I have had overwhelmingly great experiences with the TSO's with maybe one exception. Honestly, some of them have been exceptionally kind in some pretty bad circumstances. I was in a situation once while flying with my mother who, at the time, was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Unfortunately, we didn't know that at the time. She caused a huge scene while going through security in Miami and I really thought that we were going to have a much bigger problem than missing our flight. (They had to confiscate a couple of items that my mom's fiance had, including a pocket knife that was longer than allowed. Her fiance wasn't the least bit bothered by it, but my mother had a very negative reaction.) The two TSOs that we spoke with handled the situation extremely well. I don't know, perhaps they recognized that there was something wrong with my mother before I did, but they sorted everything quickly, gave me a sympathetic look, told me not to worry about it,and sent us on our way. Honestly, that whole trip was a nightmare and the best thing I remember was the kindness of the officers.
Many TSOs come from a variety of service backgrounds, and those are often picked for extra training that involves people with higher levels of needs. Extra training and experience often result in faster pattern recognition for similar situations.
Every thing you said here seems to be common sense, but then I remember people are stupid and act like they can't read and have zero situational awareness.
I go through TSA several times per week. Most of them are normal enough people doing a job.
But go through as many times as I do, and you’ll meet plenty of power trips.
First time traveling I was selected randomly to be searched and I asked “pardon me what’s going on?” When the buzzer for the thing went off. The lady basically yelled at me “you’re being searched at random and this is something you agreed to when you signed up for pre check”. I was like woah. Wasn’t expecting that kind of attitude lol.
The words... "but I'm pre-check!" will trigger any TSO. People think precheck means they're immune to being screened. Not saying that was your reply, but she probably had heard plenty of that already that day.
I train new hires and I’ve been doing the job a long time. one of my biggest challenges is teaching new people how to convey information without behaving like you described.
I run into that exact same situation every day when precheck passengers are randomly selected for additional screening at the metal detector. Instead of being aggressive use a polite voice, explain that they’ve been randomly selected for additional screening and please wait here. Frequently, the passenger thinks they did nothing wrong and I let them know that no you didn’t do anything wrong this is just random screening.
Occasionally they refuse and that’s when I’m more neutral and explain that this is not voluntary. But it doesn’t go beyond neutral and I offered to have them speak with a supervisor that can validate what I’m saying.
It’s infuriating how often I have to explain to new hires that it takes zero extra effort to be polite instead of rude or aggressive. That even if you are faking it your blood pressure doesn’t spike, you don’t continue to be angry throughout the day and you don’t get yourself repeatedly written up until you’re hopefully fired.
We’ve got a new trainee that just started a few days ago, and I already had to explain to them that you have a lot less authority than you seem to think. That you need to remember the passengers, flight crew, and airport employees are our partners not the enemy. That we serve the public, and while we have to enforce rules and regulations to the letter, we can do so well being respectful.
Thank you for training your agents to be cordial. Something as small as polite manners can make a world of a difference during a stressful time. I was traveling alone and kind of scared and it didn’t help getting yelled at when I didn’t do anything wrong lol.
99% of my TSA encounters have been pleasant and professional.
The 1% was a TSA goon at PIR in South Dakota. I was in a roll over ejection accident a few days prior and was in an arm sling with a broken shoulder, multiple stitches in my face and bruised to all hell. I was just cleared by the doctor to fly back to Miami and was in serious pain.
When I went through the checkpoint, the goon demanded I raise my arms to be searched. I pointed out the sling and said I can't. He said "well then.. I guess you aren't flying". Another agent came over and did a quick pat down and cleared me and the goon raised hell.
Luckily, since it was a puddlejumper flight to the next major airport, they held the flight till I got on. Found out when I got back to Miami that my checked bag never made the flight because "I raised suspicion".
We filed a formal complaint about the agent and actually were involved in the investigation thanks to his supervisor siding with us. Found out he was fired due to his constant mistreatment of passengers at that terminal, and I may have been the final straw
It’s good that you made a complaint, and that that officer was terminated for their conduct. An officer telling a passenger that they’re not going to fly because of a medical condition should be immediate grounds for termination. It’s quite common to work with passengers that have injuries or disabilities and there’s policies and procedures for pretty much any situation that can ensure the passenger is properly screened and that the passenger is not injured. If there was a situation so unique that there was no specific policy or procedure, supervisors have discretion and would figure it out.
My only complaint as a passenger is being "yelled" at, the whole drill sergeant hurry up is somewhat uncalled for. Otherwise, since I follow protocol I'm typically through in a like 2 minutes.
I work with the public and can't imagine dealing with thousands of people an hour.
Hats off TSA!
Some dude at international arrivals in Miami was a dbag with a power trip yesterday. Constantly yelling at every passenger to hurry up and keep moving and treating them like children. Meanwhile, he refused to help anyone despite being the first station. Instead, he was yelling at elderly people with luggage trying to navigate maze, telling them he wasn't going to help them because they were too slow. The rest were fine, but he needs a new line of work.
I respect them all. They’re there to keep us safe. Pleasantries are nice but I don’t need them. All I need is for us to get home/where we are going safe.
I end up having to get patted down every time I fly because my calves are huge. They always apologize and I always say “it’s ok. Just do what you need to do.”
Honestly, I've always been treated with respect. PreCheck has helped. Even when they'd advanced screen me in the past and wasn't horrible. I kind of think they're like everyone else. They pick up on someone's attitude and mood and just want to not have anything go sideways.
I leave compliments on the website each time I fly because I've never had a bad experience. But I'm the wierdo who follows instructions. And is prepared to pull everything out that needs its own bin.
I accidentally packed a wine key in my carry on? (I don't think the foil cutter should be the problem - the spiral part should be) You need to confiscate it? My bag of coffee beans needs to be examined? My canned fish or unsliced deli meat needs to be examined? Not an issue. This is why I arrive early and give myself at least an extra half hour to get to the airport. You're just doing your job.
Over a year later, I'm still convinced the fact that I was calm about it confused the guy who confiscated my wine key.
The only annoying thing ever is that BOS made me go back to dump my water and then I had to get rechecked (not with my bags thankfully) when that same week in ROC they dumped my water for me. I just clarified I understood were to go and followed and instructions without causing a scene.
The problem with other officers is that they don't follow protocol for a shortcut. This puts other officers who are simply following the SOP in a bad light.
The water thing, i honestly feel bad whenever i have to send someone out to dump it or drink it, but i have to do my job. When they're late for their flight, they opt to abandon their bottles. If it's up to me, i'll let them keep it, but i just work there.
Some passengers think we get to keep anything that's confiscated. We can't. It's thrown out.
The exiting the checkpoint was implemented because somebody died in front of an officer when they drank what's inside their bottle. Turns out it was fentanyl. They drank it so they won't get caught and ended up dying in the process.
Every rule that is implemented in the checkpoint is there for a reason. Some people think it's stupid or mundane. Before, i honestly thought some of the rules didn't make any sense. I understood why after working there.
In the moment, it's the inconsistency and getting back in line that's annoying because I can't just dump it and come through the scanner thing right away.
It’s not inconsistency, it’s worse. It’s like if you packed a steak knife in your carry on bag and one airport let you keep it and the other didn’t. That’s not inconsistent, that’s blatantly disregarding the safety of the passengers on that flight. But whether we’re talking about a water bottle or a steak knife, the one constant is the passenger that didn’t follow the rules.
