A few years ago I applied for the Transportation Security Agency, or TSA. I had recently been employed by the United States Census Bureau in a management position. I took the required tests; one written and one visual. I failed. I am color blind, and the second test was entirely devoted to screening. Although there are many other jobs in the TSA, I was not accepted. Here’s the joke.

I was employed by an airline at Los Angeles International Airport when security began in the early 1970’s.

When I arrived for work one day in 1972, the entrance to the boarding gates was blocked by what appeared to be eight foot walls. A private security company, by the name of ‘Wackenhut’ had agents posted at three entrances. All carry-on items were being searched by the company’s employees.

The focus then was not terrorism; it was ‘skyjacking.’ In addition to checking carry-ons, Air Marshalls were readily available throughout the airport.

Initially there were some delays in flight departures, but they never exceeded 30 minutes. The effort by all concerned was extremely effective, and at a very minimal cost. The TSA’s annual budget is $7.39 billion, and it is a complete disaster.

The truth is that everything about the airline industry today is uncomfortable, overly expensive, and a miserable experience. As with other large corporations, the goal is ‘profit before people.’ The government has allowed the merger of large airlines, which removes competitive fares, scheduling, and the need to treat their customers with compassion.

The TSA has failed every test by Homeland Security. Our primitive screening was simple; it wasn’t ‘politically correct,’ but it was very effective. We profiled passengers. If this had been done on September 11, 2001, thousands of lives would have been saved.

You must remember that we were looking for possible skyjackers. I abhor bigotry, but if you think about what I was required to do in my position, it made a great deal of sense.

A red flag was placed on the boarding pass of a passenger if he fit this profile; non-Caucasian, male, between the ages of 25 and 45, traveling alone on a one-way ticket paid for by cash. That confirmed, the Air Marshalls were notified.

One morning my fellow gate agent marked the boarding pass of a man who fit the profile perfectly. The Air Marshalls were waiting near the metal detector located at the exit to the ramp where the aircraft was waiting. The alarm went off. The Marshalls had him step out of line, frisked him, and took from his hand a large book. Inside the hollowed-out book they found a pistol.

Our system was faster, more efficient, and far less costly.

Admittedly it may need to be modified today, but hand searching carry-ons was more accurate, and took less time than what happens at our airports today.

Expensive machines and an army of TSA agents hasn’t made us any safer, but it has made flying a totally miserable experience.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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