My TSA and FlyRights Smartphone Apps
As the summer travel season heats up, more people will be taking to the skies at airports across America. The busier summer months can make for more stressful air travel, especially when it comes to dealing with those men and women from the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), whose job it is to screen each passenger and bag for unsafe materials, particularly potential explosives. If you're traveling with your smart phone, two apps can help you figure out what you can and cannot pack in your luggage as well as inform you of your rights should you be singled out for secondary screening or even greater scrutiny.
FlyRights App - An App That Helps Passengers File TSA Profiling Complaints
One of the most downloaded apps in recent weeks is FlyRights, which gives air passengers "a quick and easy way to report complaints of air travel discrimination in real time, right after an incident occurs." The Sikh Coalition, the organization whose turban-wearing constituents have faced additional screening "100 percent of the time" in the wake of the September 11, 2011, terrorist attacks, consulted with other civil rights groups, such as the NAACP, when developing this app.
FlyRights is simple. From the home screen, click on "Report," which allows you to fill out a quick complaint form with information on the the type of discrimination you believe you experienced (based on race, religion, ethnicity, etc.) and whether your incident was related to the metal detector or body scanner. Handy menu screens let you tap to choose in which airport the incident occurred and the U.S. airline you were flying. App users who fill out the report can have it sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the TSA.
Another tab on the home screen titled "Know Your Rights" provides links to official TSA documentation on security screening procedures with regards to head coverings, bulky clothing, medical conditions, and disabilities.
My TSA App - The Official App from the TSA
While racial profiling is a real problem for many air travelers, other passengers' complaints with the TSA lies solely with the confusion of what can and cannot be brought on-board and/or in one's luggage and what procedures travelers must endure before passing through security and moving on to their gate. To cut through some of this confusion, the TSA launched its own app - My TSA.
The My TSA app is straightforward but makes use of many more statistics, including crowdsourced ones, and official TSA documentation, resulting in a rather robust app. Upon opening the app, it asks to use the smartphone users location to determine his or her airport. The home screen then displays the airport, weather, airline delays, and security checkpoint wait times in different areas of the airport. The latter information is sourced completely from other users who can post approximate wait times from their apps after going through security.
Additional tabs on the My TSA app include Airport Real-Time Status; "Can I Bring?" which lets users search for all manner of objects and materials, from AA batteries to frozen meat, to see if they can be brought through the security checkpoint; several "Guides," including information on traveling with children or with a special medical need; and a "More" section with links to TSA videos and stats regarding airport on-time performance.
Conclusion
Indeed, the FlyRights and My TSA apps are not the sexiest apps travelers can download in anticipation of an airline flight. But they do provide ample information and utility for air travelers who want to arm themselves with the facts to ensure a smooth trip from check-in to touchdown.