9 Yr Old Clears TSA & Flies MSP-LAS W/o A Ticket

MattMSP767 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 5:43 am

I guess TSA agents sort of shut down when they have to work w/o pay.

A 9 year old boy not only clears TSA checkpoints at MSP, but also boards and flies DL MSP-LAS without a ticket before flight attendants realize something might be wrong.

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/226626241.html

hOMSaR · Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:02 am

Quoting MattMSP767 (Thread starter):
I guess TSA agents sort of shut down when they have to work w/o pay.

But I'm sure the DL gate agents are still being paid. What's their excuse?

The TSA's job ought to be to stop weapons from being carried onboard the plane. Honestly, I'm not sure (other than reduced workload/minimizing delays) why they restrict access to ticketed passengers, but that's a debate for another thread. It's ultimately the airline's job to prevent an unticketed passenger from boarding the plane (or a passenger with the wrong ticket boarding the wrong plane). I mean, if there's one thing we learned from watching Home Alone 2...

MattMSP767 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:21 am

Quoting hoMsar (Reply 1):
But I'm sure the DL gate agents are still being paid. What's their excuse?

You tell me.

BMI727 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:26 am

Quoting MattMSP767 (Thread starter):
I guess TSA agents sort of shut down when they have to work w/o pay.

If they had checked him, wouldn't we be reading a story about the audacity of the TSA to commit the sin of scrutinizing, and in this likely detaining, a nine year old? Damned if you do, damned if you don't in this situation for them.

skywaymanaz · Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:01 am

I hope TSA checked him as far as screening him at least. The boarding pass requirement does little to keep us safe and mostly only makes the lines a tiny bit shorter. The blame here goes far more to Delta though than TSA. If you were a TSA screener and a 9 y/o boy told you his parents were waiting at the gate are you really going to detain him as a security threat? It would be nice if a screener would walk him down to the gate to make sure but TSA shouldn't be staffed with people who have nothing better to do otherwise. It would have really been great if one of the screeners figured out he was a runaway but I'm sure this happens every day and 99.999% of the time their parent is at the gate holding the childs boarding pass. I wouldn't trust a 9 y/o in my care to hang on to his boarding pass either. Children have a way of losing them and also running off the second you turn your back on them. A child properly screened isn't a security threat so I'm not going to fault TSA for not picking up on this.

HAWK21M · Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:15 am

What about boarding pass to a seat allotted......wouldn't the cabin crew /gate checker know......

BlueShamu330s · Sun Oct 06, 2013 11:55 am

I'm looking forward to the Trip Report; bound to be an a.netter

PHX787 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 12:29 pm

The TSA is getting paid.....not sure what you're talking about.

Either way, the kid's 9. He doesn't need to do much in terms of the security line and he probably blended in with a couple.

And then he sits by himself in the plane and the Flight attendants see something clearly wrong.

jcwr56 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 12:32 pm

I'm not so sure the TSA doesn't have some blame to accept too.

TSA is suppose to check BP's...correct. This young kids comes up without one, gives some story his parents are on the other side and needs to get to them. We don't know what the TSA's SOP for this type of incident.

I have to admit, this was one really smart 9 y/o or some really stupid adults.

ouboy79 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 1:07 pm

Quoting MattMSP767 (Reply 2):
You tell me.

This response seems to suggest Delta is getting a pass in this, when they are ultimately responsible for who gets on their aircraft.

777fan · Sun Oct 06, 2013 1:32 pm

I'm envious. That trip would've cost me several hundred dollars. I wonder if the kid was also able to earn miles for the leg...

777fan

burnsie28 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 2:02 pm

Quoting ouboy79 (Reply 9):
This response seems to suggest Delta is getting a pass in this, when they are ultimately responsible for who gets on their aircraft.

Thats probably the easiest part is blending in the background behind someone getting on the plane for a kid.

GentFromAlaska · Sun Oct 06, 2013 2:15 pm

Amongst all of the places he could have flown from a DL hub; he obviously wanted to go to LAS.

