CAN you believe this????

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration ordered security searches of all U.S. commercial aircraft Friday after suspicious baggage was found in the bathrooms of two Southwest Airlines flights, U.S. officials told CNN.

In a statement, Southwest Airlines said the bags were found Thursday night after the planes landed in Houston, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

'While performing maintenance on an aircraft lavatory in New Orleans last evening, several items were discovered in a lavatory compartment,' Southwest said in a statement.

'The items, inside a small plastic bag, included a small number of box cutters and other items intended to simulate a threat. A similar discovery was made in Houston last night on another aircraft during a scheduled maintenance inspection,' the statement read.

Notes in each package 'indicated the items were intended to challenge the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint security procedures,' the airline said.

The airline said it alerted the TSA, inspected its fleet of 385 aircraft and found no similar items.

Government sources told CNN that, in addition to box cutters -- devices used by the September 11, 2001, hijackers -- the bags contained a clay substance that resembled plastic explosive and what appeared to be bleach.

The liquid was contained in suntan lotion bottles; the clay was inside Play-Doh containers, sources said.

An administration source told CNN that the note indicated that while the TSA was doing a good job, the baggage with the suspicious items still got on board.

The Houston flight originated in Austin, Texas; the New Orleans flight originated in Orlando, Florida.

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation, Department of Homeland Security officials said.

SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ugh.... i keep flying.,..with the mentality that 'what's meant to be will be '...

Oh man! I'm flying Southwest in a week and a half! They better get their sh*t together.

I posted but LIweddings died so it was lost.


Ok, I yes I can believe this.

The tool the terrorist use, in my opinion, can not be detected by any scanner. It's called Fear.

It could be a plastic butterknife (it was used on one plane) or a box cutter. You can't catch everything.

What can you do, be villigant.

JMHO

I think its great that there are whistle blowers out there...who keep checks on the TSA and all gov't agencies...


by doing this...as horrible as it may seem...they will help tighten security...

---

half the people aren't looking and the search they do if they see something in your bag is pathetic at best. it's really sad but what can you do?

---

How come the media didnt acknowledge the chemical substance found in someone's suitcase. It was a TSA agent who found it.

How the media doesnt acknowledge the advance technology and machines TSA use???
The rules they have to follow, the intense background checks they go through???

My FI is a TSA agent and has been for a while.
He even had one guy fired because the guy didnt want to do his job. Homeland security has zero tolerance for slackers.

I am not saying TSA and Department of Homeland Security is perfect, their are a lot of things that need to be improved, but I feel a lot safer about flying with guys like my FI checking suitcases. Believe me he lets nothing get by him.

TSA are NOT the only ones with access to everything.

The cleaning crew, baggage handlers and maintance crew have access to the tar mat and the aircraft and they get around TSA because they have full access. They flash their badge and go through.

So if something is found on a plane does not necessarily mean it got passed an agent doing a check. Too many other people have full access

SHould they be searched as well absolutly, but because they have airport clearance and the right pedagrees they are not.

So before people go jumping on TSA and the department of homeland security I am telling you their are a lot more people then TSA who has access to the planes and passangers

ETA: Some people also have escort privaleges and can get anyone through. For example (this is an example and has not happened) a person can be a TSA agent, have full access and escort provaleges but be a mean person on the inside and wants to hurt us. How would he get a bomb on the plane. Easy, he has his friend pose as a worker. Agent has escort privaleges, escorts imposter worker onto airplane, boom bomb is set.

Plane blows up. Who gets blamed immediatly, TSA because they didnt search the bags properly.

Thats not always the case.

Too many people have access, so as scary as it is, its not always because someone didnt do a search

i fully understand your point, however in this case it appears it was a mistake on the screener's part-- see article

article


maybe we should start screening all employees a bit more though (if that's true about the flashing the badge and walking through). i mean i know there's background checks and all, but better safe than sorry right? i wonder why they don't do that.

and by the way i wasn't blaming anyone in particular just commenting on what i've seen.article

I agree their should be more security. I know you are not blaming, just letting you know that their are many other people with access to a plane besides an agent.

We flew to FL (before he was an agent) and JFK allowed FI to get on the plane with his wallet that had a long chain. It attaches to the belt loop. It can be used as a weapon

Coming home, Tampa airport made him check the chain. He had to put it in a box and it had to go with the suitcases below the plane

Shoes with a sole more then 1 inch thick requires you to take them off and put them through the machine. Some agents will overlook it while others will say you have to put them through.

You are allowed knitting needles on a plane, but some agents will tell you no and confiscate them.

Its mixed. Should their be rules across the board absolutly.

Unfortunatly we cant argue or we dont get on our plane. I know my FI does a good job and I know his terminal is on top of things (he works in the international terminal) and I hope that more agents follow the leads of my FI and his collegues.

---

maybe we should start screening all employees a bit more though (if that's true about the flashing the badge and walking through). i mean i know there's background checks and all, but better safe than sorry right? i wonder why they don't do that.

---

true-we can NEVER be too safe!

Melissa...have you Bowling for Columbine...the main premise really isn't about guns...but how the US media uses scare tactics...that goes with why they report the items that slipped in, but not the ones that didn't get through


I'm not sure how it is now, but I worked at an airline from 1994-1997 (we went on high alert a few times since we also handled an Arab airline and there were a few trials that caused it to go to the highest level)...

I used to grab sodas from the first class lounge to drink later...I would stick it in my pocket and go through the machines...I would take it out of my pocket show them and walk through....no problems...they barely ever checked me...


but that was before it went to a federal agency...I bet things are much different today...Dh's friend is a TSA worker and he has some pretty interesting stories

---

You are allowed knitting needles on a plane, but some agents will tell you no and confiscate them.

---

Yabbo: I havent seen it yet. I am anxious too see it though

I have a lot of interesting stories

Jenn: airlines are so weird