I was a Flight Attendant....
Through all of the TSA thing as it's been going on.. I haven't been able to form an opinion, one way or another. Wether those in power are going too far or not far enough... I don't know.
I will say that, I have met an afwul lot of nice, helpful TSA personel.. but when it comes to the people who actually work
in the airports versus just assing through it, I wouldn't envy them their job, that's for sure. Then again, those I met were on duty in the employee line.. so they were probably glad of the break. We did have to go through the same thing as passengers do.. only several times a day.. and in a hurry ... I wish having the ability to seperate your items, throw your suitcase up in the line, wrangle with your giant mandated coat, and large mandated bag, in the shortest time possible, was a necessary life skill, because I'd be set
I
will dispute though.. the cargo claim... I didn't work in that area, but often saw the way items were handled... and I believe everything that could be done, was being done, to protect us on that side of operations.
Aircraft are never left open and unattended, even within the safety of an airport. Before each aircrafts first flight of the day, a ground agent would come on and search the plane, crevice by crevice. Again before the first flight of the day for that aircraft, and every crew change, the flight attendant has to inspect the entire cabin... sometimes by feel.. including underneath the seats, the seat back pouch, removing the seat cushions, the lav, the whole 9 yards. We would also inspect all of the safety equipment, every flight.
The safety speil really has nothing to do with legality. The foremost duty of the flight attendant, and the primary focus in training, in the safety of the cabin.
Statistics show.. in most every crash.. people do not die in the impact. People die in the subsequent fire, being injured and unable to get out of their seat. People die when baggage falls into the aisle, they trip, and get trampled by those behind them. People die when they panic, and don't follow instructions. And people do drown, if the 'forced landing' takes place over water. Thus all of the safety equipment, and the brief moments alloted to apprise people of what they will have wished they had paid more attention to, in the event of an emergency.
My IOE instructor.. told me the story of her emergency, a lav fire due to a smoker... fortunately they were still on the ground.. and her awesome group of passengers beat the training record in the evacuation... pretty darn amazing. I also sat next to a retired flight attendant from another airline once, and she told me the story of her experience in the '80's.. being hijacked.. back when procedure was to give in to reasonable demands. They turned the flight around and took the fellow back to Cuba, and no one was harmed.