I
was flying out to San Francisco to speak at the RSA
Conference with Babak, my partner at The
CORE Group. I had imagined that this trip might be interesting, given
that California in general (and San Francisco in particular) isn't the most
gun-friendly place. I had no idea just what i was in for, however, and the
degree to which some people in the Bay Area practically mess their pants when
interacting with lawfully-armed citizens.
Luggage
& Gear
On this trip, as always, i was using my surplus
81mm mortar cases (specially fitted with hasps and other protections) as checked
luggage. These cases were secured with shackle-less Abloy
Protec puck padlocks. One case simply had a flare gun, while the other
had a free space for my H&K USP Compact carry piece. I say "a free
space" since the firearm wasn't in the case when i arrived at the airport.
Read on...
Outbound
Travel 
I chose, in the interest of research and
journalistic curiosity, to arrive at PHL airport on the Monday of my departure
with my concealed carry pistol holstered and loaded. This is nothing new for
me when i'm simply around town in Philadelphia... why should i and differently
about being at the airport? I'll admit i felt a little uneasy... but in the
end it seemed to be of little (or no) concern to the check-in agent. She gladly
fetched a pair of firearm declaration cards and observed as i opened each
piece of luggage to insert said paperwork.
When
i opened the second case,
i cautiously yet deliberately drew from my holster, dropped the mag, racked
out the chambered round, verified all was clear, and then eased down the hammer.
I topped off the magazine and stowed it next to its twin brother in the hard-sided
dual mag holster that i keep for this purpose. (Many airlines, including
US Air, consider a magazine an adequate "hard-sided container" for
the in-flight transportation of ammo, as long as there is no "exposure"
of rounds... thus a holster suits things fine.) I'll
admit i was curious if there would be any reaction from bystanders, but since
i was checking in at the red carpet line with no one else nearby, there were
no ignorant gasps or any such fuss.
I
proceeded to cart the cases down to counter #19, as always, where the special-handling
baggage belt is located for US Air. The cases went back as the check-in agent
called back "firearms!" through the plastic curtains. We waited
there momentarily as i listened to the customary loud bangs of my metal cases
clanking through the InVision CTX machine. Shortly after, the customary "all
clear" is heard from behind the curtain, and cheerily repeated by the
US Air employee. I proceed up to passenger screening.
Things
were not without incident here, however... as i would quickly discover. I
dropped my carry-on, wallet, phone, and boots into bins and proceeded through
the metal detector. It did not alarm (since i had no metal at all on my person)
but the TSA officer attending that station instructed me to proceed to the
secondary pat-down box. Puzzled, i walked in and stood there. Moments later,
another TSA officer approached me and asked, "So, do you know where you
might still have metal on you?" I explained that i most surely had no
metal on me at all, and that the unit hadn't alarmed. "Well, you must
have set it off if you're here, man" came the response. As i waited,
i could hear the two officers now conferring. The second TSA screener was
asking why i had been selected for a pat-down. I looked over my shoulder and
saw the first officer explain, "No, no metal... he didn't alarm,"
and then point repeatedly at his hip.
It
was my empty holster. The TSA screener manning the metal detector had become
uneasy at the sight of the additional piece of leather on my belt. Silly,
perhaps. But whatever... after a moment of conversation consisting of the
most inane questions ever ("Are you carrying a firearm?" "Uhm,
no... are you a moron?" "Uh, ok... are you with the FBI?" "No,
i just consult for them. A t-shirt is not a badge, fellas.") i was allowed
to proceed. So there's one tip for you folk out there... perhaps use a paddle
holster that you can easily remove on your walk up to passenger screening.
As for me, i like my Mitch Rosen pancake model.
The
rest of the journey was totally without incident. I arrived in San Francisco,
claimed my luggage, and attended the RSA Conference. See some of my other
posts on the DEFCON Forums for details how non-security-conscious most people
at this "security" conference seemed to be. ;-)
Homebound
Travel - Initial Attempt
Wow. I thought that my little episode of
extra security scrutiny on the way to San Francisco was enough to write
home about. I had no idea what i was in for out in the Bay Area. My travels
home from SFO were among the most frustrating and ridiculous experience of
my extensive life as an airline passenger.