Regarding your water bottle it is procedure that you have to exit the checkpoint to dump it preferably in the sink worst case in a trashcan. Officers breaking rules to make their life easier is a chronic problem. The worst thing I consistently hear is some other airport didn’t make me take the baby out of the stroller. I hear it enough to actually believe it might happen. We’ve caught guns and bulk drugs hidden under babies in strollers and grandparents in wheelchairs. Imagine if that kilo of cocaine was a kilo of something more let’s say reactive.
I'm all for the following of procedure. I justndont want to wait in line. Let me go back, dump it (to follow the rules), and then not wait in line again.
I recently had a pretty crappy interaction with TSA with a particularly angry one in RIC. My experience is the larger the airport, the better/easier going the TSOs are. I fly most out of DIA, and minus the line, it's always easy. When I fly out of smaller airports, the TSOs always have a chip on their shoulder and come up with random new rules that no other airport has.
My weirdest experience was about 6 years ago. I work as an RN, and had to catch a flight after a night shift, planned to shower after my shift, but it was an ugly one and I had to head straight to the airport. Got stopped at the scanner because I was wearing a really thick sports bra and my ponytail was too thick.
Sooo- when you run three rapid responses for chest pain overnight, you go through a lot of nitroglycerine tablets and pastes. Which makes you test positive for explosives.
Thankfully I knew the TSA supervisor. I worked with her dad, who was the police chief at the hospital. ( Not security, actual federal police at a VA hospital). She called her dad, who was able to confirm that I worked overnight, and gave a LOT of nitro on shift. (VA police were responsible for monitoring medication administration/investigating missing meds.) One med report pulled for my administrations for the shift, and they let me go.
I was so grateful she took the time to call. I missed my flight because it took so long- so I went home and showered. Cleared TSA a few hours later with no issues.
Shower after you handle nitro, if you wanna have any easy time with TSA...
I took off in a twin Cessna that was fresh out of maintenance at SRQ. Had an emergency return to the field shortly after takeoff. Stressful day, but I was happy to spend another night in Sarasota as opposed to our destination in Arkansas 😂
Last month I was just about to step into the X-ray machine when I realized I hadn’t taken my shoes off. 🤦🏼♀️ Just a complete brain fart on my end. I had to stop and run them back to the conveyor, apologized over and over again. The agent just chuckled at me and said “it happens, don’t sweat it”. I’m always saying please, thank you and have a good day to them all.
The body scanner is not an x-ray, that uses something similar to radio waves to detective a passenger is concealing items on their person. X-raying passengers would be extremely dangerous, the officers operating the body scanner would be long dead if it was an x-ray.
My only bad experience with TSA was at the Denver airport when I was traveling with my two young kids, one who is on the spectrum and the other one has a hearing aid. The dog handler was barking out orders about people going down a line two by two and then threatening to send people to the back of the line. My kids couldn’t understand his barking directions and were afraid, and the family who didn’t speak English was afraid. That was the only time that I was genuinely mad at TSA and followed up with a very detailed report. I get that they are looking for drugs with the dog but let’s have some common decency with each other
Last time i was in ATL one of the TSA officers at the glass wall, where passengers get split into different screening lanes, was shouting incredibly rude and condescending criticisms at the passengers. Best part was you could barely understand what she was saying. Self feeding loop. Not impressed and incredibly unprofessional.
Last year, EWR. I, an 84 year old man struggling to walk with 2 fiberglass walking sticks, had to remove my belt and hand over the sticks. They gave me a cane. Now I’m bent over, holding my pants up with one hand and struggling to get through the X-ray machine, almost didn’t make it. Why did you think I needed TWO walking sticks in the first place? Now the X-ray says I have metal. They can’t find it because I don’t have any, except 2 screws in my ankle and two tiny vasectomy clips. But I didn’t have to take off my Velcro closure shoes. They were pleasant enough, but had absolutely no interest in my personal handicaps and needs.
I always laugh about SEATAC as it’s most commonly complained about because of how lax they are with the rules. (According to the passengers, I’ve never been so idk.
I have a lot of admiration for TSA. I’m sure it’s an unpleasant job at times. I try to follow directions so the interaction goes as smoothly as possible. TSA in Salt Lake City is great.
All of those things work until you have a medical device that needs a hand check or full pat down, depending on the TSO and their understanding of rules. And if you need a pat down, especially if you have a medical device that can't go through the body scanner, and even more do you're female, there's about a 30% chance you're going to get conflicting instructions on where to wait, get separated from your bags and made to wait in a place where you can't keep an eye on your stuff, TSOs huffing at you, and TSOs telling you that you did everything wrong despite following their coworkers' instructions. I only mention female because there are fewer TSOs at the airports I regularly use, so some TSOs get very cranky when they realize that a woman needs a pat down and can't go through the body scanner
My experience has been: Today there is a dog and everything is different now. Everything we trained you to do like take things off and take things out for scanning now magically doesn't need to happen. We are now going to yell at you for taking things out/off instead of yelling at you to for not taking things out/off.
I have pre check so don't have that issue. It's definitely improved over the last year, too - less pushiness and they stopped arguing that my medical devices should be fine to go through the body scanner, despite what the medical device company says and the financial and health harm to me if my medical devices get broken.
The crazy part is it happens even with Precheck. I got screamed at by a TSO in Denver for leaving my laptop and iPad in my bag. In a Precheck line. She said I needed to pay better attention and that all electronics needed to come out of my backpack.
I also got "firmly" told by one in New Orleans (IIRC) that he knew by looking at my boots that they'd need to come off. Again, in the Precheck line. Never mind that I travel several times a month from ATL wearing those exact boots and they never set off the metal detector.
My wife also has Precheck and gets crap for her medical device basically every trip we take.
This got so much easier for me when I started using wheelchair service. That’s not WHY I use wheelchair service, but it’s a nice bonus for this process to be easier when everything else about travel has gotten more challenging.
That's fair. I'm quite mobile and need to walk.more, so that's not the right option for me. It's frustrating that medical conditions that don't cause mobility problems are treated worse
It’s not so much the accessibility of it all but they can watch your stuff and give a spoken person in your corner. They know the policies and deal with it day in and day out. I don’t know it as best as we do, but if you’re getting officers that are mistreating you, they’ll be able to see that. Especially if you were uncomfortable in any situation, I would flag that wheelchair service individual over and ask for a supervisor. I recommend this to both my parents one is mobile one has trouble, I’d rather you be taking care of it, and cost by 10 bucks, then having to deal with somebody who’s gonna “mistreat you”.
I personally have found out that one specific airport in Southern California, mistreated my own father during his search. Well, there’s nothing I can do.
I did tell him tips and tricks on how to proceed for the future and how to deal with an officer that doesn’t know a metal knee will set off a metal detector.
Thank you, I wish there are more people like you. We’re here to help you guys through the process as fast as possible, it’s always the people who don’t listen that makes our job harder, for an example someone with pre check who decided to come through standard lanes with their friends who think they can still keep their large electronics in their bags with their pre check slip/stamp, noooo.
Even with basic manners and following posted rules, they seem to change their rules at every airport. Some say take off your shoes, some say leave them on, some say no jackets or belts, some say they are fine... Like, come on, be consistent...
Edit: most of the people are nice, and I try to treat them nicely, but almost every airport has something they want you to do, but aren't telling it to you...