Most kids his age would I think want to fly to MCO or possibly SNA for Disney SoCal.

MesaFlyGuy · Sun Oct 06, 2013 2:32 pm

Quoting PHX787 (Reply 7):
The TSA is getting paid.....not sure what you're talking about.

He's talking about the government shutdown, which is preventing the TSA agents that actually have to show up to work are not being paid

cosyr · Sun Oct 06, 2013 2:53 pm

How did the kid get to security? Was he with his parents picking someone up? How did his parents not miss him between 10:30 and 11:15? That's what I want to know.

FlyDeltaJets · Sun Oct 06, 2013 3:46 pm

Quoting PHX787 (Reply 7):

The TSA is getting paid.....not sure what you're talking about.

The TSA is required to report to work along with all other "essential" federal employees but will not be paid for their work while the "shutdown" is in effect.

dtw2hyd · Sun Oct 06, 2013 3:54 pm

I cannot blame the kid if he was looking for Biscoff cookies.

We should see DHS & DOT funding very soon. One thing we know congressmen do not like anything to interfere with their travel. Last year HR658 for $63 Billion was approved only after such scare. That was the first long term funding in eight years.

MesaFlyGuy · Sun Oct 06, 2013 4:23 pm

Quoting DTW2HYD (Reply 16):
I cannot blame the kid if he was looking for Biscoff cookies.

Biscoff cookies and a 767! This kid knows how to do this!

dtw2hyd · Sun Oct 06, 2013 5:12 pm

This kid is a pro. According to Detroit News, previous day he picked a bag from carousel, ordered lunch at a restaurant outside secured area, he ate and then told the server he had to use the bathroom, left the bag and never returned to pay. The bag was identified and returned to its owner later.

hOMSaR · Sun Oct 06, 2013 5:20 pm

Quoting skywaymanaz (Reply 4):
If you were a TSA screener and a 9 y/o boy told you his parents were waiting at the gate are you really going to detain him as a security threat?

...

It would have really been great if one of the screeners figured out he was a runaway but I'm sure this happens every day and 99.999% of the time their parent is at the gate holding the childs boarding pass. I wouldn't trust a 9 y/o in my care to hang on to his boarding pass either. Children have a way of losing them and also running off the second you turn your back on them.

A bit of a tangent, but I'm not sure I buy this argument.

For one, a boarding pass is just a piece of paper with no value. If the kid loses it, you just print out a new one at the gate. Second, I have a difficult time believing that someone wouldn't trust a kid to hold onto a piece of paper, yet does trust that same kid to make his own way through security and find the correct gate at a busy airport with multiple concourses. If nothing else, the parents shouldn't move beyond the security screening area until they're sure they have the child with them. Granted, you can't always make sure the kid doesn't run off at some point, but if they do, I don't know if anyone should trust a kid (who is already irresponsible enough to run off, get lost, and find himself back on the landside of the security checkpoint) to find his way back.

I'm sure what happens more often is that the TSA agents just see so many passengers, including parents, children, folks traveling in large groups, etc., that they don't always count the number of boarding passes scanned vs. the number of actual people passing by. The numbers just become a blur at some point.

Now, if there is any actual interaction and the kid just told the agent that his parents were waiting at the gate, I'm not sure what the actual policy is, but I would think that the response should be to take him out of the line and have someone call the gate and tell the parents to come back and get him. This isn't about detaining him as a security threat, but ensuring the child is safely in the custody of an adult.

ubeema · Sun Oct 06, 2013 5:31 pm

smart kiddo! Fooled everyone on his way: parents, TSA, DL, including the passenger assigned to the seat he flew on. Flight attendants probably figured it out when he asked for his wine but did not have a credit card. The banker will always get you...

mayor · Sun Oct 06, 2013 5:42 pm

Quoting burnsie28 (Reply 11):
Thats probably the easiest part is blending in the background behind someone getting on the plane for a kid.