It
began with my check-in at SFO. I was helped by Isabel
(my apologizes for inaccuracy, but her name was possibly just "Isabella"...
i am uncertain) who seemed at first unfamiliar and/or uncomfortable
with firearms. She informed me that she would have to "see that the barrel
or whatever is empty" as we prepared the declaration forms. However,
she did actually seem to be somewhat competent as i opened the action of each
gun. She asked about ammunition but made no further inquiry or inspection
of it. In a lovely gesture of additional assistance, Isabel brought a spare
baggage cart around to my side of the check-in counter... she hadn't realized
that i still had my own.
My
hard cases were loaded back on the cart and she led me to the TSA screening
area. It was some distance away, past the counters for Continental and AirTran.
We stopped by a small, unmarked door next to the Star Alliance President's
Club. We waited for five minutes or so while she placed calls on her mobile
phone requesting a screener. As we stood there, she made a point that i was
not to touch or handle the luggage in any way once it had been cleared. At
first this seemed like an odd instruction... of course, i wasn't going to
proceed into the TSA screening room and mess with my luggage... who would
do that? I later understood why she informed me of this, however... US Air's
procedure for firearms at SFO airport is utterly insane. Allow me to explain
further...
A
TSA officer eventually approached and unlocked the small, nondescript door.
He asked me for my luggage keys. At first i demurred... i am always incredulous
over the fact that airports don't simply run baggage through a CTX machine
and then only if there is an alarm bother with the extra hassle, time,
and trouble of opening a bag. However, i could see that the screening table
was immediately inside of the doorway and my view of the whole affair
would be unobstructed, so i passed the gentleman my Abloy key. After a little
bit of fussing, he was able to get the huge puck lock removed and gave the
case a very cursory hand-inspection. He did the same for the second case.
At no time did he unzip or interfere with the zippered pistol cases. The cases
received the little "TSA Cleared" sticker
on the luggage tag and a note was made on some clipboard (possibly the small
identifying tag was peeled from my large luggage tag and affixed to something
on the inspection table). The TSA screener placed signed Notices of Inspection
in each case, re-locked everything, and even re-applied my little twist ties
that hold the secondary latches in place. This was an especially helpful gesture,
so i asked his name and thanked him for taking such care with my luggage.
I
should point out, my inquiry of his name was not for inclusion in this piece
(indeed, while i try to remember the names of folk with whom i interact so
my write-ups can be as complete as possible, i have clearly forgotten it)
but simply so i could offer him a "Thanks for all the great help, John"
type of farewell. I would later learn that, at least in San Francisco, this
sort of behavior is considered dangerous... at least, if you're traveling
with firearms.
Here
is where the story starts to get rather strange. I began to understand the
relevance of Isabel's instructions concerning my luggage, as the TSA officer
did not place my items on any airport conveyor belt to send them behind the
scenes, but rather started loading the cases back on to the baggage cart.
Isabel then handed this cart off to a kindly (but clearly low-level) airport
employee named Ram. This gentleman spoke little English and was obviously
not part of any security detail... yet he was charged, solely, with the task
of wheeling my firearms cases to parts unknown. The last i saw, he was actually
wheeling my "cleared" cases outside of the building and down
the sidewalk. "Well, that's a pretty stupid way of running security,"
i thought to myself, "but at least i know they're locked."
I
proceeded through passenger screening with no difficulty and reached my gate
well in advance of my flight to Las Vegas. As we waited there to be called
for boarding, i and the other passengers began to express unease at how long
things were taking. One could hear that style of conversation that has a way
of building up when people begin questioning whether they have made an error
or overlooked a critical detail... "Hey, this is the noon flight
to LAS, right? Ah, you're going there too? OK, i was just worried i was sitting
in the wrong place." etc etc. Announcements concerning a "paperwork
problem" kept being voiced over the PA system.
