Encounters with the TSA

Lansbury wrote:

Last month fly from LHR to PDX out bound via LAX and home via ORD.

The flight out on UA was in 36 years of flying the very best experience
I have ever had. Excellant food and a crew whose service was second to
none.

At LAX we transferred terminals and had our first encounter this year
with the TSA. I was expecting to take my laptop out of the rack sack I
was carrying it in, one designed for computers and recommend by others
on this group. It did its job well except for this one time. It refused
to release the laptop for examination. Now why the TSA are incapable of
x-raying laptops in bags like most other security people I don't know

Taking it out of the bag, makes other items in the bag more visible.
What "other" security people?


but of course the more I tugged the more stubborn the laptop/bag became.
An empty queue became a longish one and there was much teeth sucking and
tut tutting from the man behind Mrs Lansbury. The more he tutted the
more the laptop refused to slide out. In fact if the TSA guy had just
held the bottom of the rucksack it would have solved the problem but he
refused my polite request to do so and just stood there laughing at me.

They are not there to help you get your laptop out of the bag.
You would have done people a big favor if you took it out BEFORE you got
to the screener.

Collected my gear
and turned to see where Mrs Lansbury was

Why did she help you get the laptop out of the bag?
We
reached PDX without further incident but she was very embarrassed by the
fact that she had been searched in public view, she understood why but
not the how.

Did she ask for privacy?

At security the laptop came out first time a good start I thought, I
emptied my pockets into the tray and went to walk through the arch,

It sounds like you are waiting until it is your turn to be screened
before you remove the laptop...

(no
cap this time it went in my carry on at check in). Stopped going through
the arch told to take my watch off. Place watch in another tray and go
to walk through the arch. Stopped and told to take my trouser belt off.
I said it hasn't caused any problems anywhere else and got told "We keep
our machines set on a much more sensitive setting than other
airports.You haven't travelled through Portland before". Not the sort of
thing to be saying in public,

Why wasn't it the thing to say? What you shouldn't have done was
complained about them asking your to remove your belt after you set off
the detector.

still go back take my watch off and put it
in a tray and go to walk through the arch. Get stopped for a third time
and told to take my shoes off. I do so go back put them in a tray and go
through the arch. As I go through I said to the guy wouldn't it have
been easier to mention all three items in one go to which he replied
"Teach you to do it properly next time". I amazed myself at the self
control I exhibited while I bite my tongue.

You are the one responsible from removing the items.
It isn't up to them to visibly inspect you before going through "the arch".


Spent a pleasant hour in the Red Carpet Club and go to the gate. As we
sit down the woman on the seat opposite reaches into her bag pulls out
her knitting along with two large knitting needles and proceeds to click
away. Which I think just about sums up the professionalism or lack
thereof of the TSA.

Knitting needles are permitted, what's your complaint?

In message , PTRAVEL
writes
I'm still not clear about what part of, "remove all metal objects" gave you
trouble?

JOOI, do you recommend that people take off their wedding rings?
--
Roland Perry

In message , mrtravel
writes
They are not there to help you get your laptop out of the bag.
You would have done people a big favor if you took it out BEFORE you
got to the screener.

That's great if they supply you with somewhere to do it. I find that it
involves hopping along on one foot, dragging the rest of my baggage
behind me.

Knitting needles are permitted, what's your complaint?

They are quite obviously as much of a safety hazard as many of the other
banned objects.
--
Roland Perry

None wrote:
"JohnT" wrote:
I wasn't asked to remove my shoes, nor did I do so, nor was I subjected
to secondary inspection, on a very recent (October) trip to and within
the USA. I went through security at RDU (twice), DCA and BOS.

You must be special! I can understand your desire to brag!

Neither have I, in very recent flights through DCA, BWI, LGA, CLE, MHT, and
DTW, wearing Teva-style sandals (rubber bottoms with cloth straps).

miguel
--
See the world from your web browser: http://travel.u.nu/

Roland Perry wrote:

In message , mrtravel
writes

They are not there to help you get your laptop out of the bag.
You would have done people a big favor if you took it out BEFORE you
got to the screener.


That's great if they supply you with somewhere to do it. I find that it
involves hopping along on one foot, dragging the rest of my baggage
behind me.

Then you have too much carry on luggage.
In the US, you get one bag, and one personal item.
If the bag is a rollerboard, you are rolling it with one hand.
The other hand, can hold the laptop. The laptop bag would be over your
shoulder... If you are holding up the line by removing your laptop, YOU
are doing something wrong. If you have a problem, step aside.

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , PTRAVEL
writes
I'm still not clear about what part of, "remove all metal objects" gave
you
trouble?

JOOI, do you recommend that people take off their wedding rings?

Of course not, for a couple of reasons. First, gold is a non-ferrous metal,
and less likely to trigger the detector. Next, a wedding ring contains a
very small amount of metal, compared to, for example, a watch. People don't
need to remove dentures (or fillings) either.

