Sadly people will always try and take advantage of a situation. This is not a U.S. government site. I WILL share my information when the time is right - IF things do not get better for us working crew who - HAVE ALREADY - been put through multiple screening processes to ensure we were safe enough to serve the public on an aircraft. KCM was a tremendous privilege these years we enjoyed it. The Known Crewmember (KCM) program is a joint initiative between Airlines for America (A4A) and the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA).KCM ties airline employee databases together in a seamless way and enables Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security officers to positively verify the identity and employment status of 0000003099 00000 n Dangerous goods permitted in carry-on baggage are also permitted "on one's person", except where otherwise specified. Known Crewmember On the other, my spouse is a F/A for Southwest. These items must accompany the crew member upon . As a crew member it's disappointing to hear that KCM may be going away. 4.1.1. Legal Notice: This website is only intended to provide an overview of the Known Crewmember program. I was impressed with KCM at SFO the other day. 31 years as an airline pilot and seven years naval aviator. I dont understand this statement about treating flight attendants differently than pilots because we all go through very stringent background checks and process. AFA worked with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to ensure that Flight Attendants would be included in this vital program, which allows participating crew members to access sterile areas of the airport through a separate crew portal. We cant forget this and need to push back against their continued scope creep in the name of self preservation. The vast majority of crew use KCM exactly as they should and are law abiding. Sponsored by ALPA and Airlines for America. So, like with just about everything else good, a few ruin it for the majority. Sometimes there's contraband inside, and the well-meaning flight attendant had no idea. The Crew Appreciation charge is paid to Holland America Line team members and represents an important part of their compensation. Also, I would like to point out, that after speaking with multiple TSA supervisors, pilots were identified as the issues and are the reason for the increase in random screenings. Crewmembers may request a new or replacement KCM barcode card from their airline management. If I'm not trusted, then fine. I was next and was told I need further screening tho I did not ring told FA cannot be further screened so I have to be screened??? The Airlines and the TSA needs to punish the people that commit the crimes, and not just put out a blanket change that punishes the 99.9% of the pilots and flight attendants that follow the rules. So, what is even closer scrutiny Crewmembers are subject to a federal background check and fingerprinting as a result of 9/11. Things have gotten so bad, I am ready for a fight. Doesn't my ID matches the same face and picture of myself in their laptop database? You cant be responsible enough to be to work on time? A: If the TSA cannot confirm your identity or current employment status at the KCM access point, you will be directed to the passenger-screening checkpoint in order to access the sterile area. So to clarify, a flight attendant like a pilot is required to do a strenuous background check. The third most common is customer service on 10.7% of resumes. Historical flightdeck positions include: Written testimony of TSA for a House Homeland Security - DHS I stopped using it entirely for about 2 months now. I have an axe every leg i fly and u wanna screen me for a knife lol U cant be this dumb! If they can make their annual salary as a flight attendant with a couple of runs, then they might figure its worth the risk. "First responders" L.O.L. If you combine all the flight attendants and look at the numbers is it even close to 1% of crew members doing this? Random screening/USP is a normal TSA screening policy. Irons Clothing irons and steamers aren't allowed on cruise ships because they present a fire hazard. I am not trying to disparage flight attendants, of course they are important but they are not the same as pilots and there are multiple rational grounds for distinguishing between them. You guys walk right up to the front of the queue. TravelSECURE Items you cannot take on plane - Home Affairs My favorite is from all these so called pilots . Known Crewmember Program Information The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and NATA Compliance Services (NATACS) is pleased to offer the Known Crewmember Program (KCM ) to certain Part 135 and Part 125 air charter pilots. lost an engine, no hydraulics, a decompression, or worse) onboard your next flight and YOU need the assistance of a Flight Attendant to save your life or that of a loved one! This was discipline issued by the carrier and documented by TSA. Im a F/A. We will just have more delayed flights. who cares..I