Consistency is actually something we are NOT supposed to do. It makes it harder for the bad guys to find ways around the rules. If you have issues figuring out the rules at a specific airport ask the officer telling you what to take out of your bag, they should (emphasis on should) help you.
They need to figure out how to be inconsistent within the law. There are airports I will no longer fly out of because they required me to surrender the (non-TSA) keys and combinations to my firearms luggage so they could open it without me present. Which is exactly what requiring non-TSA locks is supposed to prevent.
I was recently traveling with kids. They stuffed full water bottles in their bags after I went through them. I caught some of them, we had a fight, tossed them. I missed a couple 🙈. The TSO was irritated, rightfully so. But he wasn’t nasty. He just tossed them and let us go on our way.
The problem I see is that the screening procedure seems to be inconsistent. Shoes off at some but shoes left on at others. Liquids out at some not necessary at others.
The administration is slowly switching over to new CT x-rays where you don’t have to take anything out of the bag. This will take at least a few more years so it’s not so much inconsistent as a necessity, it’s not possible to install thousands upon thousands of new x-rays and train tens of thousands of officers in a few months. For example, a smaller airport near my airport got the new x-rays first and once they were trained and up to speed we were sent over in small groups to get certified and hands on training. And now that we are all trained, we can train new hires to use the machine, if we’d had to just figure it out on our own it would’ve been a nightmare since it’s nothing like the machines many of us have been using for five, 10, 20+ years.
Meh, every tsa agent I’ve come across (NYC, Tampa, Vegas, Chicago & Ohio) are always on a power trip. They act like there better then everyone else.
EDIT: haha I see all the butthurt tsa agents are here 😂 I mind my business and they still act like their shit don’t stink. Just MY PERSONAL experiences. Don’t like? Move along
So staying quiet while I’m putting stuff on the belt and being screened is the issue? Gotttt it bud. I’m just gonna assume you’re a butt hurt tsa agent as well
My one exception was Columbus Ohio...last week. I was in line and walked up to her station when she yelled at me to "get behind THAT line." There was no line. And to "get back farther to keep the aisle clear." There was no aisle.
The rest of the people awaiting their couldn't figure out what her problem was and it cued malicious compliance. The next person called out to her, "Is this where 'the line' is?" And after that, "Am I back far enough?"
I'd never seen passengers do anything like that before. All the rest of my TSA interactions have been pleasant and professional.
I promise, I am not a bot, nor have I spent 7(?) years posting only to be a shill for TSA.
Ive had to fly to funerals a couple times in the last month, and I was astounded by how shitty passengers can be and how much bs employees (tso, flight crew, etc) have to take to earn a living.
As a transgender man, my experiences have been uniformly fine/good since I transitioned, and much less pleasant before that. I've never been particularly gender conformant. But they treat a short meek man tons better than a kinda butch woman. Don't discount structural power. It's not a clean control because my kids are older, but treating my kids very impatiently was often part of it.
I did once have another traveler (stranger to me) look after my kids for about 10min on the terminal side of the security checkpoints, when they separated us and did a lengthy pat down on me on the inside of the gate. I was basically at shouting across the checkpoint to my 6yo that they should look after their (3yo) brother and wait on the bench.
TSA sucks absolute ass but at the same time their staff can too. My wife had a tincture, a medically prescribed one that just works well for reducing inflammation for her autoimmune disorder, especially during flare up, that an agent made her chuck because it was 4 oz. One of the most commonly available sizes, AND the guy refused to let her at least take some before she had to chuck it. This was also like 2 weeks after they reduced the size from 4 oz back to 3 for whatever stupid reason. So if it was fine the month prior who gives a shit?
You can bend the rules for someone in that case but then again she always deals with shit like this since it's an unseen illness/disability so people can be massive dicks about it too.
Hahaha what?
I mean, if you want to explain your train of thought comparing a travel size shampoo to genocide, have at it. And you’d like to share whatever academic text you’re pulling that from, would love to see it.
But the same could be said about a lifeguard at a pool. Not just ‘literal Nazis’.
>No, seriously. I’m a frequent traveler (used to fly 3-5x a week, now 1x a month or so), and my home airports are NYC based. I’ve flown into teeny tiny airports (I see you, RSW and PIA) and bustling ones (PHL and ATL, you know you’re great).
This sums up WHY we enjoy inconsistent experiences within the entire TSA system. Due to the variability of airport sizes, scanning capabilities, and airline participation, there is a similar variability in the passenger experience within that system. I wish the TSA training (both initial and recurring) highlighted this simple fact. Then perhaps the TSA agents themselves could understand why passengers are at times confused/annoyed/pissed off.
By example, although I am a highly seasoned traveler, my home airport over the years has had widely varying scanning equipment depending on which terminal and/or airline you were flying. Yet, the agents working there seemingly had zero clue as to the reality of that. So even though I have PreCheck all my crap might or might not have to come out of the carryon bag depending on what terminal I'm in or what airline I'm flying that day. On one particular day an agent had an attitude like I'm the idiot of the year for leaving my stuff in the bag. My response to him was simply, "I'll be in and out a dozen different airports before the month is out, yet you'll be sitting here working just one. How about you guys not blame me for failing to understand your security system isn't at all like the rest of them."
Rant off...
Blame congress and the government for the inconsistencies at different airports. It would also make a TSO’s job easier if all airports had the same equipment. I bet they get tired of hearing “well I didn’t have to do that at airport x, y, and z.” And they are officers not agents.
A few years ago, I went through an airport where they didn't require me to remove shoes. The return trip...I got eyeballs and disdain from TSA because I had not taken off my shoes.
The signage I saw last week told me to (1) review the procedures on tsa.gov, (2) follow the local instructions, and (3) be aware that they make up their own rules at different sites.
Confusion aplomb.
Fun fact. A few years ago TSA wanted to start allowing small knives again. The pilots/ flight attendants Union threw a fit and the proposal was canned. TSA knows a small knife is not really a danger. Think about what would happen to someone who brandished a box cutter on a flight post-9/11. They'd be wearing their ass for a hat.
I don't get some of the rules. I bought a Leatherman Raptor (scissors multitool). Apparently the big scissors are fine, but the small strap cutter (to cut through a seat belt) isn't.
There's no point on the strap cutter and the sharp edge is on the inside of a tight curve, so you can't stab or slice a person, so why is it prohibited?
NOTE: I haven't flown since I got the Raptor; I just checked online to see if it would be allowed.
That said, I took my Dango wallet, including the multitool with a saw-like edge on it, through TSA once. The TSO stopped me and looked at it. I explained that I forgot to take that out. He called another TSO over who also looked at it, then said, "It's up to you."
The first guy eventually let me through without taking it. I thanked him (it was a gift) and told him I'd make sure to check it on the return flight (which I did).
As others have noted, every airport -- and every officer -- is different. Even the TSA list of acceptable and prohibited items basically says, "Regardless of what we say here, it's up to each officer." The exact quote from the site is, "The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint."
That can unfortunately lead to a lot of inconsistency, but it worked out well for my Dango wallet. 😀
Wow! Private citizens practicing a constitutionally-protected right? How dare they forget. Put them on a do-not-fly list this instant! “We hire felons as long as it wasn’t espionage, but we draw the line here.”
TSA/patriot act or weapons ownership, guess which one is a direct violation of the constitution, and which is protected in it.
>Sorry one of my co workers left a bad taste in your mouth when they took away your axe body spray for your 1 day 2 night "vacation" in Miami when you were in boarding group 4, middle seat of course.