A watch, on the other hand, is a big chunk of metal, frequently ferrous
(mine is stainless steel, for example), containing even more metal, and, for
many, with a large metal band. My wife wears a tiny gold watch with a
leather strap -- I suspect she could leave hers on (though she doesn't --
what's the point in taking the risk that you'll be diverted to secondary
screening?). I wear a big, all-stainless affair. It comes off and goes in
the bin. My Mont Blanc pen goes in the bin. My shoes go in the bin, even
if I'm pretty sure they don't have much metal in them. What's the big
deal?

--
Roland Perry

In DEN, the airport screener told me that my shoes probably contained a
metal shunt that was likely to set off the detectors, so he asked me to take
them off and run them through the x-ray. In FLL, I saw many people
voluntarily taking their shoes off, although I did not (and I didn't ding
for it).

Tom Smith


If the rules say you don't have to take off your shoes, TELL them, then
SHOW
them their own rules. Then, please come back and report to us how well
you
enjoyed having a fist shoved up your ass during your body cavity search
for
being a security risk, or in the very least, a security dissenter.

Not everyone who objects to security has something to hide, but the TSA
screeners are trained to immediately suspect that they do. THERE CAN BE
NO
public objection to the screening process that works, if a loop hole is
found, it has to be closed before some terrorist asshole uses it and the
next plane you are on takes a nose dive into your Aunt Minnie's high rise
apartment building!

The more people complain about certain issues, the more issues are added
to
screener's routines. In other words, bitching only makes it worse.

In the alternative, go to Egypt and pull that bitch and complain **** on
El
Al and see how long it takes you to get out of an Egyptian jail.

Welcome Aboard!



"James Robinson" wrote in message
...
Lansbury wrote:

As we sit down the woman on the seat opposite reaches into her bag
pulls out her knitting along with two large knitting needles and
proceeds to click away. Which I think just about sums up the
professionalism or lack thereof of the TSA.

Knitting needles are now allowed by TSA rules, as are some types of
scissors and tweezers, but you can't carry a pair of pliers.



http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlib...10_16_2003v2.p
df

It just about sums up how arbitrary the rules are. I especially like
the following sections when juxtaposed:

- If you bring a prohibited item to the checkpoint, you may be
criminally and/or civilly
prosecuted ...

- To ensure everyone's security, the screener may determine that an item
not on the
prohibited items chart is prohibited.

I also like this quote in another part of their site:

"TSA has instructed all Screeners that passengers are NOT required to
remove their shoes. However, if your shoes alarm while proceeding
through the metal detector, you will be subjected to a secondary
screening."

On a recent trip, the screeners were asking everyone to remove their
shoes "to speed up the screening process." I was wearing sneakers, and
said that they should be OK. I wore them through the magnetic detector,
which did not alarm, but was directed to secondary screening so they
could take a swab of my shoes. It's a catch 22, you don't have to take
of your shoes, but you will be automatically subjected to secondary
screening. How duplicitous can they get?

When they first started screening passengers at airports back in the 1970s,
my mom observed that she could do more damage with her knitting needles than
with a gun.

I was just on a cruise where the cruise director informed everyone that
bottles of liquor had to be boxed per TSA regulations since the bottle could
be broken and used as a weapon. I had my bottle of rum in my carry-on bag,
and the TSA people never batted an eye, although it was wrapped in a plastic
bag.

Tom Smith

"lansbury" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 06:30:34 -0500, James Robinson
wrote:

Knitting needles are now allowed by TSA rules, as are some types of
scissors and tweezers, but you can't carry a pair of pliers.


http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlib...d_10_16_2003v2.
pdf

I like the first paragraph where is says prohibited items are seemingly
harmless but maybe used as weapons. They have never had to deal with a
knitting needle rammed through somebodies neck I guess.

--
Lansbury (LHR)

When I wear a baseball cap, I usually place it in the bins for the x-ray
machine automatically. There is usually a small metal button on the top
which just might set off the machine. Also, it is generally considered
polite to remove a cap or other headwear while inside a building, although
there are some exceptions such as sporting events, and seeing hats worn
indoors is becoming more and more common as American society becomes less
formal.

Tom Smith

"lansbury" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Nov 2003 12:51:10 +0000 (UTC), Fustanella
wrote:

Are you sure you don't attract such abuse for some reason?

as I do a similar job at a major international airport, I very much
doubt I attract any sort of abuse, as I appreciate the problems involved
in doing it.

Certainly in the way I was screamed at for removing my baseball cap, all
I did to attract the abuse was take it off.

--
Lansbury (LHR)

In message , PTRAVEL
writes
I'm still not clear about what part of, "remove all metal objects" gave
you
trouble?

JOOI, do you recommend that people take off their wedding rings?

Of course not, for a couple of reasons.

But which bit of "remove all metal objects" is giving you trouble?

It's this kind of attitude that "Rules are Rules", apart from when
someone says they aren't, that confuses the travelling public.

non-ferrous metal, and less likely to trigger the detector

Interesting hint for potential terrorists.

A watch, on the other hand, is a big chunk of metal, frequently ferrous

Mine's titanium. Not sure whether that's non-ferrous enough.

What's the big deal?

Watches (and other things that have to go through the scanner), are
easily stolen. And especially if you are being secondary searched,
no-one appears to be assigned to look after your valuables which are out
of sight at the end of the x-ray belt.
--
Roland Perry