By
this time, i was growing hungry. The main leg of my journey home, LAS -->
PHL, was first-class... and i was hoping to hold off eating until that flight.
Still, if the delays grew any worse i stood a chance of missing that flight
entirely. I thought it prudent to at least buy a small bag of nuts and a water
in case other troubles cropped up. I shouldered my bag and walked to a nearby
news stand. As i did so, i couldn't help but notice a pair of uniformed SFPD
officers from the Airport precinct standing by the US Air counter. Minutes
later, when i walked back from the snack stand (which was all of twenty yards
away) there were four such officers, some of whom had arrived on bikes.
Clearly, this was more than a paperwork issue.
I
approached them and directly yet politely inquired if there was a problem
and, "if it is appropriate for me to ask, what is the nature of the trouble?"
(If we were going to be seriously delayed i had to make some calls, arrange
alternate rides home with people back East, etc.) It was at this time that
the four officers (Ray Serrano, L. Lacey, C. Tom, and one other whose credentials
i did not ever observe) took flanking positions around me. The circumstances
seemed to indicate that they may have known who i was or expected to confront
me. (Had Isabel -- who was present there at the gate -- or the TSA screener
given them some sort of description?)
Officer
Ray Serrano appeared to be in charge and immediately asked me who i was and
requested that i produce ID. I suppose i could have balked at that, but in
this instance i felt that non-aggression and straight talk had the best chance
of lowering the posture of all parties. While Officer Serrano confirmed my
identity, another uniform (Lacy, i believe) asked if i was a sworn officer.
(Again, confusion over a Fed shirt. I often speak at LEO meetings or give
small trainings, etc. and swag comes with that territory... They get folded
into my wardrobe routine.) "No, i'm not with the Secret Service,"
i reply.
Officer
Lacy (i believe) said that the matter concerned the fact that i was flying
with firearms. (So, they did know who i was and were at the gate, ostensibly,
to address me specifically.) Officer Serrano took over the conversation at
this point and led the rest of the affair. (I should point out that this entire
time, the officers were completely professional, not at all threatening, and
-- with the exception of Ray Serrano's repeated refusals to hand me back my
ID -- in no way contributing to an atmosphere of intimidation.) I was asked
if i was traveling with anyone else on this journey. I explained that i no,
i was alone. I was asked where i was ultimately flying, after Philadelphia.
I explained that this was my ultimate destination and that i live in
the greater Philadelphia area, as my ID clearly shows. I was simply trying
to get home after a long week at a very large, very exhausting security conference,
i explained.
There
was more chatter, half-formed questions, and resolution of a great deal of
misunderstanding in the minutes that followed. From what i could glean from
overhearing the officers and the airport staff (other officials had now gathered
around at this point, including someone who i believe was head of TSA security
for SFO) there was another passenger on some other flight who
was also flying with firearms, through Philadelphia (possibly on US 658, the
11:15 direct to PHL) but whose ultimate destination was Tel Aviv... and this
individual had acted suspiciously and/or did not show up to board his aircraft.
"So,
wait... you had me confused with someone flying to Ben Gurion?" i ask.
(If anyone there knew the name of TLV International, their faces didn't register
it. Blank stares all around. You'd think that maybe Isabel might have recognized
that i knew what i was talking about... she has a Hebrew name, after all.)
The
attitude of the officers had almost totally shifted at this point. They completely
realized that this was a waste of their time and that someone, somewhere had
majorly overreacted. Keep in mind, i still did not know why at this point...
but hold on, dear readers, the story gets much better and still a bit
more exasperating. ;-)
So
now, I was at least officially released from police custody...
...
but naturally, this had all been taking significant time. The officers were
now engaged with the gate staff getting all sorts of details concerning the
flight number, captain's name, booking codes, etc. that had to go in their
report. Passengers had begun boarding the aircraft (we were now about five
minutes past scheduled wheels-up) and i was still standing there, without
my ID, waiting to be dismissed. We weren't done yet, however, since i now
got to speak with... two suit-wearing officials from the TSA. A gentleman
named Hector and his apparent superior, Mr. Coreman, spoke with me briefly.
