Where Was The TSA?

A 29-year-old New Jersey man is in custody today, and the airline he tried to sneak aboard -- American Airlines -- is facing a stiff fine, after he allegedly boarded an AA flight from Newark to Miami without a ticket or boarding pass.

Danis Ballard of Irvington, NJ is charged with criminal trespass. Transportation Security Agency officials reportedly determined that his intent wasn't to breach security, but to fly for free.

A TSA spokeswoman, Ann Davis, told a reporter for the Associated Press that Ballard used a printed itinerary, instead of a boarding pass, to breeze through TSA's security checkpoints.

Ballard reportedly obtained the itinerary from an American ticket agent when he inquired about a same-day flight. He told the ticket agent the price was too high after the itinerary had been printed, and then used the itinerary -- which the TSA said was printed on the same paper as used for a boarding pass -- to board the flight.

His deception was discovered by the cabin crew when they conducted their preflight head count. Ballard was removed, interrogated, and ultimately arrested.

The TSA is blaming the airline for the security lapse, and American has been threatened with a fine of up to $25,000.

The government agency has made no statement about its own performance in the matter. In the past TSA has shied away from punishing its own members for errors or misconduct, claiming that any prosecution would compromise sensitive security information.

While the finger-pointing between the airline and the TSA is likely to continue, this might be one of those cases where both sides could take a look at their procedures -- ideally together -- and suggest improvements.

In the interim, a stiff fine may not be the best way to encourage this... but it could pay for eye exams for the TSA screeners in Newark...

FMI: www.tsa.gov