I used to really enjoy traveling, there was always a new place that I was planning on visiting and I frequently looked forward to new experiences that I could have in new places around the world. But because of all of the negative experiences that I have had over the years with the TSA, it really has dampened my outlook on traveling entirely.
It isn't just me either. I have family that lives throughout the US and I have been waiting for them to come and pay a visit, but because of their own negative travel experiences they too have decided that for now they would rather stay home than venture out if it means dealing with the TSA. Even if it also means not seeing family that you haven't seen in a long time.
And are passengers the only upset ones? It doesn't look like it. Many airlines too have voiced their concerns, saying that the failure and shortcomings of the TSA have caused many of their passengers to have their flights delayed. American Airlines lashed-out at the TSA early this year calling their line-ups 'unacceptable' with many passengers having to wait in line for sometimes 3 or more hours.
Many people will say that they don't mind the line-ups and the security farce because they think that it is making them safer. But is it really making us safer? Several people have managed to bring weapons onto planes regardless of the TSA, and some have made weapons even after getting through security successfully. In previous tests, the TSA were seen to have a failure rate of roughly 95 percent when it came to finding threats. So what exactly are they hoping to stop? They cannot and have not ensured a perfect level of safety and they'll never be able to.
Some passengers have been so upset over missing their flights that they've sued the TSA over it.
See: http://fortune.com/2016/06/14/lawsuit-tsa/
Just this year alone, more than 6000 passengers missed their flights IN JUST ONE WEEK . And there really is no excuse for this considering the airlines already have a pretty good estimate of what type of traffic they will be expecting, given that most of the tickets are pre-booked. Despite this fact however, the TSA still fail to staff adequately in order to keep up with the demand of travelers.
See: http://dailym.ai/2bS2v3d
This is a level of service that is something that you wouldn't normally see in a private business. This is because a private business needs to be considerate about their operating costs. Many private businesses will check on their labor costs on a frequent basis (usually hourly) in order to make appropriate cuts or add more workers whenever it is needed.
But can we expect the TSA to operate with such a common sense business model, one that seeks to meet needs in an efficient manner?... You'd think with a budget in the multiple billions that they'd be more efficient than they are presently. That's a lot of funding.
My affinity for travel has now been reduced to preferring a train, boat, car, heck at this point I would rather walk than get on a plane and go anywhere. It's tedious and at the end of the day I think the whole thing is rather unnecessary given the points mentioned above regarding their inefficiency.
What about you? Have you had any negative travel experiences? Do you mind the failure of the TSA? Do you see them as a success? Share your thoughts below!