Sunday, January 3, 2010

So Many Questions

A couple days ago a flight leaving Lambert Airport in St. Louis was called back.

Trouble began when flight 7445 was boarding in St. Louis. At the time, computers at the gate were not working, Oxley said. So airline staff used normal manual back-up procedures to run passengers through a last security check, he said. Oxley declined to say what those procedures were.

The plane -- a mostly-full Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jet -- left St. Louis shortly before 8 a.m.

Then the computers kicked back on. And the name of one passenger was found to be similar to a name on TSA's terrorist screening watch list -- which recently had been expanded with thousands of new names. "Which is what sent the alarm bells off," Oxley said.

Airline officials decided to order the plane to return to St. Louis. A TSA spokesperson said the federal agency was notified about the incident but was not involved in the decision to recall the flight.

Once the flight was back at Lambert, airline officials were able to determine the passenger was not on the watch list. He was cleared to fly.


What is the purpose of the "normal backup method" if it can't be relied upon? How similar does a name have to be before it is or isn't considered to be "the name" on the terrorist screening watch list? Who are "airline officials"?

Just wondering.

3 comments:

Spokane Al said...

I am looking forward to the day when as everyone enters the departing airport terminal, they will go directly to a stall and remove all of their clothes. They will then be issued a paper, disposable coverall to wear from that point forward until they reach the exit of their arrival terminal. They will then retrieve their clothes and dispose of the coveralls.

Perhaps their will be a special place with crayons and markers so passengers can decorate their coveralls.

Wouldn't that be nice?

Hank Greer said...

As long as there are no sudden updrafts!

Lucas said...

I wonder how all the people who cry about our liberty being trampled on feel about airport security? We all make jokes about the old USSR and "let me see your papers", but really - how different is the TSA?