Serial stowaway pensioner exposes poor American airport security
AS AMERICA seeks to ban citizens from several, mainly Islamic, countries from entering the US due to safety fears, the country’s airport security is in disarray.
Don’t take my word for it, I’ll let pensioner Marilyn Hartman’s exploits explain.
Blundering US airport security allowed the serial stowaway to fly, unchecked, 4,000 miles to the UK last week.
The 66-year-old sneaked past staff at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and managed to board a flight to Heathrow taking a seat without anyone knowing.
When she arrived, authorities arrested the 66-year-old before flying her back to the US where she now faces charges.
It was only discovered Hartman had managed to get on the flight without a boarding pass or a passport when the plane was in the air.
America’s beleaguered Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now investigating how she managed to get past security to get to the UK.
“During the initial investigation it was determined that the passenger was screened at the security checkpoint before boarding a flight,” a spokesman said.
Upon learning of the incident, TSA and its aviation partners took immediate action to review security practices throughout the airport.
It comes just months after an undercover operation by the Department of Homeland Security found TSA screenings fail to spot weapons more often than not.
Investigators found that they were able to get through airport security checkpoints with mock knives, guns, and explosives around 80% of the time.
The truth is their efforts are simply not good enough. Although Hartman may not have wished anybody any harm, a terrorist would.
While the US acts as judge and jury as to how the world can travel, they fail themselves to practise what they preach, putting countless lives in danger.
Shambolic.