The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) might need a new typist and telephonist
Category Security Application
I recently went through the process of getting security clearance for the airport where my plane is hangared. It supposed to take about 2 weeks and in my case it took over 2 months. For the life of me and the person at the airport who handled the applications we couldn't work out why it was taking so long.
Then out of the blue I got a letter from the TSA, it contained a number of clues to help resolve the issue. The first was that the letter was addressed to Carlos Tyler, obviously a Spanish cousin I have not yet met. Then reading the multi-page letter they sent me, they explained that I hadn't been eligible because I was from the Ukraine. The Ukraine? What the, where did that come from? Then I thought about it and here is what I think happened. Someone at TSA gets the initial letter with all my details, they then call up someone else who transcribes it into their system, in that process they took Carl Tyler to be Carlos Tyler and my country of citizenship the UK to be the Ukraine. So TSA had trouble finding my immigration details because there wasn't a Carlos Tyler and there wasn't one from the Ukraine. Fortunately I sorted it out and I can now get to my plane without an escort each time, but it is kind of worrying, these are the same folks that run and maintain the do not fly list. I can only imagine what my next trip through security will be like, now that they think I'm from the Ukraine and that I've changed my name.
I recently went through the process of getting security clearance for the airport where my plane is hangared. It supposed to take about 2 weeks and in my case it took over 2 months. For the life of me and the person at the airport who handled the applications we couldn't work out why it was taking so long.
Then out of the blue I got a letter from the TSA, it contained a number of clues to help resolve the issue. The first was that the letter was addressed to Carlos Tyler, obviously a Spanish cousin I have not yet met. Then reading the multi-page letter they sent me, they explained that I hadn't been eligible because I was from the Ukraine. The Ukraine? What the, where did that come from? Then I thought about it and here is what I think happened. Someone at TSA gets the initial letter with all my details, they then call up someone else who transcribes it into their system, in that process they took Carl Tyler to be Carlos Tyler and my country of citizenship the UK to be the Ukraine. So TSA had trouble finding my immigration details because there wasn't a Carlos Tyler and there wasn't one from the Ukraine. Fortunately I sorted it out and I can now get to my plane without an escort each time, but it is kind of worrying, these are the same folks that run and maintain the do not fly list. I can only imagine what my next trip through security will be like, now that they think I'm from the Ukraine and that I've changed my name.
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Comments
Posted by JG At 02:54:55 AM On 04/10/2009 | - Website - |
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Posted by Arthur Fontaine At 09:48:57 AM On 04/12/2009 | - Website - |