Your TSA Horror Stories, please!

[cindybubbles]

Hi, I read this thread and thought I'd ask you for your TSA horror stories here.

I haven't flown in YEARS, so I'm curious about the worst that could happen.

Thoughts?

[TheHuckster]

I've never had a really bad experience, and I've flown many times in the last several years.

Although the horror stories are real, and they're concerning, you typically have to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. They don't happen to every third person.

[anakhouri]

The worst I've personally heard is from my uncle. He has had mutiple hip replacements and wears special shoes because his legs are significantly different lengths. He also has a variety of health problems.

He flies pretty regularly for work and says that every single time he gets pulled aside for a search. For him, sitting and taking off his shoes is a huge, slow, painful deal.

I'm not sure if this is because he has a lot of metal in his body and sets off alarms, or just terrible luck though.

I have only flown once since 2001 and was taken aside for a search, but the lady was very nice and didn't do anything inappropriate or anything. It wasn't too bad, a little weird maybe.

[Greenday]

I've never had a problem with TSA. I tripped the detector for explosives when I came home from Afghanistan. They did some quick testing for explosives checking my body for it, came up negative, explained what I did for a living and I was on my way in less than five minutes.

On the way home from the Bahamas, my sister was lucky enough to get the random pat down. They had a female officer do it. They offered to let her do it in another room. My sister declined, they just took her to the side, did a really quick pat down, and we were on our way.

Honestly, I've never dealt with anything but professionalism from TSA agents.

[HYHYBT]

I've had no direct interaction with them. The one time I've been through airport security since this became relevant, the main aggravation was that they didn't have the decency to indicate in any way that laptops had to be OUT of their bags and pocket contents emptied INTO the bags until you were already in the moving line and therefore had to switch everything around while walking. NO excuse for that (though if someone knows of one, it would be good to hear) but it's a relatively minor thing.

[crashhelmet]

My only hassle with TSA has been with my toiletries. Even when I've been well within the limits of the size of toothpaste, cologne, deoderant, or contact solution, it's always "Too much to bring on" and I'd have to throw it away to get on my flight. now, i don't take them with me and I buy the travel sized portions at a drug store in my destination city and throw out what doesn't get used before I return.

[TheHuckster]

I've had no direct interaction with them. The one time I've been through airport security since this became relevant, the main aggravation was that they didn't have the decency to indicate in any way that laptops had to be OUT of their bags and pocket contents emptied INTO the bags until you were already in the moving line and therefore had to switch everything around while walking. NO excuse for that (though if someone knows of one, it would be good to hear) but it's a relatively minor thing.

Yeah, there were no indications of that when I fly, too. I sometimes forget myself and am usually reminded when I see other people around me do it.

I tend to just be extra cautious and dump my entire bag into the tray, including my mouse, headphones, and whatever else. When they tell me I don't have to do that I just shrug my shoulders and move on. There is no rhyme or reason to their rules, so sue me if I get it wrong.

[ngc_7331]

The only beef I have with the TSA personally is their love-hate relationship with my laptop sleeve. Sometimes my laptop can stay in it to go through the scanner, sometimes it has to come out, sometimes it goes through but then has to go through and additional scan and this has been all at the same airport. I don't get it.

[HYHYBT]

That reminds me: I remember reading, well before 2001, a warning that laptop owners might be required to prove their computers work at airport security. Something about ensuring they weren't just laptop cases concealing illegal items. Anyway, it advised making sure it was in sleep mode rather than turned off before you went, so you didn't have to stand there waiting for it to boot.

And I've never since heard anything about it, or heard from anyone that's had to do that.

[TheHuckster]

That reminds me: I remember reading, well before 2001, a warning that laptop owners might be required to prove their computers work at airport security. Something about ensuring they weren't just laptop cases concealing illegal items. Anyway, it advised making sure it was in sleep mode rather than turned off before you went, so you didn't have to stand there waiting for it to boot.

And I've never since heard anything about it, or heard from anyone that's had to do that.

That actually rings a bell. Laptops have since become smaller and thinner, so maybe that isn't as much of a concern nowadays? Or maybe because they are going through x-rays they're able to tell what's inside anyway?

[Panacea]

That actually rings a bell. Laptops have since become smaller and thinner, so maybe that isn't as much of a concern nowadays? Or maybe because they are going through x-rays they're able to tell what's inside anyway?

Unless you've got a Mac. The case is aluminum. However, I've never been asked to boot my laptop.

Here's my horror story:

Last summer I was on my way back to North Carolina after a 10 day trip to Korea. We landed in LAX and had to leave the terminal to go to the terminal for our domestic flight home.

We had a hassle with the United people over our tickets; they changed our reservation without notice and put us on a flight that didn't leave for another 10 hours. We didn't want to hang around that long after a 14 hour flight.

So we end up having to pay to change our tickets, hoping to get reimbursed later (which we didn't), and head to security to go back through security to get to our gate.

As we're about to go through the scanners, one of the TSA agents annouces a "Code Bravo," and everything stops. I get yelled at for not holding still . . . really hard for me to do since my plantar faciitis was killing me and standing or walking was sheer agony. They told everyone to be quiet and refused to answer any questions.

10 minutes later an agent says, "thank you for cooperation in this drill. Everything is now clear and we will resume screening."

I found out later "Code Bravo" is complete bogus bullshit. Supposedly they can do drills and are supposed to do them in off peak hours, but can't make people freeze in place. But that's exactly what they required me to do.

Here's what happened to a NYTimes reporter: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/bu...road.html?_r=0

[Greenday]

Interesting, I've never heard of such a thing happening. I'm doing some Flying this weekend so we'll see what happens.

And I wouldn't want that long a layover at LAX either. LAX is the worst airport I've been to. And that includes the terminals at the airfields in Afghanistan. At least there were amusing people at the airfields. I have a 3 hour 10 minute layover on Friday at LAX. It'll be in the morning too so there definitely won't be anything to do.

[Panacea]

And I wouldn't want that long a layover at LAX either. LAX is the worst airport I've been to.

LAX is the worst . . . airport . . . ever. I hate having to fly through there.

I'd like to go back to Korea some time, but I will avoid going through that airport if at all possible.

[Greenday]

LAX is the worst . . . airport . . . ever. I hate having to fly through there.

I'd like to go back to Korea some time, but I will avoid going through that airport if at all possible.

Unfortunately, LAX is that West Coast hub for flights across the Pacific.

[Peppergirl]

Actually,it depends on the carrier. I have a few customers who ask me to avoid LAX for overseas flights and I can pretty easily do so.

The ONLY thing tolerable about LAX is that there's always a shitload of freaks to watch.

Back to TSA, I've not had anything horrible happen to me, and I've only heard a handful of stories from my customers. Considering I'm in the tourism industry, a handful is a pretty small percentage.