I think I might have been ticked off, as a non-rev, if I got bumped because he took my seat.

jetblueguy22 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:25 pm

Quoting PHX787 (Reply 7):
The TSA is getting paid.....not sure what you're talking about.

They will receive back pay. But the people who process payroll are considered nonessential and aren't present to do the payroll. Same situation with all the essential personnel except for I believe the military.

Quoting jcwr56 (Reply 8):
I have to admit, this was one really smart 9 y/o or some really stupid adults.

No kidding. I would love to figure out how he got passed all these people and boarded a plane. My theory is this, and it is obviously just speculation. He could have been behind a family and the TSA agent just assumed he was with the family. Then when he got to the gate the same thing. The gate agent just assumed he/she was scanning the child's boarding pass when the adult handed a stack of tickets over. Yes they should have verified who was who. But I can see the planets aligning and the kid getting through. I have to admit though this kid is impressive for a 9 year old. My brother flew BDL-MSP-GFK at 17 and I had to talk him through it all

. Though I suppose as a ticketless person he didn't have to worry about which flight he was going to take.
Pat

boeing773er · Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:26 pm

What I wish to know is, how did the kid even get to the airport? I've never been to MSP, but I'm sure the entry way is very busy/commercialized.

Sure he could of taken a taxi, but wouldn't the taxi driver would of wondered why a nine year old is going to the airport by himself. Is there a lot of public transport to MSP?

Yflyer · Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:30 pm

Quoting DTW2HYD (Reply 18):
This kid is a pro.

I think we just might have the next Frank Abagnale, Jr. here.

hOMSaR · Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:55 pm

Quoting boeing773ER (Reply 23):
What I wish to know is, how did the kid even get to the airport? I've never been to MSP, but I'm sure the entry way is very busy/commercialized.

Sure he could of taken a taxi, but wouldn't the taxi driver would of wondered why a nine year old is going to the airport by himself. Is there a lot of public transport to MSP?

Minneapolis has a light rail line that runs to the airport. It wouldn't be that hard for a kid to figure out. That would actually be the easiest part of the whole thing.

Type-Rated · Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:55 pm

You can take public transit to MSP or just hop on a shuttle bus at any of the local airport hotels.

I wonder if Delta is going to make his parents pay the airfare for his RT?

jetblueguy22 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:14 pm

Quoting boeing773ER (Reply 23):
ure he could of taken a taxi, but wouldn't the taxi driver would of wondered why a nine year old is going to the airport by himself. Is there a lot of public transport to MSP?

Like mentioned the light rail runs to the airport. The thing with the MSP light rail is that it is unlike any public transport I've ever taken. It is the ultimate Minnesota honor system. You buy your ticket at the station like normal, but your ticket is never scanned or checked. I've taken it many times and have never been asked to provide proof of a ticket. I always buy one, but I could see this kid never being questioned. That was my big question when first reading this. How did he get there? But after seeing light rail it makes complete sense.
Pat

ubeema · Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:26 pm

Quoting type-rated (Reply 26):
I wonder if Delta is going to make his parents pay the airfare for his RT?

I will be damned if they can legally do that? After all it is DL oversight and that is probably why they felt compelled to fly the boy home

cjg225 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:35 pm

Quoting DTW2HYD (Reply 16):
I cannot blame the kid if he was looking for Biscoff cookies.

Hell, I would if I knew about them at that age! My "candy jar" in my cubicle at work is filled with Biscoff cookie packages. No joke.

XEspecialist · Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:45 pm

Quoting 777fan (Reply 10):
I'm envious. That trip would've cost me several hundred dollars. I wonder if the kid was also able to earn miles for the leg...

Because Sky Pesos are sooo valuable.

ikramerica · Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:29 pm

Quoting mesaflyguy (Reply 13):

They are being paid. The paycheck will be late. They are not being required to work for free.

That said, the scrutiny of under 13 children is lax by design. Its unnecessary.