pay TSA people out of my taxes to keep a 9-11 from happening again. I fly for an international freight airline. I hope KCM is not done away with, but kept with added safeguards to prevent abuse. Hair curlers containing hydrocarbon gas, up to one (1) per passenger or crew member, provided that the safety cover is securely fitted over the heating element. Please remember you said this when YOU have a medical emergency or a general emergency (ie. PDF Message from the Interagency Security - CISA Failure to follow the instruction provided by the TSO may result in action by the TSA, which may include a loss of KCM privileges for that crewmember. And while I'm in line to be scanned throughout the KCM door, they just walk in without ID check. Provisions for Dangerous Goods Carried by Passengers or Crew (Subsection 2.3) Dangerous goods must not be carried in or as passengers or crew, checked or carry-on baggage, except as otherwise 2 provided below. The voyage through the Strait of Magellan was treacherous and cold, and many sailors. Known Crewmember- It's a Privilege, Not a Right! Imagine having to wait in a security up to 3 hours when you already have to show up 1-2 hours beforehand. NOTE: If the selected Crewmember exits the sterile area and attempts to reenter through a KCM access point during this time period, they will continue to be identified for USP. A. KCM is designed to confirm an airline flight -crew member's identity and current employment status, expedite their access to sterile areas of airports, reduce backlogs, increase throughput at passenger -screening checkpoints, and make I'll actually enjoy watching you go through security and whining about it. Hold your fellow flight attendants responsible for their actions. Guess what? CBP is a little different here but TSA is definitely a lot of entry level type people just looking at a x ray machine doing what they were trained, like robots. A: No. So, what is even closer scrutiny of crew trying to accomplish? Look, your job could be replaced by a cardboard sign with a red arrow painted on it and a vending machine. The screenshot is going around. Their union fought for this they should be allowed to keep it. Now its being taken away. Am I not mistaken, but in many other parts of the world, do the pilots and FAs not just simply present to the front of the general security queues? What can I sell on Poshmark? Let the security ppl stick to what they gotta do and you pilots can Are you mad that they aren't letting people smuggle drugs thru security? On the one hand, I've spent the last 16 years+ working for TSA. We should not take a step backward. I've always been concerned they let them into known crewmember from day one. believe it or not your not nearly as important as you would like to think you are. All Crewmembers transiting a KCM portal are subject to random screening. I think that the best solution is to permanently revoke the KCM privilege from the offenders. A: Effective March 31, 2022, the TSA will require KCM eligible crewmembers to scan a KCM-issued barcode card when utilizing a KCM access point. Nobody is throwing away a pilot career for smuggling. I highly doubt it but they wont release the exact numbers they give vague statements so they can grab more power. We are talking CLASS ACTION lawsuits for piss-poor treatment of crew. Weve seen an increasing number of people smuggling drugs and other prohibited items through these checkpoints. Instead it should focus on how TSA has become more relaxed and lazy at doing their jobs and are short staffed and dont have officers to man the KCM station so everytime someone gets randomed they are throwing a pissy fit about having to walk over. The transportation of such items is restricted and governed by the Civil Aviation Regulations. Airline pilot here. Should be required to use clear backpacks or purses to pass security/ metal detectors should be used and nothing else should be allowed on premises. It also has warned that such violations could jeopardize the entire Known Crew Member program. Also keep in mind that when returning to active status there will be a delay in updating your status to active which may result in your inability to use KCM access. TSA has determined that certain violations of TSA security requirements by a crewmember are inconsistent with a determination that the crewmember poses a sufficiently low risk to transportation security to be eligible for KCM expedited screening, regardless of whether the violation physically occurred at the KCM access point. 0000012492 00000 n It would make better sense to just have a baggage scanner at each KCM checkpoint but eliminate the need to X-ray scan our bodies. They're the offenders over and over. My grammar is literally better than yours so I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Hold your fellow flight attendants responsible for their actions. