.

 

But you have to be "working" the flight. Jumpseaters ARE NOT EXEMPT!

BTW, ALMOST took a delay today out of ACY. I made sure that ALL the crew members bags were intact, and onboard up in the FWD cargo, before we pushed. But the gate agents, and everyone was on top of things (thank God {is that P.C.?}), and we actually pushed with 5 mins to spare.

 

At the Security Check Point whose going to know who is or isn't working a flight as long as you are in uniform???

 

I have heard that at some airports, gate agents are also conducting gestapo like searches of carry-on luggage.

 

Because our trusty TSA has put out a directive (prior to this all happening), if your airline does not fly into/out of that airport, you must get a boarding pass from the ticket counter.

BTW-This was going on in BOS , and in FLL (if your company does not fly out of that TERMINAL even!) before the directive.
I tried to "bypass" this 3 years ago, and the TSA agent noticed the company I work for did not fly out of BOS (we do starting TUE. though), so I had to go back and get a boarding pass. And then what do you think happens? I got the old "SSS" next to my name. Would happen most of the time unless the gate agent "knew" me and somehow by passed that. Anyway...

And then have to sit and wait to see if you get on.
They ARE sceening PAX at the gates (yes AFTER they ALREADY have been screened), so you might get a "smart" TSA (oxymoron) agent who notices you not boarding, with a boarding pass in hand, and THEN you're in big DooDOO!!!