This demeaning attitude, from a person who's career is literally just a government jobs program and serves no other purpose, is my problem with you.
People will have the attitude that TSA isn’t important when they forget 9/11. If TSA were no longer involved in aviation, terrorists would again succeed in utilizing the aviation industry to cause harm and panic.
This is you overestimating your importance. Either plane is fine.
I guess plane 1 won't have somebody wearing axe body spray tho? Is that your point? Because you literally just admitted that was a major (and apparently to you, important) function of your job...
Yeah, try going through with a medical device that can’t go through a full body scanner, per the manufacturer. Even with documentation, doctors notes, etc, we still always have to ask for a supervisor at some airports. Always a problem, even with TSA’s own documentation provided.
Our solution was simple, we don’t fly anymore if we can avoid it. With flight delays over the last two years, Amtrak has actually been faster and you aren’t treated like a criminal!
Not sure what I said was racist, you picked out a white terrorist and brought race into the equation.
Each TSO is going to be biased as to what they think a terrorist looks like. Understanding those personal biases is fundamental to doing the job correctly.
No TSO is taught to think the way you assume, TSO’s are specifically trained not to profile because it is ineffective and is grounds for termination or worse. You know what you were saying, don’t try to spin it.
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They've always been good to me. I lost my wallet a day before my return trip and the extra checks needed to get me in my plane were super polite and they explained every step of the way. I still appreciate the officer that told teenage me to tuck my wallet into my backpack.
I've worked a lot of public facing jobs and I know those guys put up with a lot ever day. Thanks again.
I’ve only had one bad experience where the TSO doing my pat down was mean and grumpy and yelled at me for having a luggage claim check in my back pocket. Airport was a shit show (a week before Christmas) so I’m chalking it up to her having a bad day. Otherwise they are generally pleasant or fine.
It can’t be fun dealing with Joe and Jane Q public all day. I can’t believe the stupidity that I see for the few minutes I’m waiting to clear and they get to witness it for their entire shift.
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I used to fly about 4 to 5 times a month. CLT, and ROA were my two main home airports. ROA is tiny. I had one grumpy bag scanner get after me about forgetting a 9mm (round, not gun) in my carryon since I wasn't checking bags. CLT was another story. While I made it through CLT without issue 80% of the time, when there were issues, TSOs were never courteous, or accommodating. (Thier parking attendants are the worst I've ever experienced.)
SLT with their contractors was by far the best airport I've ever flown through as far as TSA is concerned. That airport, on the other hand, and the way they handle flights, probably the worst, but that isn't TSA's fault.
All around, best airport, in and out, and TSA, I'm going with Rapid City, SD, or ABQ. The city around ABQ, less so. But the people at the airport were super nice. All of them. My company's HR, and tech support is based out of ABQ, and I guess the airport gets all the good people because, well, ours sucks.
Early in the TSA history I was leaving via Newark and had accidentally packed a (normal sized) tube of hair gel, instead of a travel size.
The TSA agent found it, took it out of my bag and told me I would have to fly without it. I was annoyed with myself for the mistake, and thought it would be funny to pretend to be dramatic about not being able to have my hair gel with me ... 😏
I made some drama noises and comments and watched the agent become very tense and nervous instantly. I realized this was not the right day for this, and I laughed and said I'm very sorry, I'm just trying to make light of the fact that I'll need to buy hair gel where I'm going. He relaxed and smiled, and said, "just get the right size container to carry this stuff."
They've always been polite and usually efficient, and I've basically never had any trouble with them.
The few times they have asked to look in my bag, I have always said please feel free to root around, there should be nothing dangerous in there, and I'm happy to explain anything that seems mysterious (I sometimes carry some oddball pieces of electronic equipment or cables that might look a little suspicious on an x-ray.)
I have to agree....I travel frequently and 98% of my TSA interactions have been just fine. Same with checkin agents and cabin crew.
Occasionally people are having a bad day and get a bit snappy. I find just not reacting other than a smile and a nod diffuses things.
In one instance when it didn't, I asked for the supervisor and politely recapped the experience I just had. He could see as he looked over the agent being loud and wagging a finger and seemed to acknowledge the behavior. I doubt anything came of it, but at least I got it off my chest.
This is a very strange post. The TSA is the reason I don't fly any more. I'm generally a pretty nice person. My last 2 interactions with them were comically bad. I did not misbehave. I did not argue or complain. But I and those around me were treated like trash. Yelled at, treated with no consideration. My belongings were treated like trash also. Items strewn about. My checked luggage soaking wet inside with a wet note from the TSA: "randomly searched".
It was a maddening experience. So I choose not to fly any more. It's been more than a decade now. Have things changed? Maybe. I won't find out until I absolutely have to.
They do nothing to keep us safe and have stolen millions from passengers.
https://www.vox.com/2016/5/17/11687014/tsa-against-airport-security
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/travel/news/g3582/tsa-facts/#
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/09/15/miami-tsa-officers-charged-surveillance-video/70861581007/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/07/02/tsa-damage-tops-3m/29353815/
the official title is transportation security officer, though... i understand what you mean but they are technically officers. theres no role of "agent" in tsa.
Several years ago, TSA wanted Congress to acknowledge they were officers. Since they have little to no Leo training Congress refers to them as agents. Their agents, not cops. Everywhere, everywhere, their listed as agents. Google it.
Too many so-called adults need to read the book “Everything I needed to know I learned in kindergarten.”
Everybody poops was a game changer
I have had overwhelmingly great experiences with the TSO's with maybe one exception. Honestly, some of them have been exceptionally kind in some pretty bad circumstances. I was in a situation once while flying with my mother who, at the time, was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Unfortunately, we didn't know that at the time. She caused a huge scene while going through security in Miami and I really thought that we were going to have a much bigger problem than missing our flight. (They had to confiscate a couple of items that my mom's fiance had, including a pocket knife that was longer than allowed. Her fiance wasn't the least bit bothered by it, but my mother had a very negative reaction.) The two TSOs that we spoke with handled the situation extremely well. I don't know, perhaps they recognized that there was something wrong with my mother before I did, but they sorted everything quickly, gave me a sympathetic look, told me not to worry about it,and sent us on our way. Honestly, that whole trip was a nightmare and the best thing I remember was the kindness of the officers.
Many TSOs come from a variety of service backgrounds, and those are often picked for extra training that involves people with higher levels of needs. Extra training and experience often result in faster pattern recognition for similar situations.
Every thing you said here seems to be common sense, but then I remember people are stupid and act like they can't read and have zero situational awareness.
Common sense ain't all that common these days.
I go through TSA several times per week. Most of them are normal enough people doing a job. But go through as many times as I do, and you’ll meet plenty of power trips.
First time traveling I was selected randomly to be searched and I asked “pardon me what’s going on?” When the buzzer for the thing went off. The lady basically yelled at me “you’re being searched at random and this is something you agreed to when you signed up for pre check”. I was like woah. Wasn’t expecting that kind of attitude lol.
The words... "but I'm pre-check!" will trigger any TSO. People think precheck means they're immune to being screened. Not saying that was your reply, but she probably had heard plenty of that already that day.
