$260 million a year isn't that much in context. how many bags per day would that be the equivilent of?

You could just think of it as $2 per bottle of shampoo.

tototototo: $260 million a year isn't that much in context. how many bags per day would that be the equivilent of?

Well, $260M a year is $712,328 a day. Per Wiki and a rough count, there are around 400 airports in the US that have more than 10,000 boardings a year, and therefore would have TSA security guaranteed. That brings the cost down to $1780 per airport, per day.

Not that unreasonable really when you consider the number of people going through JFK every day versus the West Bumfark Airport, Alaska.

Meh...ban carry-on luggage and make the airlines carry checked luggage free as part of their operating charter.

Oh Janet, you should have seen this coming, but apparently you did not. Probably because you're a stupid, stupid person

Quo Vadis?

doyner: Surely all those nail clippers can be re-sold to recoup some of that...

I think that the TSA must be outstanding for the nail clipper industry.

Seriously.

It is a major annoyance that so many passengers are dragging full-sized suitcases on planes as a consequence of Delta, et al charging for checked bags for the great unwashed masses. Of course if you have elite status, your luggage flies free of charge.

Seems a good chunk of boarding time is dealing with the excess in carry-on luggage.

You know all those clear acrylic boxes you see at airports, holding all the knives, nail clippers, scissors, and other stuff they confiscate from people when checking hand luggage? Why not make some money back and put that by the terminal exit doors with a mechanical claw, and charge people $1 a go to see what they can fish out. A $50 Swiss Army knife for $1!

Last time I flew I woulda checked my bag if not for the fee.
I had my Walkman and book, so the rest was just dead weight on my shoulder to avoid a fine.

/sent the rest of my stuff by mail.
/law of unintended consequences etc...

Starve the beast!1

How does paying people for something they already do suddenly cost more money? Whether or not you check your bag the same number of TSA agents are still working.

The article doesn't address that they had to hire more agents to do this work, only that it somehow costs more money to do the job they are supposed to be doing anyway.

TheOnion: Well, besides the fact that the two above kinda nailed it, it's $260 million per year, not per day, you idiot.

Come on, cut the guy a break. He did say "like 200 million": that earns him a little leeway, geez.

This is a load of bullshiat and nothing more than an attempt to force people into checking their bags for an outrageous fee.

If you can pack properly, you can fit a lot into a single carry-on bag. I can easily pack a week's worth of clothing (or more) into one single bag.

So as far as I'm concerned, they will have to pry my carry-on out of my dead hands before I pay bunch of cash for a bullshiat surcharge only to have my bag rerouted to the other end of the world.

way south: Last time I flew I woulda checked my bag if not for the fee.
I had my Walkman and book, so the rest was just dead weight on my shoulder to avoid a fine.

1980 called. They want their technology back.

Sim Tree: If the TSA didn't steal things from the checked luggage, then I could check my bag.

Sua culpa.

So farking much THIS!

Last time I had to fly, the asshats stole about $200 worth of shiat out of our bags. We were told they couldn't do anything about it, and to file a police report and claim with that info.

They can go fark themselves for all I care about their boo-hoo'ing on this.

So if we got rid f the TSA, we could send Obama to India again?

Yes, yes, nickel and dime us more for your useless, intrusive security theater. Lord knows it costs $5 for a high school dropout to take a 5-second look at an x-ray of my carryon.

So if you can put everything you need in your carry-on you can breeze past the suckers waiting up to 30 min for their checked bag to show up on the baggage carousel. And save a few bucks to boot.

WIN!

im going to be unreasonable here, but i say we just scrap the tsa and go back to the pre-9/11 flying experience. the tsa has been in the news for enough bullshiat over the past few years for everything ranging from stealing our stuff, to hassling customers, to failing the majority of their simulated bomb tests.

scrap the tsa and take some of these extra charges out of the ceo's salaries and flying will be a lot more enjoyable/inviting again. they might even see an increase in business.

/its not too late to reverse course
//kinda sorta on topic

Not to change the subject, oh who the hell am I, I haven't read the damn thread, but anywho...