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. As a 30 year career airline pilot, I have a vested interest in protecting my career, so do all of the other pilots I fly with taking security seriously. As a frequent flyer Ive received far more attitude from FAs them I ever have from TSA. If the pilots on a flight become incapacitated, the lives of everyone on board are jeopardized; if the flight attendants become incapacitated, it is a relatively minor inconvenience unlikely to result in any sort of injury to anyone. NEWSFLASH: Most hand creams that flight attendants use (#1 preferred product by F/A's is "WORKING HANDS") have glycerine at the VERY TOP of the ingredients list. There are 24,000 flight attendants just at my airline. Its simply aggravation when you have to wait on a slow ass employee bus then drag your bag to security and here an offer say You wanna try your luck with a dumb ass grin on their face. Yes, I demand change. Other countries check their own and I have never witnessed this in the US. Push through to the front each and every time you clear TSA. However, off-duty crews should ALWAYS have to proceed thru the TSA security checkpoints like regular passengers. I have heard stories of pilots and flight attendants ferrying money, drugs and electronics and that has led to the loss of this expedited service for us. Steve - Did you fly this past year? It's not my business what a person freely chooses to put in their own bodynor is it government's business. Let the security ppl stick to what they gotta do and you pilots can stick to being glorified bus drivers and you flight attendants can stick to being mobile vending machines. The Department of Homeland Security and the White House also have given their approval for KCM. First as the article stated, pilots fly the airplane so and second, at most major airports ground personnel do not have to clear security at all, ever! "A half a block" really? Spoken like a true dummy. Most of these tsa agents are regular people, lower paid, not highly educated. Everyone arriving at a port of entry to the U.S. is subject to inspection by Customs and Border Protection officers for compliance with immigration, customs and agriculture regulations. I guarantee if you're a flight attendant reading this you've said "oF cOuRsE I diD!" Therefore, KCM eligible crewmembers are required to understand theKCM Rules for Useand comply with these rules while using the KCM access points. I am a U.S. airline pilot, and while disappointing, this development was not unexpected. 0000003664 00000 n If you did, you wouldn't have made such an inept comment. ORD uses outdated screening methods that are so medieval, I am guessing someone up top is pocketing government funding in lieu of updating their screening methods at this locale. Also, according to you, pilots don't have to because "." does this mean pilots can't do exactly what yiu allege FAs are doing? Either way, you're a crewmember so you'd better get ready for work, you have peanuts to distribute. The duration of disqualification from participation in KCM is related to the seriousness of the violation and/or a repeated history of regulatory violations. These include cultural goods, wild fauna and flora and products derived from these, vegetables and plant products, weapons and ammunition, medicines, tobacco and alcoholic beverages. KCM FAQ - Known Crewmember Crewmember Questions and Answers - Association of Flight Attendants-CWA You also clearly dont know what youre talking about if youre suggesting to not screen pilots. I would love to see the upcoming changes on the program since I'm currently a flight attendant. Flight attendants never should have been included. Failure to follow these rules could result in temporary or permanent loss of KCM privileges. Maybe they'll finally get it when they miss a connection or twomaybe? That, and the fact that pilots or flight attendants could threaten the safety of the flight, makes crewmembers unique. Thank you for listening to ALL my pain points. It is incorporated for crewmembers protection and to ensure the integrity of the system. Crewmembers must be fully certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)as applicable; currently employed by the aircraft operator holding an approved TSA security program; have successfully completed the Criminal History Records Check (CHRC) process; be authorized to perform crewmember duties on full all-cargo flights, scheduled passenger or public/private charter passenger flights operated under an approved security program; and have completed the aircraft operators crewmember security training as applicable. What do you make of the news of the TSA replacing the Known Crewmember Program with Expedited Crew Access? We are required to sign in at latest 1 hr before departure. The first step should be eliminating flight attendants from any expedited screening program. Dont worry about that connecting flight in Denver thanks. FedEx Cross Border has prepared a global list of prohibited and restricted items that apply regardless of a shipment's destination. And no youre not getting a credit. You, Mr "peepee" sound as though you already have a preconceived notion about flight attendants and are lumping