TSA Zealots at regional airports?
Dec 10, 2016, 8:48 am
#1
Original Poster
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TSA Zealots at regional airports?
Had the unique pleasure of flying out of Waco, TX (ACT) the other day. The airport has 2 gates in total, and I think the only major commercial flights are the EAAgle runs to/from DFW. It was first flight of the morning, going through security at around 0500, to a ER4 that holds, what, 50 ppl max, and I witnessed the most over the top screening scrutiny I may have ever seen.
6 people were "randomized" for add'l screening and were seated separately waiting for their turn. The dude two people ahead had his backpack pulled for secondary wood screening. He questioned the agent very politely about what caused his bag to be pulled so he could avoid it, and the agent was just a jackass about it, telling him it was random.
Sure enough, my backpack was "randomly" picked for add'l wipe screening too. And it wasn't even the one with my toiletries--which were in the suitcase that made it through without incident. I too asked why it was chosen and got the same attitude from the agent. When I pressed a second time to get more detail as to what flagged it, he says "That's all you need to know this morning." I have always been given a reason in the past, like a power cord was wedged oddly against something else, or there was an object that they weren't able to identify properly, but not here.
And the guy was unnecessarily "thorough" in his unpacking and examination of items. Pulled out protein bars and examined the wrappers, opened the Bose headphone case and actually flipped them out (if you have or have seen these, you can see the bottom of the case through the headphones), removed most of the items in the main pouch too. When he was done, he started to haphazardly toss things back in, which is when I said "I'll repack, thanks"
I have traveled the world with this exact packing configuration--I am methodical and consistent in my habits and what/how I pack, and part of the reason is to be able to minimize inicidents like this--so I just don't get why Waco Regional Airport TSA would take issue, especially to this extent?
Is it just Waco (I don't do a lot of regional hops so have nothing to compare it to)? Is it more common at smaller airports? Are they just bored? Maybe over-flexing their "muscle" to feel more important due to it being such an uninfluential player in the world of airports?
What a load of nonsense. All I could picture was the scenes in WreckIt Ralph with the surge protector stopping him all the time.
6 people were "randomized" for add'l screening and were seated separately waiting for their turn. The dude two people ahead had his backpack pulled for secondary wood screening. He questioned the agent very politely about what caused his bag to be pulled so he could avoid it, and the agent was just a jackass about it, telling him it was random.
Sure enough, my backpack was "randomly" picked for add'l wipe screening too. And it wasn't even the one with my toiletries--which were in the suitcase that made it through without incident. I too asked why it was chosen and got the same attitude from the agent. When I pressed a second time to get more detail as to what flagged it, he says "That's all you need to know this morning." I have always been given a reason in the past, like a power cord was wedged oddly against something else, or there was an object that they weren't able to identify properly, but not here.
And the guy was unnecessarily "thorough" in his unpacking and examination of items. Pulled out protein bars and examined the wrappers, opened the Bose headphone case and actually flipped them out (if you have or have seen these, you can see the bottom of the case through the headphones), removed most of the items in the main pouch too. When he was done, he started to haphazardly toss things back in, which is when I said "I'll repack, thanks"
I have traveled the world with this exact packing configuration--I am methodical and consistent in my habits and what/how I pack, and part of the reason is to be able to minimize inicidents like this--so I just don't get why Waco Regional Airport TSA would take issue, especially to this extent?
Is it just Waco (I don't do a lot of regional hops so have nothing to compare it to)? Is it more common at smaller airports? Are they just bored? Maybe over-flexing their "muscle" to feel more important due to it being such an uninfluential player in the world of airports?
What a load of nonsense. All I could picture was the scenes in WreckIt Ralph with the surge protector stopping him all the time.
Dec 10, 2016, 10:31 am
#3
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,526
Had the unique pleasure of flying out of Waco, TX (ACT) the other day. The airport has 2 gates in total, and I think the only major commercial flights are the EAAgle runs to/from DFW. It was first flight of the morning, going through security at around 0500, to a ER4 that holds, what, 50 ppl max, and I witnessed the most over the top screening scrutiny I may have ever seen.
6 people were "randomized" for add'l screening and were seated separately waiting for their turn. The dude two people ahead had his backpack pulled for secondary wood screening. He questioned the agent very politely about what caused his bag to be pulled so he could avoid it, and the agent was just a jackass about it, telling him it was random.