It cost the government like 200 million dollars a day for you to not check your bag

Next farkwit that uses "like" in any shape fashion or form as the above is gonna get a two for one special Internet cockpunch.

1. Don't check anyone or anything.
2. Invest in time machine. It's cheaper than current TSA budget.
3. If something happens, go back and fix it.
4. Profit!

TuffNuff: Not to change the subject, oh who the hell am I, I haven't read the damn thread, but anywho...

It cost the government like 200 million dollars a day for you to not check your bag

Next farkwit that uses "like" in any shape fashion or form as the above is gonna get a two for one special Internet cockpunch.

I like this idea!

BurnShrike: way south: Last time I flew I woulda checked my bag if not for the fee.
I had my Walkman and book, so the rest was just dead weight on my shoulder to avoid a fine.

1980 called. They want their technology back.

...that's just how I roll.

/iPod, Walkman, potato, tomatoe.

The last time I flew, airport security completely missed the tweezers I had in my bag (the ultra sharp and pointy kind used for getting splinters out), but they hassled me about my little bottle of makeup and made a big show of running my bag through the scanner 3x to make sure they didn't miss anything. Still didn't see the tweezers.

Aarontology: Well duh. Security theater doesn't come cheap.

Yeah, but for this much money, I expect at least a couple songs and at least one dance number.

Good. fark 'em. Maybe if you'd quit stealing our shiat we might check something you farking crooks.

TheOther: Meh...ban carry-on luggage and make the airlines carry checked luggage free as part of their operating charter.

fark that shiat. The only thing to send through checked luggage is stuff you can "afford" to lose or have stolen. No way I'm sending my laptop, camera or anything other valuables through there.

four hundred rabbits: The last time I flew, airport security completely missed the tweezers I had in my bag (the ultra sharp and pointy kind used for getting splinters out), but they hassled me about my little bottle of makeup and made a big show of running my bag through the scanner 3x to make sure they didn't miss anything. Still didn't see the tweezers.

That's 'cuz they are tweezily overlooked.

Aarontology: TuffNuff: Not to change the subject, oh who the hell am I, I haven't read the damn thread, but anywho...

It cost the government like 200 million dollars a day for you to not check your bag

Next farkwit that uses "like" in any shape fashion or form as the above is gonna get a two for one special Internet cockpunch.

Well that's just like your opinion, man.

Don't make me summon LBJ, she has a bottomless mace can...

I need more coffee, that or just switch to beer... Decisions decisons..

Require all passenger to fly inside of luggage.

That would eliminate TSA checks for everyone except airport and airline crew.

//Bonus. You fart, you live with it through the trip.

I really wish that all baggage could be checked and claimed right on the jetway.

When United flights are oversold, they are always offering to gate check peoples bags to save space. You then claim these bags right on the jetway when you land.

Can someone explain why this can't be done for the entire plane?

I'd like to show up at the gate and drop my stuff off at the ticket counter and be done with it. Everyone boards and gets off smoothly.

The TSA is as badly managed as the RIAA/MPAA.

What did the honestly expect that would happen when airlines started levying fees for checking baggage? That Joe Passenger, the guy that just paid hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a flight is going to be happy to toss out an extra $50 to check his bag?

Yeh, right.

Joe Passenger said "Fark the TSA!" and started cramming everything he could into a carry-on bag and then stuff that into an overhead compartment.

Arcturus72: Sim Tree: If the TSA didn't steal things from the checked luggage, then I could check my bag.

Sua culpa.

So farking much THIS!

Last time I had to fly, the asshats stole about $200 worth of shiat out of our bags. We were told they couldn't do anything about it, and to file a police report and claim with that info.

They can go fark themselves for all I care about their boo-hoo'ing on this.

It's more likely that was airline personnel, and it's been going on for decades. TSA sucks balls, but the airlines have had a stealing problem for a long time.

One main point of the TSA is to spend money, dumbass subby!

That and condition citizens to accept unreasonable government intrusion without resistance.