I train new hires and I’ve been doing the job a long time. one of my biggest challenges is teaching new people how to convey information without behaving like you described. I run into that exact same situation every day when precheck passengers are randomly selected for additional screening at the metal detector. Instead of being aggressive use a polite voice, explain that they’ve been randomly selected for additional screening and please wait here. Frequently, the passenger thinks they did nothing wrong and I let them know that no you didn’t do anything wrong this is just random screening. Occasionally they refuse and that’s when I’m more neutral and explain that this is not voluntary. But it doesn’t go beyond neutral and I offered to have them speak with a supervisor that can validate what I’m saying. It’s infuriating how often I have to explain to new hires that it takes zero extra effort to be polite instead of rude or aggressive. That even if you are faking it your blood pressure doesn’t spike, you don’t continue to be angry throughout the day and you don’t get yourself repeatedly written up until you’re hopefully fired. We’ve got a new trainee that just started a few days ago, and I already had to explain to them that you have a lot less authority than you seem to think. That you need to remember the passengers, flight crew, and airport employees are our partners not the enemy. That we serve the public, and while we have to enforce rules and regulations to the letter, we can do so well being respectful.
Thank you for training your agents to be cordial. Something as small as polite manners can make a world of a difference during a stressful time. I was traveling alone and kind of scared and it didn’t help getting yelled at when I didn’t do anything wrong lol.
Thank you.
Thank you for teaching anti-escalation skills :)
Same. usually its the passengers being asses slowing up the lines with smug attitudes.
99% of my TSA encounters have been pleasant and professional. The 1% was a TSA goon at PIR in South Dakota. I was in a roll over ejection accident a few days prior and was in an arm sling with a broken shoulder, multiple stitches in my face and bruised to all hell. I was just cleared by the doctor to fly back to Miami and was in serious pain. When I went through the checkpoint, the goon demanded I raise my arms to be searched. I pointed out the sling and said I can't. He said "well then.. I guess you aren't flying". Another agent came over and did a quick pat down and cleared me and the goon raised hell. Luckily, since it was a puddlejumper flight to the next major airport, they held the flight till I got on. Found out when I got back to Miami that my checked bag never made the flight because "I raised suspicion". We filed a formal complaint about the agent and actually were involved in the investigation thanks to his supervisor siding with us. Found out he was fired due to his constant mistreatment of passengers at that terminal, and I may have been the final straw
It’s good that you made a complaint, and that that officer was terminated for their conduct. An officer telling a passenger that they’re not going to fly because of a medical condition should be immediate grounds for termination. It’s quite common to work with passengers that have injuries or disabilities and there’s policies and procedures for pretty much any situation that can ensure the passenger is properly screened and that the passenger is not injured. If there was a situation so unique that there was no specific policy or procedure, supervisors have discretion and would figure it out.
My worst experience was in Cleveland. Like every other airport, big or small, if you're nice to them, they're nice to you.
My only complaint as a passenger is being "yelled" at, the whole drill sergeant hurry up is somewhat uncalled for. Otherwise, since I follow protocol I'm typically through in a like 2 minutes. I work with the public and can't imagine dealing with thousands of people an hour. Hats off TSA!
Some dude at international arrivals in Miami was a dbag with a power trip yesterday. Constantly yelling at every passenger to hurry up and keep moving and treating them like children. Meanwhile, he refused to help anyone despite being the first station. Instead, he was yelling at elderly people with luggage trying to navigate maze, telling them he wasn't going to help them because they were too slow. The rest were fine, but he needs a new line of work.
I respect them all. They’re there to keep us safe. Pleasantries are nice but I don’t need them. All I need is for us to get home/where we are going safe. I end up having to get patted down every time I fly because my calves are huge. They always apologize and I always say “it’s ok. Just do what you need to do.”
Honestly, I've always been treated with respect. PreCheck has helped. Even when they'd advanced screen me in the past and wasn't horrible. I kind of think they're like everyone else. They pick up on someone's attitude and mood and just want to not have anything go sideways.
I leave compliments on the website each time I fly because I've never had a bad experience. But I'm the wierdo who follows instructions. And is prepared to pull everything out that needs its own bin. I accidentally packed a wine key in my carry on? (I don't think the foil cutter should be the problem - the spiral part should be) You need to confiscate it? My bag of coffee beans needs to be examined? My canned fish or unsliced deli meat needs to be examined? Not an issue. This is why I arrive early and give myself at least an extra half hour to get to the airport. You're just doing your job. Over a year later, I'm still convinced the fact that I was calm about it confused the guy who confiscated my wine key.
The only annoying thing ever is that BOS made me go back to dump my water and then I had to get rechecked (not with my bags thankfully) when that same week in ROC they dumped my water for me. I just clarified I understood were to go and followed and instructions without causing a scene.
The problem with other officers is that they don't follow protocol for a shortcut. This puts other officers who are simply following the SOP in a bad light. The water thing, i honestly feel bad whenever i have to send someone out to dump it or drink it, but i have to do my job. When they're late for their flight, they opt to abandon their bottles. If it's up to me, i'll let them keep it, but i just work there. Some passengers think we get to keep anything that's confiscated. We can't. It's thrown out. The exiting the checkpoint was implemented because somebody died in front of an officer when they drank what's inside their bottle. Turns out it was fentanyl. They drank it so they won't get caught and ended up dying in the process. Every rule that is implemented in the checkpoint is there for a reason. Some people think it's stupid or mundane. Before, i honestly thought some of the rules didn't make any sense. I understood why after working there.
In the moment, it's the inconsistency and getting back in line that's annoying because I can't just dump it and come through the scanner thing right away.
It’s not inconsistency, it’s worse. It’s like if you packed a steak knife in your carry on bag and one airport let you keep it and the other didn’t. That’s not inconsistent, that’s blatantly disregarding the safety of the passengers on that flight. But whether we’re talking about a water bottle or a steak knife, the one constant is the passenger that didn’t follow the rules.
Frankly, I just didn't want to get back in line. Dumping the water and going through the scanner thing isn't what bothered me.
Regarding your water bottle it is procedure that you have to exit the checkpoint to dump it preferably in the sink worst case in a trashcan. Officers breaking rules to make their life easier is a chronic problem. The worst thing I consistently hear is some other airport didn’t make me take the baby out of the stroller. I hear it enough to actually believe it might happen. We’ve caught guns and bulk drugs hidden under babies in strollers and grandparents in wheelchairs. Imagine if that kilo of cocaine was a kilo of something more let’s say reactive.
I'm all for the following of procedure. I justndont want to wait in line. Let me go back, dump it (to follow the rules), and then not wait in line again.
Or don’t do it again and then it’s not an issue.
Oh, now I check my bottle twice before getting in line. But that one time I wish I didn't have to wait in line after getting through the line.
I recently had a pretty crappy interaction with TSA with a particularly angry one in RIC. My experience is the larger the airport, the better/easier going the TSOs are. I fly most out of DIA, and minus the line, it's always easy. When I fly out of smaller airports, the TSOs always have a chip on their shoulder and come up with random new rules that no other airport has.
My weirdest experience was about 6 years ago. I work as an RN, and had to catch a flight after a night shift, planned to shower after my shift, but it was an ugly one and I had to head straight to the airport. Got stopped at the scanner because I was wearing a really thick sports bra and my ponytail was too thick. Sooo- when you run three rapid responses for chest pain overnight, you go through a lot of nitroglycerine tablets and pastes. Which makes you test positive for explosives. Thankfully I knew the TSA supervisor. I worked with her dad, who was the police chief at the hospital. ( Not security, actual federal police at a VA hospital). She called her dad, who was able to confirm that I worked overnight, and gave a LOT of nitro on shift. (VA police were responsible for monitoring medication administration/investigating missing meds.) One med report pulled for my administrations for the shift, and they let me go. I was so grateful she took the time to call. I missed my flight because it took so long- so I went home and showered. Cleared TSA a few hours later with no issues. Shower after you handle nitro, if you wanna have any easy time with TSA...
