Detached facilities at airports (do you have an airport badge?)

[AllSeeingFry]

Start considering. I haven't made a painstaking study but just from looking around at google maps of various places it seems the tower is more often than not on the other side of the field from the terminal building. Or behind it. Even where the tower is attached to the terminal that doesn't mean you have access to the gates, I know (for example) you don't need to pass through TSA to get to the towers at ORD or STL.


Just because it's valid in theory doesn't mean they'll let you in. There was that story a few years ago about an agent who wouldn't accept a Washington, DC-issued driver's license...

For sure, I think I still have a good amount of time to think it over (Still waiting on CIL lol) but I have a few things on my "dream list"

 

[Cpt_munky]

Lmao our faa badge is TSA pre check you didn’t know that?!

I tried using my FAA badge at TSA one time just as an experiment since there was a memo saying PIVs meet real ID standards and can be used at TSA checkpoints.

The “officer” didn’t recognize what it was and asked for a driver’s license. I didn’t wanna make a stink so I just handed it over.

My piv card didn't scan and I had to dig for my passport card. The tsa at my airport are pathetic. I'm not required to remove my shoes, because of this there's usually minimal swabbing done and a pat down after I skip the body scanner.

First guy refused to acknowledge me when I asked what the yellow cards were for (I knew) and if I could get one to help things along (it's painfully obvious why I wouldn't remove my shoes and that I should be given their stupid yellow card that real airports don't use) but I failed at receiving the magic yellow card.

I got too the scanner and told them I usually go through the metal detector with the rest of the people and the tsa monkey started freaking out. Then when it came time to swab my shoes he literally swabbed every centimeter of both shoes, both legs, both hands, and was extremely animated/anxious about the whole ordeal.

In short, TSA are idiots that couldn't handle the rigors of being a Walmart greeter so the government hired them. No, your PIV is not pre check and if it works it's because you got a tsa agent that either recognizes that it's an FAA employee or truly doesn't give a flying fuck who uses the precheck line.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk. Next week I'll tell you my thoughts on being treated like dirt for being a paying customer and listening to the airline employees blame ATC for their own idiotic policies

 

[Typeass]

Start considering. I haven't made a painstaking study but just from looking around at google maps of various places it seems the tower is more often than not on the other side of the field from the terminal building. Or behind it. Even where the tower is attached to the terminal that doesn't mean you have access to the gates, I know (for example) you don't need to pass through TSA to get to the towers at ORD or STL.


Just because it's valid in theory doesn't mean they'll let you in. There was that story a few years ago about an agent who wouldn't accept a Washington, DC-issued driver's license...

If they dont let you in, get the sup. Simple as that, they have to accept it.

That’s gotta be the noob job. Do one CBI and you can sit there and scan IDs.

Not the noob job. They rotate to every position. High turn over equal people that dont know what they're doing. I worked for tsa many years ago and even then, they taught you that federal employees id's can be used just like a drivers license. Not sure how some of these people dont know that when its told several times in the month long classroom training they take.

 

[CF]

Not the noob job. They rotate to every position. High turn over equal people that dont know what they're doing. I worked for tsa many years ago and even then, they taught you that federal employees id's can be used just like a drivers license. Not sure how some of these people dont know that when its told several times in the month long classroom training they take.

He ran it into some scanner device and it didn’t seem to like it. My guess is that the scanner only likes state IDs and the piv wasn’t supposed to go in there.

 

[shoak]

I tried using my FAA badge at TSA one time just as an experiment since there was a memo saying PIVs meet real ID standards and can be used at TSA checkpoints.

The “officer” didn’t recognize what it was and asked for a driver’s license. I didn’t wanna make a stink so I just handed it over.

When I used mine. flying out agent looked confused and wasn't sure if it was allowed and just said "US government huh" and let me through. Flying back they had a card reader, didn't work, agent looked at it and asked for a different ID. They just don't give a fuck.

 

[ClearanceClarence]

Not the noob job. They rotate to every position. High turn over equal people that dont know what they're doing. I worked for tsa many years ago and even then, they taught you that federal employees id's can be used just like a drivers license. Not sure how some of these people dont know that when its told several times in the month long classroom training they take.

I don’t know what’s worse, the ones that can’t recognize a Federal ID, or the ones that think they’re super cop and constantly go on power trips. That’s the main reason I didn’t want to push them accepting my PIV.

