Another TSA Rant - F-Body Road Racing and Autocross Forums

Well TSA has managed to piss me off again with their complete and total stupidity. We just returned from spending the week as a family vacation on the big island of Hawaii. We flew in and out of Kona which used to be my favorite airport. It used to be an open air terminal no walls at all, at least until TSA screwed it up with all kinds of haphazzard partitions, dividers and automated doors.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Daniel hit the big island yesterday and it was pouring! You can imagine what an open air airport looks like in the rain. So there I am ready to walk through the metal detector with my 15 month old daughter under my arm literally standing in a puddle and I hear, "Sir please remove your shoes before walking through the metal detector!"

I begged and I pleaded for secondary inspection, strip search, even the rubber hose room just so I wouldn't have to take off my shoes and make a 5-1/2 hour flight in wet feet. No dice, I was told in no uncertain terms that if I didn't remove my shoes, I would not be making my flight.

Now to make matters worse after getting though security, TSA has another security checkpoint before entering the holdrooms. Yes that's right have your carry-ons and shoes screened twice before getting on the plane. Even better, TSA was not letting people enter the hold room until 1/2 an hour before their flight is to leave. The hold room at Kona is 2 open air roof structures that are approximately 100'x100' square. TSA has their equipment set up at one corner and forces the que for the line outside in the rain. There was one roof structure available to stand under outside of security. Do the math, a single 100'x100' structure with people waiting to board three separate 767's which hold between 200-240 pasengers equals a whole lot of people getting wet.

Fortunately we packed a change of dry clothes for my daughter and were able to change her after we boarded the plane. I was cold and shivering for the whole ride back and I hate to think what that might have done to her.

Here's what I can't figure out, why all the excess security on Hawaii? It's not like you can climb over a fence and you're there. Everybody on the island had to fly in or arrive on a cruise ship from somewhere else so they've already gone through sevurity at least once. It's isolated out in the middle of the Pacific for Christ's sake!

So now I've proven that it is possible to waterlog Goretex to the point where it is no longer waterproof, my toes still look like prunes even two hours after the flight, and I've had the pleasure of making a 5-1/2 hour flight in a 22' diameter tube with 240 of my closest friends that absolutely reaked of wet hair, wet clothes and B.O. Thank you TSA, I feel much safer.

2000Z-71 View Member Profile	Jul 31 2006, 02:39 AM Post #1
Member Group: Advanced Members Posts: 155 Joined: 18-April 04 From: Phoenix, Az. Member No.: 314	Well TSA has managed to piss me off again with their complete and total stupidity. We just returned from spending the week as a family vacation on the big island of Hawaii. We flew in and out of Kona which used to be my favorite airport. It used to be an open air terminal no walls at all, at least until TSA screwed it up with all kinds of haphazzard partitions, dividers and automated doors. The remnants of Tropical Storm Daniel hit the big island yesterday and it was pouring! You can imagine what an open air airport looks like in the rain. So there I am ready to walk through the metal detector with my 15 month old daughter under my arm literally standing in a puddle and I hear, "Sir please remove your shoes before walking through the metal detector!" I begged and I pleaded for secondary inspection, strip search, even the rubber hose room just so I wouldn't have to take off my shoes and make a 5-1/2 hour flight in wet feet. No dice, I was told in no uncertain terms that if I didn't remove my shoes, I would not be making my flight. Now to make matters worse after getting though security, TSA has another security checkpoint before entering the holdrooms. Yes that's right have your carry-ons and shoes screened twice before getting on the plane. Even better, TSA was not letting people enter the hold room until 1/2 an hour before their flight is to leave. The hold room at Kona is 2 open air roof structures that are approximately 100'x100' square. TSA has their equipment set up at one corner and forces the que for the line outside in the rain. There was one roof structure available to stand under outside of security. Do the math, a single 100'x100' structure with people waiting to board three separate 767's which hold between 200-240 pasengers equals a whole lot of people getting wet. Fortunately we packed a change of dry clothes for my daughter and were able to change her after we boarded the plane. I was cold and shivering for the whole ride back and I hate to think what that might have done to her. Here's what I can't figure out, why all the excess security on Hawaii? It's not like you can climb over a fence and you're there. Everybody on the island had to fly in or arrive on a cruise ship from somewhere else so they've already gone through sevurity at least once. It's isolated out in the middle of the Pacific for Christ's sake! So now I've proven that it is possible to waterlog Goretex to the point where it is no longer waterproof, my toes still look like prunes even two hours after the flight, and I've had the pleasure of making a 5-1/2 hour flight in a 22' diameter tube with 240 of my closest friends that absolutely reaked of wet hair, wet clothes and B.O. Thank you TSA, I feel much safer.