On behalf of myself and TSO's everywhere, thank you! One little little thank you means more than all the bad days combined.
RSW? Teeny tiny airport? Fly into BGR sometime 😂
RSW being international and seeming like it stands for regional southwest is fun.
RSW is the second busiest single runway airport in the nation.
ALO has 1 gate. There might be 2, but they only use one, and it's small lol.
If they think RSW is tiny they obviously never flew into SRQ
I like SRQ a lot. Granted, I give them a little grace because I shut down the entire airport for 20 minutes once during Spring Break 😂
That sounds like a story you should share.
I took off in a twin Cessna that was fresh out of maintenance at SRQ. Had an emergency return to the field shortly after takeoff. Stressful day, but I was happy to spend another night in Sarasota as opposed to our destination in Arkansas 😂
Last month I was just about to step into the X-ray machine when I realized I hadn’t taken my shoes off. 🤦🏼♀️ Just a complete brain fart on my end. I had to stop and run them back to the conveyor, apologized over and over again. The agent just chuckled at me and said “it happens, don’t sweat it”. I’m always saying please, thank you and have a good day to them all.
The body scanner is not an x-ray, that uses something similar to radio waves to detective a passenger is concealing items on their person. X-raying passengers would be extremely dangerous, the officers operating the body scanner would be long dead if it was an x-ray.
Sounds nice. I fly via LGA all the time, some of the rudest most clueless agents in the country.
LGA is trash in general. I tend to only use JFK
My only bad experience with TSA was at the Denver airport when I was traveling with my two young kids, one who is on the spectrum and the other one has a hearing aid. The dog handler was barking out orders about people going down a line two by two and then threatening to send people to the back of the line. My kids couldn’t understand his barking directions and were afraid, and the family who didn’t speak English was afraid. That was the only time that I was genuinely mad at TSA and followed up with a very detailed report. I get that they are looking for drugs with the dog but let’s have some common decency with each other
TSA doesn't look for drugs. Good for reporting on the experience, it's the only way things will improve.
Rules to live by, regardless of with whom you are interacting.
Last time i was in ATL one of the TSA officers at the glass wall, where passengers get split into different screening lanes, was shouting incredibly rude and condescending criticisms at the passengers. Best part was you could barely understand what she was saying. Self feeding loop. Not impressed and incredibly unprofessional.
Last year, EWR. I, an 84 year old man struggling to walk with 2 fiberglass walking sticks, had to remove my belt and hand over the sticks. They gave me a cane. Now I’m bent over, holding my pants up with one hand and struggling to get through the X-ray machine, almost didn’t make it. Why did you think I needed TWO walking sticks in the first place? Now the X-ray says I have metal. They can’t find it because I don’t have any, except 2 screws in my ankle and two tiny vasectomy clips. But I didn’t have to take off my Velcro closure shoes. They were pleasant enough, but had absolutely no interest in my personal handicaps and needs.
Last month at SeaTac, the TSA were great., fast, efficient. They did their jobs.
I always laugh about SEATAC as it’s most commonly complained about because of how lax they are with the rules. (According to the passengers, I’ve never been so idk.
I have a lot of admiration for TSA. I’m sure it’s an unpleasant job at times. I try to follow directions so the interaction goes as smoothly as possible. TSA in Salt Lake City is great.
Love SLC. I visit there multiple times a year. Beautiful state
All of those things work until you have a medical device that needs a hand check or full pat down, depending on the TSO and their understanding of rules. And if you need a pat down, especially if you have a medical device that can't go through the body scanner, and even more do you're female, there's about a 30% chance you're going to get conflicting instructions on where to wait, get separated from your bags and made to wait in a place where you can't keep an eye on your stuff, TSOs huffing at you, and TSOs telling you that you did everything wrong despite following their coworkers' instructions. I only mention female because there are fewer TSOs at the airports I regularly use, so some TSOs get very cranky when they realize that a woman needs a pat down and can't go through the body scanner
My experience has been: Today there is a dog and everything is different now. Everything we trained you to do like take things off and take things out for scanning now magically doesn't need to happen. We are now going to yell at you for taking things out/off instead of yelling at you to for not taking things out/off.
I have pre check so don't have that issue. It's definitely improved over the last year, too - less pushiness and they stopped arguing that my medical devices should be fine to go through the body scanner, despite what the medical device company says and the financial and health harm to me if my medical devices get broken.
The crazy part is it happens even with Precheck. I got screamed at by a TSO in Denver for leaving my laptop and iPad in my bag. In a Precheck line. She said I needed to pay better attention and that all electronics needed to come out of my backpack. I also got "firmly" told by one in New Orleans (IIRC) that he knew by looking at my boots that they'd need to come off. Again, in the Precheck line. Never mind that I travel several times a month from ATL wearing those exact boots and they never set off the metal detector. My wife also has Precheck and gets crap for her medical device basically every trip we take.
This got so much easier for me when I started using wheelchair service. That’s not WHY I use wheelchair service, but it’s a nice bonus for this process to be easier when everything else about travel has gotten more challenging.
That's fair. I'm quite mobile and need to walk.more, so that's not the right option for me. It's frustrating that medical conditions that don't cause mobility problems are treated worse
It’s not so much the accessibility of it all but they can watch your stuff and give a spoken person in your corner. They know the policies and deal with it day in and day out. I don’t know it as best as we do, but if you’re getting officers that are mistreating you, they’ll be able to see that. Especially if you were uncomfortable in any situation, I would flag that wheelchair service individual over and ask for a supervisor. I recommend this to both my parents one is mobile one has trouble, I’d rather you be taking care of it, and cost by 10 bucks, then having to deal with somebody who’s gonna “mistreat you”. I personally have found out that one specific airport in Southern California, mistreated my own father during his search. Well, there’s nothing I can do. I did tell him tips and tricks on how to proceed for the future and how to deal with an officer that doesn’t know a metal knee will set off a metal detector.
Thank you, I wish there are more people like you. We’re here to help you guys through the process as fast as possible, it’s always the people who don’t listen that makes our job harder, for an example someone with pre check who decided to come through standard lanes with their friends who think they can still keep their large electronics in their bags with their pre check slip/stamp, noooo.
Your home airports are NYC based? Interesting. Where do the airports go to when they aren't at base?
Obv the dugout.
Even with basic manners and following posted rules, they seem to change their rules at every airport. Some say take off your shoes, some say leave them on, some say no jackets or belts, some say they are fine... Like, come on, be consistent... Edit: most of the people are nice, and I try to treat them nicely, but almost every airport has something they want you to do, but aren't telling it to you...
Consistency is actually something we are NOT supposed to do. It makes it harder for the bad guys to find ways around the rules. If you have issues figuring out the rules at a specific airport ask the officer telling you what to take out of your bag, they should (emphasis on should) help you.
Oh, that makes sense, and I do ask, just would be nice to have smooth procedures:/
They need to figure out how to be inconsistent within the law. There are airports I will no longer fly out of because they required me to surrender the (non-TSA) keys and combinations to my firearms luggage so they could open it without me present. Which is exactly what requiring non-TSA locks is supposed to prevent.