us all together. Crewmembers may not transit the KCM portal with any. While exact details remain to be seen, it would appear that airline pilots and flight attendants may have to consistently start going through airport security as of next year. After all, theres big money in smuggling drugs, and perhaps some newly minted flight attendants dont feel like they have that much to lose career-wise. To check up-to-date regulations, prices of extra luggage, an exhaustive list . Your password can't be one that you've used previously. If you are a crew member who, even ONCE, brought a firearm illegally to work, you should be randomly screened for LIFE (even if you only did it once). Some categories of people are exempt from the normal security process after identity and background checks (though they are still subject to random checks), such as flight crew, some senior government officials with security details, police officers who are required to fly armed (this isn . After-all, who you gonna call when the "center does not hold" at 35,000 feet? Second, customers are always disappointed when a crew member steps to the front of a line. Carriage of another individuals property through the KCM portal to circumvent screening is prohibited. Have new threats from crew been identified? But I guess let's just ignore those statistics and realities because you're offended by it. Are not allowed to carry property belonging to other individuals through the KCM Access Point. What items are prohibited onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship? KCM is a privilege, not a right. Are they really catching crew members with drugs? That would stop the violations real quickly. That should have never been allowed any more than ground workers could access special security lines when traveling. BS, airports like MIA and MCO all and I mean all employees entering the sterile or SIDA area of the airport are screened. If the TSA's job isn't to catch drugs, then I'm not exactly sure what this will accomplish. Too bad Clayton Osbon didn't have a gun and kill the fo right? U idiot clearly dont do this for a living.. Known Crewmember - MyKCM Login If the pilots on a flight become incapacitated, the lives of everyone on board are jeopardized; if the flight attendants become incapacitated, it is a Pilots are not easily replaced, flight attendants are. There won't be any after its gone. It is to ensure safety on public transportation, thats it. The perpetrator will gain access without a doubt because they're never checked as they walk in. I'm a 44 year flight attendant. I have witnessed them walk through checkpoints in droves with little more than a flash of a badge. They are a clueless bunch of goons. The outdated machines are looking for glycerine - a primary agent in bombs of the past. #3 is DEN - they do a secondary screening where they swipe the crew member's hands and test the swab in a machine. Thank you to the wonderful TSA for wasting everyones time and making the lives of hard working crew members harder while decreasing safety at the same time. AFA International | MNM8[@w1\J2t_ig VIgM]0%b"fM The people being caught with contraband are both flight attendants and pilots. Security | HOU (HOBBY) AIRPORT | Houston Airport System As a Flight Attendant I support keeping it for the pilots. This whole system is a mess now and its not only hurting crew members, but it will hurt passengers that have paid for TSA pre check to now have to wait for countless crews to go ahead of them. It's not about logistics. IATA - Personalised Passport, Visa & Health travel documentation advice That's right. Never wait more the 10 minutes. On October 21, 1520 Magellan finally entered the strait that he had been seeking and that came to bear his name. 2. For years, pilots and flight attendants havent had to regularly go through security, thanks to the Known Crewmember Program. If the crewmember isnot wearinga uniform, the crewmember must present a KCM barcode card and a non-expired: Aircraft operator-issued crewmember photo ID or National Air Transport Association ID; and, A valid FAA Flight Attendant Certificate of Proficiency; or. Unfortunately, too many folks don't realize or even care that flight attendants are safety professionals. : ). BTW! "Y'all fucked around and found out". KCM Rules for Use, effective November 21, 2022 - KNOWN CREWMEMBER Your password can't be a commonly used password. If they increased the requirements - say you have to have a 2 year degree -- an EMT license, etc. Flight attendants do not have as much to loose as a pilot. The smuggling will just end up moving to the SIDA badge holders. Life boats are located on Deck 8. I agree with you about flight attendants vs pilots. If the program went back to its origins, it would work fine, but the authorities are far too politically correct to exclude just one problem group, so now we all get to suffer for their sins. The plane wont be leaving without me as long as I inform schedule that Im in the airport. The CDC issued a no-sail order in U.S. waters on March 14 one