It's mostly deltas fault that he flew.

"My name is Frank Abagnale, Jr."

dtw2hyd · Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:45 pm

Quoting Yflyer (Reply 24):
I think we just might have the next Frank Abagnale, Jr. here.

I can see a future TSA security consultant in the making.

Quoting cjg225 (Reply 29):
My "candy jar" in my cubicle at work is filled with Biscoff cookie packages. No joke.

Glad to know I am not the only one. Courtesy DL, I stock Biscoff Cookies and Mr. & Mrs. "T" Bloody Mary mix.

airindia787 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:52 pm

The entire story reminds me of the scene from Home Alone 2 when Kevin boards a DC-10 from ORD to LGA without anyone noticing the mistake.

rj777 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:35 pm

Quoting airindia787 (Reply 33):
The entire story reminds me of the scene from Home Alone 2 when Kevin boards a DC-10 from ORD to LGA without anyone noticing the mistake.

Actually it was a 767. The DC-10 was in the first movie and he didn't even get to the airport in that one.

braynfeeble · Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:41 pm

Must have been a trickster to fool them even when head count done? He must have hidden while this was going on? We have people getting on "wrong" aircraft all the time, with tarmac loading flights! This boy should be charged with obtaining transportation in a fraudulent way in my opinion!

kgaiflyer · Sun Oct 06, 2013 9:45 pm

Quoting mayor (Reply 21):
I think I might have been ticked off, as a non-rev

Back when I was an NWA elite, I got cussed out by a non-revving FA who had been promised seat 1-A on a redeye SEA-MSP flight which I got as a last-minute gate upgrade. As I remember the conversation, it was "I'll be sitting in the front as soon as they get rid of him." That seemed a bit rude, so I raised my voice first, perhaps starting the incident. I kept the seat. After holding the flight, the mouthy FA reboarded and sat somewhere in the back.

Sorry to be off topic, but I don't understand what right those not paying have to be upset about anything.

[Edited 2013-10-06 14:49:18]

Mir · Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:48 pm

Quoting jetblueguy22 (Reply 22):
He could have been behind a family and the TSA agent just assumed he was with the family.

He didn't have a boarding pass - someone should have noticed that there was one more person than boarding pass.

Quoting jetblueguy22 (Reply 22):
Then when he got to the gate the same thing. The gate agent just assumed he/she was scanning the child's boarding pass when the adult handed a stack of tickets over.

And the same thing again. You don't even have to know who is who, all you need to see is that you've got more people than boarding passes and that should make you stop and figure things out.

-Mir

questions · Sun Oct 06, 2013 11:00 pm

Quoting kgaiflyer (Reply 36):
"I'll be sitting in the front as soon as they get rid of him."

Definitely fits the stereotype of the old, unkempt, lazy, and bitter NW FA. Probably the same FA who complained to the union about not being able to order a size 28 red Delta Signature dress uniform... and hung onto her First Class service cart well beyond the date when service standards were harmonized. Thank goodness the stereotypes have not panned out... they have stopped flying... or they drank the Happy KoolAid.

lat41 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 11:29 pm

Is this another TSA bashing thread? Many routinely lack the correct details.

FlyASAGuy2005 · Sun Oct 06, 2013 11:31 pm

Quoting PHX787 (Reply 7):
The TSA is getting paid.....not sure what you're talking about.

Quoting ikramerica (Reply 31):
They are being paid. The paycheck will be late. They are not being required to work for free.

Me getting my check at an "unknown" date will make anyone feel like they're not getting paid. Everyone isn't sitting on savigns or a nest-egg.

This shutdown is a very real and sad situation.

jolau1701 · Mon Oct 07, 2013 1:56 am

Yeah, where was that kid's parents?

pdx · Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:33 am

Maybe he was trying to find Mrs. Ada Quonsett?