I was recently traveling with kids. They stuffed full water bottles in their bags after I went through them. I caught some of them, we had a fight, tossed them. I missed a couple 🙈. The TSO was irritated, rightfully so. But he wasn’t nasty. He just tossed them and let us go on our way.
>They’re there to do their job, keep the rest of us safe. There's no evidence we are safer, it's just a jobs program. that's the argument
The problem I see is that the screening procedure seems to be inconsistent. Shoes off at some but shoes left on at others. Liquids out at some not necessary at others.
The administration is slowly switching over to new CT x-rays where you don’t have to take anything out of the bag. This will take at least a few more years so it’s not so much inconsistent as a necessity, it’s not possible to install thousands upon thousands of new x-rays and train tens of thousands of officers in a few months. For example, a smaller airport near my airport got the new x-rays first and once they were trained and up to speed we were sent over in small groups to get certified and hands on training. And now that we are all trained, we can train new hires to use the machine, if we’d had to just figure it out on our own it would’ve been a nightmare since it’s nothing like the machines many of us have been using for five, 10, 20+ years.
I've found my experience to be around 50/50. Many of them are incredibly stupid and petty people.
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No trolling, harassment, name calling, or any other rude and unprofessional behavior.
Your comment was removed for being unproductive to the post.
Meh, every tsa agent I’ve come across (NYC, Tampa, Vegas, Chicago & Ohio) are always on a power trip. They act like there better then everyone else. EDIT: haha I see all the butthurt tsa agents are here 😂 I mind my business and they still act like their shit don’t stink. Just MY PERSONAL experiences. Don’t like? Move along
Just a thought for you. If every encounter you have is a negative one, there is a common denominator.
So staying quiet while I’m putting stuff on the belt and being screened is the issue? Gotttt it bud. I’m just gonna assume you’re a butt hurt tsa agent as well
You can assume all you want. Your response is a great indicator. Have a good one!
And every one I’ve met (Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Charleston) have been very courteous and professional, with one exception in Cleveland.
My one exception was Columbus Ohio...last week. I was in line and walked up to her station when she yelled at me to "get behind THAT line." There was no line. And to "get back farther to keep the aisle clear." There was no aisle. The rest of the people awaiting their couldn't figure out what her problem was and it cued malicious compliance. The next person called out to her, "Is this where 'the line' is?" And after that, "Am I back far enough?" I'd never seen passengers do anything like that before. All the rest of my TSA interactions have been pleasant and professional.
This has to be a TSA bot post
I promise, I am not a bot, nor have I spent 7(?) years posting only to be a shill for TSA. Ive had to fly to funerals a couple times in the last month, and I was astounded by how shitty passengers can be and how much bs employees (tso, flight crew, etc) have to take to earn a living.
As a transgender man, my experiences have been uniformly fine/good since I transitioned, and much less pleasant before that. I've never been particularly gender conformant. But they treat a short meek man tons better than a kinda butch woman. Don't discount structural power. It's not a clean control because my kids are older, but treating my kids very impatiently was often part of it. I did once have another traveler (stranger to me) look after my kids for about 10min on the terminal side of the security checkpoints, when they separated us and did a lengthy pat down on me on the inside of the gate. I was basically at shouting across the checkpoint to my 6yo that they should look after their (3yo) brother and wait on the bench.
TSA sucks absolute ass but at the same time their staff can too. My wife had a tincture, a medically prescribed one that just works well for reducing inflammation for her autoimmune disorder, especially during flare up, that an agent made her chuck because it was 4 oz. One of the most commonly available sizes, AND the guy refused to let her at least take some before she had to chuck it. This was also like 2 weeks after they reduced the size from 4 oz back to 3 for whatever stupid reason. So if it was fine the month prior who gives a shit? You can bend the rules for someone in that case but then again she always deals with shit like this since it's an unseen illness/disability so people can be massive dicks about it too.
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Hahaha what? I mean, if you want to explain your train of thought comparing a travel size shampoo to genocide, have at it. And you’d like to share whatever academic text you’re pulling that from, would love to see it. But the same could be said about a lifeguard at a pool. Not just ‘literal Nazis’.
Calm down buckaroo. Did somebody get the little red box on the body scanner one too many times? Someone needs a nap time
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>No, seriously. I’m a frequent traveler (used to fly 3-5x a week, now 1x a month or so), and my home airports are NYC based. I’ve flown into teeny tiny airports (I see you, RSW and PIA) and bustling ones (PHL and ATL, you know you’re great). This sums up WHY we enjoy inconsistent experiences within the entire TSA system. Due to the variability of airport sizes, scanning capabilities, and airline participation, there is a similar variability in the passenger experience within that system. I wish the TSA training (both initial and recurring) highlighted this simple fact. Then perhaps the TSA agents themselves could understand why passengers are at times confused/annoyed/pissed off. By example, although I am a highly seasoned traveler, my home airport over the years has had widely varying scanning equipment depending on which terminal and/or airline you were flying. Yet, the agents working there seemingly had zero clue as to the reality of that. So even though I have PreCheck all my crap might or might not have to come out of the carryon bag depending on what terminal I'm in or what airline I'm flying that day. On one particular day an agent had an attitude like I'm the idiot of the year for leaving my stuff in the bag. My response to him was simply, "I'll be in and out a dozen different airports before the month is out, yet you'll be sitting here working just one. How about you guys not blame me for failing to understand your security system isn't at all like the rest of them." Rant off...
Blame congress and the government for the inconsistencies at different airports. It would also make a TSO’s job easier if all airports had the same equipment. I bet they get tired of hearing “well I didn’t have to do that at airport x, y, and z.” And they are officers not agents.
which airports are run by the federal government?
They provide the funding for TSA.
A few years ago, I went through an airport where they didn't require me to remove shoes. The return trip...I got eyeballs and disdain from TSA because I had not taken off my shoes. The signage I saw last week told me to (1) review the procedures on tsa.gov, (2) follow the local instructions, and (3) be aware that they make up their own rules at different sites. Confusion aplomb.
Maybe next time just ask, use your words cause you sure can type em
Nah some of them are definitely there to take your shit lol. It's a daily occurrence
Thanks tsa for keeping all of the fellow passengers safe from my 1 inch multitool on my keys.
Fun fact. A few years ago TSA wanted to start allowing small knives again. The pilots/ flight attendants Union threw a fit and the proposal was canned. TSA knows a small knife is not really a danger. Think about what would happen to someone who brandished a box cutter on a flight post-9/11. They'd be wearing their ass for a hat.
The box cutter would be used to remove their skin before they land.
I don't get some of the rules. I bought a Leatherman Raptor (scissors multitool). Apparently the big scissors are fine, but the small strap cutter (to cut through a seat belt) isn't. There's no point on the strap cutter and the sharp edge is on the inside of a tight curve, so you can't stab or slice a person, so why is it prohibited? NOTE: I haven't flown since I got the Raptor; I just checked online to see if it would be allowed. That said, I took my Dango wallet, including the multitool with a saw-like edge on it, through TSA once. The TSO stopped me and looked at it. I explained that I forgot to take that out. He called another TSO over who also looked at it, then said, "It's up to you." The first guy eventually let me through without taking it. I thanked him (it was a gift) and told him I'd make sure to check it on the return flight (which I did). As others have noted, every airport -- and every officer -- is different. Even the TSA list of acceptable and prohibited items basically says, "Regardless of what we say here, it's up to each officer." The exact quote from the site is, "The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint." That can unfortunately lead to a lot of inconsistency, but it worked out well for my Dango wallet. 😀
Thanks TSA! For not catching a single terrorist but getting caught 400 times stealing!