They immediately explained that they had virtually no interest in the situation,
given that they were standing right there while the police had established
my identity and the fact that i was not a risk of any kind.
It
was Mr. Coreman who told me that some of the confusion and concern of me being
a potential threat may have come from the fact that i "asked questions"
during my screening. "So, asking someone's name is cause for alarm?"
i inquired, a bit puzzled. "Well, you know... in this age we find ourselves
in nowadays... blah blah blah," came the response. I'm proud to say that
i called the two TSA fellas out on that comment right there, insisting that
post 9/11 fear isn't a valid excuse for poor security. I went on to ask "so,
is this other potentially threatening traveler being questioned anywhere
right now? Did he just get on this plane... the plane that I am still
not being allowed to board?"
The
TSA superiors had no real answers there. Nor did they think i was going to
be allowed on the flight, they said. When i asked why, they said that the
matter was still being resolved, but that too much time may have passed and
the plane might need to take off. It was now ten minutes past noon. From the
chatter i was hearing at the counter, it sounded like USAir Corporate (and
an entity abbreviated "OCC") were now involved. "The Captain
of the aircraft has final say," explained Isabel, "and he might
need to get in the air. We are really sorry."
I
began asking questions regarding what ultimately became my central complaint
about this whole process... why did neither the police, nor TSA, nor the
airline staff make any attempt to identify me and speak to me during
the long period of pre-flight delay? If i had not approached them at
the counter, would anyone have identified me or stopped me? No
one had any answers.
Be
that as it may, as we continued to all stand around, a short while later three
passengers came running towards the gate asking "Las Vegas? Las Vegas?"
It was now 12:17 in the afternoon. "Yes! Las Vegas this gate...
hurry up," was the reply of the US Air staff at the gate! I was utterly
flabbergasted at this point. I hate using my frequent flyer status as leverage,
but it was at this time that i displayed my Star Alliance Platinum card to
those present (particularly the US Air employees) and asked point-blank, "am
i going to get on this flight or not?!?"
It
was then revealed that Captain Minter, the pilot of this Mesa Airlines vessel
(it was a code-shared flight), said no. He was "uneasy" with the
whole matter and wanted my baggage taken off and re-screened by TSA. "Exactly
how do you propose to do that?" i asked the two TSA officials who were
still standing next to me. "The luggage contains firearms and is locked,
remember?" They then stated that the cases would likely just be run through
the CTX machine and that would be sufficient. You know... the exact procedure
that i push for all the time yet so rarely see. Facepalm.
So
my plane left, i was not going to make it to Las Vegas on time for my connection.
Isabel told me they could get me on a United Airlines flight direct to PHL
later that day. There was no room in first class, however. We checked a few
other options... nope, it's back with the cattle for me, no matter when i
fly. I wound up being booked on a United flight due to arrive home a few hours
later than expected (it saved a little time by not having a layover, but Daisy
Belle still had to drive to PHL at midnight to pick me up.)
Isabel
felt very bad about the whole matter and, after the officers and the TSA officials
and everyone else had left, she placed a call to US Air's "elite"
line to complain about how matters were handled. She was quite blunt with
her words on the phone, mentioning that i was originally in first class and
that was no longer possible, that this whole affair was "through no fault
of [my] own" and that the airline "did seriously inconvenience [me]"
with the "captain requesting [my] bags be pulled" and asserting
that "the captain didn't want to wait" etc etc. There was no resolution
at the time, but the matter was "documented" she assured me... and
this allegedly is a key part of the process of having it taken seriously so
amends can be made.
I
then walked back through the entire airport terminal, down to baggage claim,
paid for another cart, and loaded my cases on to them. Interestingly, Ram
(whom i met earlier up at the first luggage screening) was down there, chatting
with two other baggage handlers. Despite his broken English, i could clearly
hear him say something to the effect of, "this whole thing... this thing
Isabel's fault." Perhaps she indeed was the one who raised a flag about
my spooky, evil desire to address people by their actual name.
