TSA Says Frequent Travelers are Suspects, Too

The TSA is taking its impossible charge -- of making every traveler safe -- too far, say some chronic airline customers.

As with that agency's Friday diktat concerning no-process suspension of FAA certifications, it has also clamped down on airline travelers' perqs -- and has clamped down on the airlines' most-important customers.

By decree (the way the TSA operates), the nation's nuttiest Big Brother agency (no offense to the DEA, the FBI, the INS, US Customs, OSHA, and the IRS, all strong contenders in their own rights) has said that, if the airlines' best customers want to use their special facilities at airports, they'll have to give 24-hour notice.

Joe Hopkins, United spokesman, explained to us that, "The TSA wants only ticketed passengers in the 'sterile area.' This is one way to help them do that." He didn't have a comment on his fliers' attitude to the new rule, but he did say that, "We've been doing this for some time."

It's not impossible to get in; you'll just need the advance notice, which is fine in most instances. Hopkins said, "...call us 24 yours ahead; we put your name on a list, we give you a pass, and you can get in. Sometimes, someone who isn't taking a trip on that day, may still need to use the club room." That's how a non-ticketed Club member gets in.

Tim Kincaid, a spokesman for American Airlines, told the AP: "We, American Airlines, set the 24-hour minimum because we did not have the staffing to run lists down to the TSA every time someone called for a room who was not traveling. We did not want to put an expectation on the clubs that we would not be able to fulfill, so we set 24-hour minimum advance notice."

FMI: www.tsa.gov