TSA Needs

From Disability Scoop:
"TSA Says It Can Help Travelers With Special Needs"

At Orlando International Airport alone, nearly 130,000 travelers went through security checkpoints this past weekend as spring break begins in earnest. Transportation Security Administration managers said Monday that they want passengers to know that help is available if they have special needs The federal agency, which checks people for contraband before they board a plane, is encouraging people to check with officers by phone or before they reach the scanning equipment if they need aid. “We can make it very smooth for people,” said Jerry Henderson, who runs TSA at Orlando International. “It can all be arranged.” The key, Henderson said, is to get in touch with TSA as early as possible. He recommended calling the agency at 855-787-2227 or approaching an officer at the line to talk about concerns. Last year at Orlando International, the agency handled 1,370 assistance requests, said TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.

 

^ This report makes it sound like the TSA nation-wide all follow their own rules and I have personally experienced (first-hand and seeing it happen to other people) the opposite to be true. I have flown out of: Logan, Manchester, Albany, BWI, Dulles, Reagan, JFK, Newark, Charlotte, Denver, Reno, San Francisco, Anchorage, O'Hare, Midway, San Antonio, Houston, Buffalo, Atlanta, Memphis, Orlando, Miami, Philly, Detroit and Seattle since 9-11 and with someone who was in a wheelchair and the worst TSA experiences I had were at: Logan, Denver, Dulles and Anchorage. There were other incidents at other airports, but those were the worst four. The best TSA experiences were at: Manchester, Reagan, Albany and BWI. The above article only focuses on Orlando and tries to make a general statement about the whole TSA operation across the country. Overall I think the TSA is not doing its job correctly (both for the disabled and other passengers alike.) They have become mini-rulers with each airport their own dictatorship. They would rather control people then help them or keep them safe. I have seen the international versions of the TSA in many different countries: Russia, the Ukraine, Germany, the Netherlands, Croatia, Kuwait, Canada, Cyprus, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Poland, the United Arab Emirates, Iceland, the Bahamas, Costa Rica and Aruba (since 9-11) and the majority of them have a much better customer service attitude. The best were in: Iceland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands and the Bahamas. The worst were in: Russia (none of them spoke anything other than Russian), Costa Rica, Kuwait and Aruba. With that said, I still think the TSA is the overall worst that I have personally experienced and that needs to change. I applied, back when I lived in metro DC, to work at the TSA and passed all their tests - which anyone could as they were too easy - and was offered a job working for them. Luckily, I had just accepted a job at the Holocaust Museum and so went working there instead.  The TSA inspectors need to be trained to both keep passengers safe as well as provide good customer service.  ^

 

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/03/17/tsa-help-special-needs/20137/