TSA Puts 71 Year Old Man On Super-Secret "No-Fly" List

Remember the sad story of David Nelson? Never mind which David Nelson. All of them. For some reason known only to the TSA and Department of Homeland Security, every David Nelson who gets on a plane is more than likely to be pulled out of the boarding line and given that extra-special treatment security screeners have become known for.

Now, meet Joe Adams (right). Joe is 71 years old. Study that face. Is that the face of a terrorist intent on wreaking havoc in our skies?

"This has been a nightmare. Nobody has told me why this happened -- and I imagine I'll never know," Adams said in an interview with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. For over a year, the retired English teacher has been turned away by electronic ticketing kiosks, held up at ticket counters and given that very same extra-special treatment guys named David Nelson get. Adams, it seems, is on the TSA's "no-fly" list.

The "no-fly list" is a database of "known terrorists or enemies of the federal government," according to TSA spokesman Darren Kayser. He can't "confirm or deny whether any name is on the security list because if you know your name is on the list, all you'd have to do is change your name. I'm not even sure I can confirm that we have a list."

Aw, go ahead Darren. Your boss has already confirmed it. Last month, TSA Administrator James Loy said "a tiny number of the 45 million people who fly each month" have been caught in the TSA's no-fly web. The TSA still won't admit how many names are on the list, but civil liberties groups say the number could reach several thousand.

Adams travels a lot. He's retired, he has the money and was hoping to enjoy his golden years by taking to the skies. But, since October, 2001, he's been hassled just about every time he goes to the airport. At one point, an airline supervisor jokingly asking him, "You some kind of terrorist?" [What would a TSA-er do if some civilian told him a terrorist joke? --ed.]

"I don't think so," Adams shot back, clearly not amused. About a year ago, Adams decided he'd had enough. He complained to Delta Airlines, the carrier that has held him up the most. "I have been humiliated and embarrassed," he wrote. "I am treated like the FBI's most-wanted."

The reply? Adams said it was a lot of gobbledygook (remember, he's an English teacher. That's an official language term). "We will do everything we possibly can to prevent a similar experience in the future," wrote Richard Similton, the airline's customer care manager.

The hold-ups didn't stop. Eventually, Adams got caught in a feedback loop. Delta would tell him to talk to the TSA. The TSA referred him right back to Delta.
Last spring, Adams heard about the no-fly list through media reports. He increased his effort to clear his name. In March, he e-mailed the TSA's consumer response division. He said he'd "been treated as a criminal for more than a year each time I have checked in to fly on various airlines."

What did the TSA have to say about that? Adams got a cold, anonymous response that basically told him he had to be patient. At some future date -- a date not spelled out in the TSA reply --  the administration "will have the capability of removing names."

Light At The End Of The Boarding Ramp?

By May, it seemed as if Joe Adams had succeeded. He got in the mail a Passenger Identity Verification Form that "should provide a more efficient or streamlined process for you during flight check-in." He doggedly filled out every blank in the form and sent it back to the government in the mail, along with copies of his driver's license, birth certificate, military discharge papers and his passport. Done deal, right?

Wrong.

Although a check of government records by the Star-Tribune shows Adams' verification form was approved by the TSA's Arlington (VA) office on June 3rd, Adams hit the wall again when he tried to board a Northwest Airlines flight from Orlando back home to Minneapolis. "All of a sudden, the agent disappears into the back -- oh boy, here we go again," he said. "It was hot, I was tired and everyone was staring at me. This time it took 90 minutes."

Well, Back To The Old Drawing Board.

In a prepared statement, Northwest Airlines spokeswoman Mary Stanik said, "We are aware that a small number of customers have indicated a problem related to the watch list and so we have been working on automated methods of easing those problems." So what good did all that Passenger Identity Verification process do for Joe Adams? Oh, not much.

"It's fine they have a procedure now," said Marc Kimball, a spokesman for Sen. Mark Dayton (D-MN). "We fully understand the need for security to protect the flying public, but there needs to be a process that allows people to travel without hassles. They need to start making it work for people like Mr. Adams."

Adams says he's "too old" to quit flying. So, he goes to the airport and he takes his chances. "I still wonder why I'm on that list. I suppose it's just the way the government works. But that's not good enough."

FMI: www.tsa.gov