This Morning at the PHL

I just got back from F terminal at the Philadelphia Airport. It's dead. There are more TSA agents than there are travelers heading out for the holiday weekend.

But I did meet and talk to a few people including the Saals, John Amy and Noah, of Newtown Square. They got there way early for their noon flight to Greensboro. And though John is not wild about new security measures that allow federal agents to view his wife reasonably naked, they'll do what they have to do to visit his mother for Thanksgiving.



More later.

UPDATE: Off a morning flight from Cincinnati came Leandra Arnold. A student in Philadelphia to visit her fiance for the holiday, Arnold said security in Cincinnati was quick and easy to get through. As for stories about more invasive procedures, Arnold said, "It doesn't bother me a bit. I'd rather be safe."

Also in from Ohio was the Miller family, Lisa and Shane and their kids, Max and Sam.

"It was so easy," said Lisa. The TSA agent were "especially" good "with the children. "They made an effort to make it smooth."
As for all the new procedures, Lisa said, "Safety's the most important thing."

In from Milwaukee, Kelsey Canfield said she had to go through a pretty standard pat down. She said wouldn't much like anything more invasive.

"I know they're just trying to keep people safe but I don't like the whole idea of invasion of privacy." Neither does she buy the TSA's claim that they don't keep the photographic images of travelers.

Still, she said, she'd rather go through the machine than go through the extensive pat down.

"If you refuse (the body scanner) they take you into a private room and really go at it. I would not go for that at all."

None of the people I spoke to voiced any great concern over the new TSA procedures, but according to a new Zogby poll a majority of likely voters don't approve of them.

The implementation of full body scans and pat downs by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as part of security enhancements at our nation's airports will cause 48% of Americans and 42% of more frequent fliers to choose a different mode of transportation when possible, a recent Zogby International Poll finds. 

Overall, 61% of the 2,032 likely voters polled from Nov. 19 to Nov. 22, oppose the use of full body scans and TSA pat downs.  Republicans (69%) and Independents (65%) oppose in greater numbers than Democrats (50%).