day after the industry. US law is pretty clear that there is a legal basis for referring a suspected violator of US law to the appropriate law enforcement agency once there is a reasonable suspicious that arises out of a legitimate and legal search - which the TSA security process is. That is exactly what Flight Attendants do-every single day! "TSA PRE-CHECK" line where most do not have to remove their shoes or take laptops out of bags - yay. Secondly, its rather disturbing that TSA agents have very little oversight in regards to entering secure areas with bags, purses, etc. Drug interdiction isn't TSA's job and they know it. How many pilots have been caught smuggling? The folks that said lets punish those that break the rules are the only ones that have common sense. It was thought up and the Airline pilots Union and not he Flight attendants union. Actually ALL flight attendant and pilots are required to scan our badge and it's mandatory. Maybe pilots should stop bringing their guns to work. The majority of flight attendants and pilots follow the rules. I would propose that any crew member intentionally engaging in this activity, once caught and verified, be terminated immediately and banned from any job in transport, prosecuted and given an exhorbitant fine, say $100,000. A KCM denial could result from a database error that is nonspecific to you, or it might involve a miscommunication with your air carrier. The continued success of the program is dependent upon crewmembers demonstrating that they can be trusted to comply with all related requirements. EffectiveFriday, September 6, 2019, the requirements are: Effective August 27, 2019, KCM-authorized enhancement to Unpredictable Screening Procedures (USP) will be enabled. Its harassment as far as Im concerned its very frustrating to go through this every time you come to work. They are dropped off @ the secure side of the terminal. Your wild and unbelievable claim about pilots attempting to bring their families through KCM proves you don't actually know how KCM works. It would make better sense to just have a baggage scanner at each KCM checkpoint but eliminate the need to X-ray scan our bodies. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. Legally, TSA searches are on thin ice with respect to the 4th Amendment. Additionally, many of us fly the airlines as passengers with a ticket to get to/from home or the aircraft. Just give us our own lane already. Stay in your busted vehicle because I can tell by the way you type youre a bum at best. You really need to understand a few basics of airline travel. As of 2023, the TSA will allegedly be introducing Expedited Crew Access, which will replace the Known Crewmember Program. Are you absolutely certain youd like to demean the ONLY people trained (and willing) on an aircraft at 40,000 ft. to do WHATEVER is necessary to save your sorry butt? Q:My airline is participating in the KCM program; where can I get a KCM barcode card? So many of these comments are quite entertaining. When all of the flights are getting delayed, people will be wishing KCM was back. 1. H\Pn >t7i4)v} 'CZ rf ,s6^`D\5u`NzVq"p?E __C] Crewmembers who do not have a KCM barcode card, have a worn/unreadable barcode card, or have not completed the registration process will be referred to the passenger screening checkpoint for entry into the airport sterile area If a crewmember does not present an active KCM barcode card and is referred for screening, they must follow the TSOs instructions and complete the screening process at the passenger screening checkpoint. Not pilots. Flight attendants are consistently being found to bring prohibited items (including drugs, even though that's not what TSA is looking for) through KCM. Should be required to use clear backpacks or purses to pass security/ metal detectors should be used and nothing else should be allowed on premises. Airlines - KNOWN CREWMEMBER I've come up with a plan though for my KCM screening, up 75%I now wear flip flops and a Jethro Bodine belt to then get sent to random screening! This enhancement will include retention of the crewmember selection for USP for a period of time at all KCM access points in that airport. We have to submit to a background check to even have KCM.. its a shame a few bad incidents have to ruin this privilege,so tired of the public thinking we are provided with so many nice benefits we arent. Backpacks (including clear backpacks), hard-sided coolers (regardless of size) and bags larger than 16 x 16 x 8 inches are NOT permitted at Wrigley Field.Other bags (such as wallets, purses, drawstring bags, fanny packs, lunch bags, briefcases and soft-sided coolers) smaller than 16 x 16 x 8 inches in size are permitted. I will not come here to say one is worse than the other, while I have witnessed my fair share of the other half doing things they should not. Many of them have very poor attitudes and thats because they deal with people all day long and its not easy. If you don't like going through security, then commercial aviation is not the right job for you.