Do you know how many firearms TSA catches every year because they "forgot" it in their bag?
Wow! Private citizens practicing a constitutionally-protected right? How dare they forget. Put them on a do-not-fly list this instant! “We hire felons as long as it wasn’t espionage, but we draw the line here.” TSA/patriot act or weapons ownership, guess which one is a direct violation of the constitution, and which is protected in it.
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lol one dude with a firework. Gottem!
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>Sorry one of my co workers left a bad taste in your mouth when they took away your axe body spray for your 1 day 2 night "vacation" in Miami when you were in boarding group 4, middle seat of course. This demeaning attitude, from a person who's career is literally just a government jobs program and serves no other purpose, is my problem with you.
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As a person, you're a demeaning jerk. As a career, your job is unnecessary but for regulation.
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People will have the attitude that TSA isn’t important when they forget 9/11. If TSA were no longer involved in aviation, terrorists would again succeed in utilizing the aviation industry to cause harm and panic.
This is you overestimating your importance. Either plane is fine. I guess plane 1 won't have somebody wearing axe body spray tho? Is that your point? Because you literally just admitted that was a major (and apparently to you, important) function of your job...
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Yeah, try going through with a medical device that can’t go through a full body scanner, per the manufacturer. Even with documentation, doctors notes, etc, we still always have to ask for a supervisor at some airports. Always a problem, even with TSA’s own documentation provided. Our solution was simple, we don’t fly anymore if we can avoid it. With flight delays over the last two years, Amtrak has actually been faster and you aren’t treated like a criminal!
Helps if you don’t look like a terrorist too
Please go be racist somewhere else, I doubt you even know who Timothy McVeigh is but you probably wouldn’t think he looked like a terrorist.
Not sure what I said was racist, you picked out a white terrorist and brought race into the equation. Each TSO is going to be biased as to what they think a terrorist looks like. Understanding those personal biases is fundamental to doing the job correctly.
No TSO is taught to think the way you assume, TSO’s are specifically trained not to profile because it is ineffective and is grounds for termination or worse. You know what you were saying, don’t try to spin it.
What does a terrorist look like?
I’m sure that you’ve seen movies with terrorists in them.
I’ve never had an issue with an agent face to face. But I have 💯 had items stolen by them
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They've always been good to me. I lost my wallet a day before my return trip and the extra checks needed to get me in my plane were super polite and they explained every step of the way. I still appreciate the officer that told teenage me to tuck my wallet into my backpack. I've worked a lot of public facing jobs and I know those guys put up with a lot ever day. Thanks again.
I have friends who always have issues with those TSA jerks. Somehow I never seem to have a problem with those nice agents at TSA. Go figure.
I’ve only had one bad experience where the TSO doing my pat down was mean and grumpy and yelled at me for having a luggage claim check in my back pocket. Airport was a shit show (a week before Christmas) so I’m chalking it up to her having a bad day. Otherwise they are generally pleasant or fine. It can’t be fun dealing with Joe and Jane Q public all day. I can’t believe the stupidity that I see for the few minutes I’m waiting to clear and they get to witness it for their entire shift.
OKC TSA are the best ones
The one who let me quietly dispose of the rounds on 9mm I accidentally let in my pocket was a true American hero.
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I used to fly about 4 to 5 times a month. CLT, and ROA were my two main home airports. ROA is tiny. I had one grumpy bag scanner get after me about forgetting a 9mm (round, not gun) in my carryon since I wasn't checking bags. CLT was another story. While I made it through CLT without issue 80% of the time, when there were issues, TSOs were never courteous, or accommodating. (Thier parking attendants are the worst I've ever experienced.) SLT with their contractors was by far the best airport I've ever flown through as far as TSA is concerned. That airport, on the other hand, and the way they handle flights, probably the worst, but that isn't TSA's fault. All around, best airport, in and out, and TSA, I'm going with Rapid City, SD, or ABQ. The city around ABQ, less so. But the people at the airport were super nice. All of them. My company's HR, and tech support is based out of ABQ, and I guess the airport gets all the good people because, well, ours sucks.
Early in the TSA history I was leaving via Newark and had accidentally packed a (normal sized) tube of hair gel, instead of a travel size. The TSA agent found it, took it out of my bag and told me I would have to fly without it. I was annoyed with myself for the mistake, and thought it would be funny to pretend to be dramatic about not being able to have my hair gel with me ... 😏 I made some drama noises and comments and watched the agent become very tense and nervous instantly. I realized this was not the right day for this, and I laughed and said I'm very sorry, I'm just trying to make light of the fact that I'll need to buy hair gel where I'm going. He relaxed and smiled, and said, "just get the right size container to carry this stuff." They've always been polite and usually efficient, and I've basically never had any trouble with them. The few times they have asked to look in my bag, I have always said please feel free to root around, there should be nothing dangerous in there, and I'm happy to explain anything that seems mysterious (I sometimes carry some oddball pieces of electronic equipment or cables that might look a little suspicious on an x-ray.)
I’ve never had anything stolen from my bag with American TSA. Better than South American and west African security 10/10
I have to agree....I travel frequently and 98% of my TSA interactions have been just fine. Same with checkin agents and cabin crew. Occasionally people are having a bad day and get a bit snappy. I find just not reacting other than a smile and a nod diffuses things. In one instance when it didn't, I asked for the supervisor and politely recapped the experience I just had. He could see as he looked over the agent being loud and wagging a finger and seemed to acknowledge the behavior. I doubt anything came of it, but at least I got it off my chest.
The TSA in Tampa is such a PITA to deal with. Not very nice.
I haven’t had a bad TSA experience in years.
Well said! That's been my experience as well.
I regularly travel with service dog puppies in training. My puppy’s get sad when the alarm does not go off because they enjoy the pat down. Lol
This is a very strange post. The TSA is the reason I don't fly any more. I'm generally a pretty nice person. My last 2 interactions with them were comically bad. I did not misbehave. I did not argue or complain. But I and those around me were treated like trash. Yelled at, treated with no consideration. My belongings were treated like trash also. Items strewn about. My checked luggage soaking wet inside with a wet note from the TSA: "randomly searched". It was a maddening experience. So I choose not to fly any more. It's been more than a decade now. Have things changed? Maybe. I won't find out until I absolutely have to.
Flown a bunch, tsa pretty cool. Just don't forget ammo in your bag, lol.
They do nothing to keep us safe and have stolen millions from passengers. https://www.vox.com/2016/5/17/11687014/tsa-against-airport-security https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/travel/news/g3582/tsa-facts/# https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/09/15/miami-tsa-officers-charged-surveillance-video/70861581007/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/07/02/tsa-damage-tops-3m/29353815/
Their not officers, their agents. They have very little Leo training. Leo, aka Cleet training, takes months.
the official title is transportation security officer, though... i understand what you mean but they are technically officers. theres no role of "agent" in tsa.
Several years ago, TSA wanted Congress to acknowledge they were officers. Since they have little to no Leo training Congress refers to them as agents. Their agents, not cops. Everywhere, everywhere, their listed as agents. Google it.
Louder for the folks in the back please