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May 26, 2003

DO YOU KNOW ANYONE NAMED DAVE NELSON

Seriously, do you know anyone named Dave Nelson? If so, ask him what his experience is like when he attempts to board an airplane! According to an article on The Oregonian website, if your name is Dave Nelson, "...you can expect to be hassled, delayed, questioned and searched before being allowed to board aircraft anywhere in the United States for the foreseeable future."

It seems that the federal Transportation Security Administration has created a list of names to protect our aviation system, and "Dave Nelson" is on that list. From The Oregonian article:

People whose names are on the two lists undergo what is not a routine security screening, in which you're asked to remove your shoes or empty your pockets. This week 18 men named David Nelson, all residents of Oregon, confirmed they have been repeatedly delayed at airport counters and security checkpoints in the last year or so.

Take the February experience of Dave Nelson of Salem... "We were on our way to a trade show in Atlanta," Dave says, "trying to use the auto-check-in for baggage. We punched in our information, and the computer wouldn't accept it." Dave and his wife, Leah, stood in line until an agent was available at the Delta counter. "We gave him our info, and he kept punching on his computer for about 10 or 15 minutes. . . . Then he says, 'I have to go in the back room.' He took off, and we stood there another 10 minutes. After more waiting, they were told a supervisor was being sought... Finally the guy came out and said, 'You'll have to talk to the cop behind you.' Dave was asked for I.D. and turned over his driver's license. "They called downtown and ran a criminal check, and I was clean. Then the counter clerk had to call national Delta and get permission for me to go on the airplane. We were now pretty close to takeoff time." Dave and his wife were issued tickets, but again at the gate Dave was thoroughly frisked, searched and identified.

Nico Melendez of the Transportation Security Administration will not confirm that the name David Nelson is on the "no-fly" or "selectees" list. But he does say that people who want to see if their name is on either list or who want to make a complaint, can call the agency's contact center at 866-289-9673 or send an e-mail to TellTSA@tsa.dot.gov.

Click Here to read the entire Oregonian article.

Posted by Mikal at May 26, 2003 1:45 PM | TrackBack