Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate - New variation of the "name game?"

At FLL earlier today, the ID checker asked me "where are you going?" "Home," I said. "Where's that?" she asked. "Am I required to discuss my travel plans with you?" I replied.

Scribble scribble scribble and I was on my way.

Anyone else see this at FLL or elsewhere? And yes it was systematic and not just small talk. I saw other victims receive the same treatment.

Yes, I have been asked by a TSO about my destination/purpose for traveling before. He noted that my boarding pass said DEN-ATL, and asked what I was going to Atlanta for. My reply was, "To catch a connecting flight." He then asked whether my trip was business or personal, to which my reply was, "Are we through here?". Commence the ten-second staredown where the TSO waits to see if you'll crack, then he scratched down the Scribbles of Security(TM) and sent me on my way.

"where are you going?"

To a plane

"No, to what city"

I'm sorry, "out of an abundance of caution" and "for security reasons" I don't discuss my travel plans with strangers.

I wrote about this in another thread. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18733111-post45.html)

As near as I can tell, it's a power trip by the TDC trying to play cop. You don't have to answer them and they relent pretty easily when you push back.

This kind of mission creep is exactly the problem many of us have with all of the seemingly minor and petty requirements that keep piling up. Next, they'll start asking the purpose of our trip and who we were visiting. That's a far cry from an "administrative" search for weapons, which is the judicial rationale for suspending the 4th Amendment in the first place.

It's none of their business where I'm travelling to or why I am going there .

When I'm asked about where I'm going, I respond with the gate number. That's always been good enough but I'd tell them the stuff that's already on the boarding pass.

Whether it's business or pleasure, final destination or connection is only my business.

Ugh. While I'm really looking forward to taking some much needed time off from work next month and visiting friends in PHX again I'm dreading dealing with the TSA. Thankfully the TSA at my small podunk hometown airport is actually quite friendly and efficient (IME at least) but I'm not looking forward dealing when them when I leave PHX or if I have to go through security at ORD. I've never flown through there but it looks like both flights go out of the same terminal so I shouldn't.

Looks like either a BDO playing SPOT, BDO wannabe and/or they're taking a page out of what's been going on in BOS for some time and when I have been asked this nonsense, I call the TSO out on it by asking them point blank if they are A BDO.

Variation 1:
Me: Are you a BDO
TSO: Yes
Me: Are you using the SPOT techniques you were taught in your 2 week course? You know the Israelis train their BDO's for a year to 18 months before their BDO's get put out on the line.
(and then I wait for the-deer-in-the-headlights-speechless-look ;))

Variation 2:
Me: Are you a BDO?
TSO: No
Me: Then why are you asking me these questions as only a trained BDO is supposed to be doing this.
(and then I wait for the-deer-in-the-headlights-speechless-look ;))

This thread is giving me so many ideas on how to respond to this sort of questioning. I can recall one occasion where I responded by saying I was going east of the Mississippi. The clerk asked a couple more times and I slowly narrowed the area down, though not to the point where they could have determined anything very useful from my description. Now I need to decide whether to continue doing that, refuse to answer, or use goalie's approach.

Actually, any response is a mistake. They want you to talk. It does not matter about what. Refusal to answer should be the only response to this.

I haven't run into the 20 questions nonsense yet, but when I do, I intend to say, "I'm not at liberty to discuss that."

"Where are you going?"
"To a plane."
"No, to what city?"
"As you can see on my BP, I am in seat 3A which is a passenger seat. As such I have no control over where the plane goes. That is up to the navigator. He's over in that other lane marked "CREW" wearing the Delta pilot's uniform. He can answer your question better than I can. I suggest you go ask him where this flight is going." :p

"Where are you going?"
"To a plane."
"No, to what city?"
"As you can see on my BP, I am in seat 3A which is a passenger seat. As such I have no control over where the plane goes. That is up to the navigator. He's over in that other lane marked "CREW" wearing the Delta pilot's uniform. He can answer your question better than I can. I suggest you go ask him where this flight is going." :p
Holy crap, I am using this next time I have a TDC pretend they're a BDO. :D