Giving people with minimal qualifications and training a badge and a LEO-like uniform was probably the worst move that agency ever made.

 

[GulfCharlie]

Back in the day when I worked TSA at OKC (2014/) they had zero informational pamphlets on Government ID’s besides the US Marshall’s, what we were told (fortunately I knew what government ID’s looked like and how many different agencies/departments there are) was to shine every ID card (including drivers licenses before real ID) under the light and look for holographic’s and to make sure the ID was not expired.

 

[32andBelow]

Why do y’all travel with your PIV?

 

[GulfCharlie]

Why do y’all travel with your PIV?

Because if TSA is competent, 9/10 times you get pre-check and it is a valid government ID. Means nothing to me because I have global entry ?‍♂️.

 

[BigEggplant]

I work at an airport where the tower is at the airport but not physically connected to the terminal.

We have a SIDA badge with the “emergency” endorsement. Once a cop let me walk through an area closed for a suspicious package lol. But the idea is they are supposed to let us in if there’s a threat or whatever.

I use it to go to the terminals to get food or coffee usually. Sometimes I’ll go walk around to kill time on a break. May or may not have used it to meet an arriving family member at the gate.

The reason we have them is because the road traffic and parking situation here is and always has been shit, so the terminals are the most convenient options for a meal sadly.

And I always take my PIV and sida badge when I travel because according to all the lengthy rules for this sida badge you’re required to display it at all times. So I at least use it at TSA when I’m flying in conjunction with the BP.

Final thought, the TSA actually approves the airports SIDA screening process so basically you’re being vetted way harder than anyone with precheck, and even a little harder than just a “public trust” employee. I also have GE/precheck and it’s on the BP.

FWIW going to the airport badging office is a pain in the ass every other year to renew it, and you need all kinds of official letters and signatures before you go in order to get approved.

 

[CF]

Why do y’all travel with your PIV?

Isn’t that literally what we’ve been talking about for the last few hours? Lol

 

[GulfBravoPapa]

Why do y’all travel with your PIV?

Because I generally fly out right after work and already have it on. I can also (not currently) visit my previous facilities when passing through thr airport and say hello. And I left my car at work in the parking lot so I need my PIV to get back into work to get my car.

 

[TimShady]

Being that I'm a bit of a weirdo, I love the airport environment. People watching, hanging out at a restaurant, walking around the terminal... all fun for me.

My tower is detached from the terminal, and so they don't give us badges. But I am looking to change that. Would like to have access to employee security when I fly, would like to have access to the food, among other things.

Anybody at a facility detached from the terminals, but still have access to the terminals?

TIA.

Probably a long shot unless you can think of a more legit reason for having one other than you just want to go hang out. Maybe “familiarization”? We get them even though we don’t need it to access the tower, but the tower is attached so I guess getting a meal is the rationale for having it. New people walk the terminals to help learn the gates too sometimes.

Our facility management is who deals with the airport badging office and fills out our applications and all that stuff so I’m sure that’s where you’d need to start.

 

[shoak]

Why do y’all travel with your PIV?

New state hole punch voided my home state driver's license when I applied for a new one, and thinking using PIV was more convenient than a passport.

 

[Atcbrownie]

Seems like y'all are making things difficult for no benefit. Just use your driver's license and move on. Like 32 said, why do you travel with your PIV? What benefit are you looking for? Do you feel cool using it? I mean there are like 15 responses from different people about how it makes everything more difficult. Do what's easy use your driver's license.

 

[CF]

Seems like y'all are making things difficult for no benefit. Just use your driver's license and move on. Like 32 said, why do you travel with your PIV? What benefit are you looking for? Do you feel cool using it? I mean there are like 15 responses from different people about how it makes everything more difficult. Do what's easy use your driver's license.

Idk kinda sounds like TSA making it difficult. What if you made a pilot listen to you read a clearance because you don’t know how to use the DCL? Is that them making it difficult or you?

 

[32andBelow]

When I go to Vegas I’m lucky if I make it back to my flight. I don’t need to worry about leaving my piv card at slots o fun

 

[flypilot]

I would only bring it with me because I would park my car at the facility so I'd need it to get back in

 

[Mr. Miner]

The lack of knowledge/training from some of those checkpoint guys is crazy. Like if you can’t recognize a Federal Government ID, what else are you missing.

I mean the entire concept of TSA is security theater.

They don't actually do anything that makes flying safer