In
any event, i spoke with Cliff, the fellow in charge of luggage. He was fabulous
in every sense of the word, a fine San Franciscan. :-) He informed me of the
best way to proceed... across many levels and with a short trip on a bloody
train to another entire wing of the airport. It was there that i would
check-in for my United Airlines flight.
Homebound
Travel - Second Attempt 
Despite taking place on the heels of a frustrating
experience and not involving first class accommodations as i had hoped,
the flight home with United went quite smoothly. I arrived in Terminal Three
and was met by my buddy Babak... with his flight being hours after my initially-scheduled
departure but our shared use of the rental car, he had originally been simply
killing time around the airport, waiting for his plane. As my increasingly
perturbed texts started hitting his phone, his interest was piqued. Now he
got to walk me through the firearm check-in procedures for United. Despite
being in the same airport, they do things much differently on this
side of the complex.
We
checked in at the "special handling" line (the one place where you
can deal with a real human and not just a kiosk) and were given firearms declaration
cards. I filled them out and inserted them into the luggage. On the journey
home from California, i had one additional bag in my assortment of goods being
transported... i had acquired swag at the trade show and had chosen to wear
sneakers as opposed to boots for the flight home, thus i was traveling with
an additional bag to check. The individual assisting me at the United counter,
Amy, kept insisting that i was only Star Alliance Silver and thus would have
to pay for the third piece of luggage. After repeatedly waving my gold and
platinum status cards in front of her, she eventually backed down. (Does it
anger anyone else that the check-in agents have virtually unquestioned power
to waive any and all bag fees for any reason at any time without repercussions
and yet so seldom do so without a fight?)
Amy
called for an escort (again, a baggage handling employee) who took my luggage
cart and led us to an entirely other area of the airport. (At least we got
to accompany him on this journey.) Interestingly, we went down to a lower
level and entered the United Airlines Package office where parcels and other
courier goods are processed. Our baggage-handling escort (who, like Ram, also
spoke little English) made a joke with another fellow by saying "John
Wayne" a few times. Apparently, this is a reference to firearm-bearing
passengers.
Right
here in the Package Service office there was a TSA inspection table and a
very senior (in every sense of the word) screener, Officer Patel. He finished
processing the passenger in front of me (who had a long case with assorted
pistols and at least one long arm) and then indicated to the baggage handler
that the cases should be lifted from the cart. He motioned to me that i should
unlock the bags and step back. A hand scan and explosive residue swab test
was performed on each bag, and Officer Patel also unzipped and looked briefly
into the small pistol cases. He signed and placed in Notices of Inspection
and re-secured the luggage. After noting the time and the numbers from my
luggage tags on his clipboard, he waved us along. I really do not believe
he said a single word to anyone during this entire procedure. Babak indicated
that, hours earlier, it was the same man assisting him and he was similarly
silent. Heh.
Babak
and i passed the time awaiting our flights (we were both now departing around
16:00) with bowls of soup and astounded sharing of stories regarding the airport
and the conference we had attended. (Again, check the DC Forums for hilarious
comments regarding things we saw that week.) He boarded his plane and minutes
later i boarded mine. I was in a center seat way back in coach. In the aisle
seat to my right sat a very large, aged hippie who read works about Carlos
Castaneda on an Amazon Kindle while constantly bobbing his head to a myriad
of tunes that apparently existed only in his mind. Mercifully, however, on
my left there was a petite (and gorgeous) young gal who immersed herself in
her headphones and then in her pillow. It was like the last time i flew somewhere
with DJ Jackalope, and i was glad to not be too crowded.