Joepilot001 · Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:42 am

Quoting jolau1701 (Reply 41):

He used the Minneapolis light rail which you can travel at any age.

ikramerica · Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:20 am

Quoting FlyASAGuy2005 (Reply 40):

If they are paid twice monthly or bi-weekly they haven't even missed a paycheck yet...

DTWPurserBoy · Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:06 pm

Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 5):
What about boarding pass to a seat allotted......wouldn't the cabin crew /gate checker know......

The gate agents scan a bar code on the boarding pass but if a child tagged along behind an adult and someone at just the right moment asked the boarding agent a question, he/she's attention would be diverted for just a few seconds allowing the child to pass.

Prior to departure, DL f/a's are given a trip report that tells us who the unaccompanied minors are and where they are seated. Plus, we have to sign for the child upon boarding and sign again to release the child to an agent on landing and individually brief them on emergency procedures. The parents pay a surcharge for this service. It was quick thinking on the part of the flight attendants to determine that this boy was not a UM since he did not appear on their departure report and followed it up with an inquiry via ACARS.

This could have had a very different ending. Nice work on the part of the flight crew but it does show that there are still kinks in the system. Frequently there is only one agent on duty at a gate and they are juggling several tasks at once.

I have always lived in fear of "losing" an unaccompanied minor but thankfully it has not happened. We are all hyper vigilant when it comes to children and unfortunately have found out that not all passengers are trustworthy around kids so we try to keep them close to us and watch if anyone appears to be interacting with the child.

On international flights during school breaks I have had as many as 15 UM's on one flight. Trying to keep track of them among 400 passengers is not easy and even though we stress that the children are NOT to deplane without one of us with them some still try to sneak away on their own. I want to put a bar code on each child that would trigger an alarm at the exit door if one tried to get past.

mayor · Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:18 pm

Quoting kgaiflyer (Reply 36):
Sorry to be off topic, but I don't understand what right those not paying have to be upset about anything.

Sorry to be off topic, too, but my point was that if I was the next non-rev to be cleared to board and my seat was taken up by a NON-PAYING runaway child, I might just be a little miffed at the situation. Is that clear enough? Apparently, you don't end up in this situation, but for those of us that DO non-rev, it gets harder and harder, every day, to travel, so, if a seat goes out, occupied, that isn't supposed to, damn right we'd be upset. We also get upset when non-revs are boarded out of their priority order, but that's another story.

PlaneAdmirer · Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:45 pm

So I told my 9 year old son and he was envious. The boy, assuming that his home life is normal, is going to have a great story to tell at school. It would be interesting to know if Vegas was his plan or it was just easiest opportunity. If the plan was Vegas, was he going for the gaming, shows, restaurants, or clubs?

If his parents ground him, they may have to take some extraordinary measures to keep where he is supposed to be.

As a parent, part of me would be somewhat pleased at the chutzpah.

So much of this story will never be reported.

DTWPurserBoy · Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:02 pm

Quoting PlaneAdmirer (Reply 47):
If his parents ground him, they may have to take some extraordinary measures to keep where he is supposed to be.

Ground him? In my day if I had done this stunt I would have spent the rest of my life in a wheelchair. My father was not known for his patience.

This should be used as a teaching experience for parents as in "Do Not Attempt To Do This At Home." It does make you wonder why this child was attempting to run away from home. As a father, a flight attendant and a nurse I would see this behavior as a warning sign that either something was terribly wrong at home or this was a sign of a potentially serious psychological issue.

The medical term for this is "attention-seeking behavior."

MountainFlyer · Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:09 pm

Quoting jetblueguy22 (Reply 27):
The thing with the MSP light rail is that it is unlike any public transport I've ever taken. It is the ultimate Minnesota honor system. You buy your ticket at the station like normal, but your ticket is never scanned or checked. I've taken it many times and have never been asked to provide proof of a ticket.

This type of system is not uncommon. Many of the light rail (not subway) transits I've been on are that way. Off the top of my head I know Portland's MAX is the same system, and it is far more extensive than Minneapolis light rail.

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