Orlando International Airport is one of four U.S. airports nationwide where the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will begin to test modified screening procedures for passengers 75 years and older.
In addition to Orlando International Airport, the TSA will begin testing these new procedures on March 19, at Chicago O’Hare International (ORD), Denver International (DEN), and Portland International (PDX) airports.
“These changes will allow officers to better focus their efforts on passengers who may be more likely to pose a risk to transportation, while expediting the screening process,” said Joseph Terrell, Federal Security Director for TSA in Orlando.
These modified procedures are similar to those tested and implemented in the fall of 2011 for passengers age 12 and under. They include no longer removing shoes and light outerwear, permitting a second scan through advanced imaging technology to clear any anomalies, as well as a greater use of explosives trace detection.
TSA said, these procedures could ultimately reduce – though not eliminate – pat-downs of travelers 75 and older.
Individuals may still be required to remove their shoes and undergo a pat-down if anomalies are detected during security screening that cannot be resolved through other procedures, the agency said.
TSA has repeatedly said that anyone could be a terrorist and everyone needed to be subjected to the same procedures, whether they were children, elderly or disabled. Why should someone be exempt at 75, why not 80 or 65? The same applies to children. Why 12 and not 14 or 10? It makes no sense.
They said “terrorists have used children in the past” after the invasive pat down of the 6 year old girl in New Orleans and the infant in Kansas City. They said that “terrorists have been elderly” in response to public outrage at their frequent groping of the elderly and the strip searches of three grandmothers last November at JFK.
Now they are admitting that this strategy was flawed from the outset and that they have needlessly victimized and traumatized millions of passengers for nothing. The management at TSA, Pistole and Napolitano are responsible for this unwarranted assault on airline passengers and must be held accountable and punished for their indecent treatment of innocent people.
They are saying that these two groups pose no real threat and are allowing them, along with many frequent fliers, to skirt security while subjecting everyone else to their invasive searches. These are not risk based exemptions they are age and income based and are fundamentally discriminatory and lack a security rationale.
TSA is beginning to realize that the public despises this agency, sees them for the incompetent buffoons that this is all no more than security theater. Congress must abolish TSA and replace it with an program of consistent, sensible and respectful procedures for everyone.