I
arrived in Philadelphia and my cases were among the first luggage items to
appear. Right there at baggage claim, i inspected the contents of the cases,
re-armed on my hip, and walked outside. In the crisp evening air i even had
the good fortune of meeting a solider who was traveling on orders and i was
able to chat with him briefly, thank him for his service, and hand him a Traveling
Terabyte business card in case he should wish to tell others in his unit about
our care packages.
Daisy
rolled up in the Yukon and we sped off into the night on I-95. Despite the
whole incident being over, i was pleased to cross the Ben Franklin bridge,
putting just a little bit more easterly distance between me and California.
Final
Details & Thoughts
I'm sure there will be follow-up details as i begin contacting any number
of customer service centers on Monday. For now, i will highlight what i feel
to have been some of the more glaring failures in this entire process...
1.
US Air Screened Luggage Handling at SFO - I was personally rather shocked
at how blatantly insecure was the handling of luggage at SFO. I have spoken
many times during my talks about flight safety procedures of the pitifully
simple and easily-replicated TSA Baggage Screening
markers. While i'm sure that the fellow Ram was a very nice man and
dedicated to his job, i personally don't like the idea that he wheels screened
luggage out by the curb of the airport as part of its journey towards being
loaded on a plane. If he were to ever be bribed, coerced, or simply bamboozled
into accepting one more luggage item on his cart (with either a swapped
luggage barcode and/or a fake "TSA Cleared"
tag) it would be loaded on to an aircraft without question. I'm sure
this is a matter of the "well this is just how we've always done it"
argument, which is something that i feel has to stop being made at
airports around this country, plain and simple.
2.
Alarmist Nature of Airport Staff - We can't get around the fact that
someone, somewhere was simply petrified that i was flying with firearms
(is that a sign of a deranged lunatic in San Francisco?) and "asking
questions" to various people. As some of my friends choose to point
out... if we begin questioning everyone and living with this constant paranoia
of the "evil doers" and other bogeymen hiding behind every corner...
are the terrorists winning?
3.
Illogical and Bizarre Lack of Action at the Gate - This is my key argument
in everything that took place. I was at the gate well in advance of my flight.
Whomever raised a red flag clearly did it early-on, during my interactions
with screening staff. So why was no action actually taken
at the gate, short of holding the flight? Why on earth wasn't i paged to
the counter? Or why didn't the officers walk through the three rows of waiting
area seats to find me? This was a short-hop commuter jet that held only
eighty passengers, people! All of this mess could have been sorted out well
in advance of all the trouble if someone had just pursued the matter.
4.
The Captain's Pants-Pissing - I recognize that pilots of commercial
flights are put into a somewhat difficult position on matters of security.
With their unquestioned discretion to bar travelers from the aircraft, they
are at times forced to make judgment calls that are almost always
going to be wrong and going to look really bad in the press the next
day. Barring a passenger for having Arabic writing on a shirt or for traveling
with a child who is overheard saying "bye bye, plane" or for wearing
a button that says "Suspected Terrorist" on their shirt or for
wearing a skirt that is too short is always going to make you look pretty
goddamn stupid. (NOTE - all of these are real incidents that actually
happened in recent US Aviation history) And yet, if just one "shady"
looking person is on a flight and the captain chooses to hit the sky anyway,
it's that pilot who will possibly face a reprimand if the individual whom
"some people thought was suspicious" freaks out and tries to open
the emergency exit door at 30,000 feet.
So,
i recognize all that... but come on. When the police and the TSA
all agree (almost instantly) that a total mistaken identification has taken
place and that a passenger is utterly and completely no threat to the aircraft,
the flight should proceed as planned... along with that person aboard. By
making these follow-up inspections less intrusive and less
likely to cause major trip delays, we put people at ease with the prospect
of calling for the occasional additional interventions should they be needed
in the future. Handling the matter in the way it proceeded with me, on the
other hand, results in reprimands, lost revenue, and causes all employees
involved to be less likely to act on the "if you see something,
say something" mindset in the future.
Maybe
one day Isabel will actually spot the next potential hijacker or mad bomber...
i don't want her remembering this botched response and squelching her urge
to say something to her superiors.
