Privatizing the TSA

[Axtremus]

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5820850-trump-budget-cuts-tsa/

Good idea or bad idea?
What do you folks think?

[Mik]

Not really enough information there to make any serious judgement. It would be nice if we could get to the point where they were not necessary, but for now I think the deterrence is more important than the detection. I say that given that I got through security with a giant steak knife in my laptop bag undetected.

I can see AI having a role in making the process more efficient requiring less workers. I think that would happen more quickly in a privatized setting.

[jon-nyc]

Lines were shorter back when it was private.

I’ve always thought we overdo airline security. 9/11 taught us that planes can be used as missiles. Solve that by making the cockpit impregnable.

While it’s true that someone with a weapon could kill a bunch of people on a plane even if they can’t use it as a missile, that’s also true of every mall and restaurant in the US. We don’t put metal detectors in front of those.

[Mik]

We really should take a page from the Israeli playbook. Smarter, faster.

[jon-nyc]

They treat it as an intelligence function rather than a security function. Totally appropriate for them, but their approach doesn't scale. They have three commercial airports, we have 600.

[LuFins Dad]

Name one thing that wouldn’t be better off privately run?

One of the biggest problems with air travel in the US is because the airports aren’t privately run…