TSA Fails to Detect Over 94% of Threats — Again
A few years ago, it was revealed that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) failed to detect over 95% of potential threats, leading to the ousting of TSA Director Melvin Carraway. Well, you can rest easy now as the TSA has improved that number to... 94.4%. At least at one airport.
In a recent test of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), the TSA reportedly failed to detect threats such as "explosive materials, fake weapons or drugs" in 17 of 18 cases. According to multiple Minneapolis-based Fox9 sources, the failure rate was so high that the TSA pulled the plug on further testing. The same airport did better in testing in April 2016, merely failing on 9 of 12 cases (75%).
We checked with the TSA to see if these reported test results were accurate. A TSA spokesperson responded: "TSA cannot confirm or deny the results of internal tests and condemns the release of any information that could compromise our nation's security."
Mind you, this 94% failure rate doesn't mean that the Minneapolis TSA wouldn't catch routine threats, such as a gun packed in a carry-on suitcase. The TSA "Red Team" who's performing these tests are specially trained to test TSA security for flaws. The Los Angeles Times quotes a former head of the TSA calling the Red Team "super-terrorists for their ability to smuggle weapons and other prohibited items aboard planes."
With that said, isn't it more important for the TSA to stop "super terrorists" — rather than a person who just forgot to pull a gun out of a bag before packing it for a trip? It would seem that the former would be a lot bigger threat to aviation security than the latter. The latter may be careless, but the former has intention to harm.
Hopefully the TSA can get its act together. Although it might be forcing you to pull out your books for screening in some airports, with all of these ~95% failures on tests, it's not really inspiring much confidence right now.
H/T: View From The Wing
Featured image courtesy of Getty Images.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app