Sure enough, my backpack was "randomly" picked for add'l wipe screening too. And it wasn't even the one with my toiletries--which were in the suitcase that made it through without incident. I too asked why it was chosen and got the same attitude from the agent. When I pressed a second time to get more detail as to what flagged it, he says "That's all you need to know this morning." I have always been given a reason in the past, like a power cord was wedged oddly against something else, or there was an object that they weren't able to identify properly, but not here.
And the guy was unnecessarily "thorough" in his unpacking and examination of items. Pulled out protein bars and examined the wrappers, opened the Bose headphone case and actually flipped them out (if you have or have seen these, you can see the bottom of the case through the headphones), removed most of the items in the main pouch too. When he was done, he started to haphazardly toss things back in, which is when I said "I'll repack, thanks"
I have traveled the world with this exact packing configuration--I am methodical and consistent in my habits and what/how I pack, and part of the reason is to be able to minimize inicidents like this--so I just don't get why Waco Regional Airport TSA would take issue, especially to this extent?
Is it just Waco (I don't do a lot of regional hops so have nothing to compare it to)? Is it more common at smaller airports? Are they just bored? Maybe over-flexing their "muscle" to feel more important due to it being such an uninfluential player in the world of airports?
What a load of nonsense. All I could picture was the scenes in WreckIt Ralph with the surge protector stopping him all the time.
6 people were "randomized" for add'l screening and were seated separately waiting for their turn. The dude two people ahead had his backpack pulled for secondary wood screening. He questioned the agent very politely about what caused his bag to be pulled so he could avoid it, and the agent was just a jackass about it, telling him it was random.
Sure enough, my backpack was "randomly" picked for add'l wipe screening too. And it wasn't even the one with my toiletries--which were in the suitcase that made it through without incident. I too asked why it was chosen and got the same attitude from the agent. When I pressed a second time to get more detail as to what flagged it, he says "That's all you need to know this morning." I have always been given a reason in the past, like a power cord was wedged oddly against something else, or there was an object that they weren't able to identify properly, but not here.
And the guy was unnecessarily "thorough" in his unpacking and examination of items. Pulled out protein bars and examined the wrappers, opened the Bose headphone case and actually flipped them out (if you have or have seen these, you can see the bottom of the case through the headphones), removed most of the items in the main pouch too. When he was done, he started to haphazardly toss things back in, which is when I said "I'll repack, thanks"
I have traveled the world with this exact packing configuration--I am methodical and consistent in my habits and what/how I pack, and part of the reason is to be able to minimize inicidents like this--so I just don't get why Waco Regional Airport TSA would take issue, especially to this extent?
Is it just Waco (I don't do a lot of regional hops so have nothing to compare it to)? Is it more common at smaller airports? Are they just bored? Maybe over-flexing their "muscle" to feel more important due to it being such an uninfluential player in the world of airports?
What a load of nonsense. All I could picture was the scenes in WreckIt Ralph with the surge protector stopping him all the time.
Dec 11, 2016, 3:53 pm
#4
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Moderator's Note: Please let's get back on topic
This thread is about TSA security at regional and small airports.
Posts discussing security screening procedures and questions about organic matter which are not unique or exclusive to regional or small airports were moved to a new thread:
TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator
Posts discussing security screening procedures and questions about organic matter which are not unique or exclusive to regional or small airports were moved to a new thread:
TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator
Dec 13, 2016, 3:04 pm
#5
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I decided to submit a formal complaint to the TSA about the experience in Waco. Plain, no hyperbole, just the facts and how unprofessional the agent was. Even threw in a bit about how I respected their important function and how much-improved I think their services have been over the past few years (ok, so some hyperbole 
.
Their response:
.Their response:
Thank you for contacting the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Contact Center.
We regret the unprofessional treatment you experienced at our screening checkpoint. While transportation security is our top priority, we also seek to provide a high level of customer service to all who pass through our screening checkpoints. Our policies and procedures focus on ensuring that our Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) treat everyone with dignity, respect, and courtesy. If you encounter unprofessional behavior in the future, please request to speak with a Supervisory TSO immediately.
Since your complaint concerns a specific airport, we have forwarded a copy of your letter to the appropriate Customer Support Manager.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
TSA Contact Center
We regret the unprofessional treatment you experienced at our screening checkpoint. While transportation security is our top priority, we also seek to provide a high level of customer service to all who pass through our screening checkpoints. Our policies and procedures focus on ensuring that our Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) treat everyone with dignity, respect, and courtesy. If you encounter unprofessional behavior in the future, please request to speak with a Supervisory TSO immediately.
Since your complaint concerns a specific airport, we have forwarded a copy of your letter to the appropriate Customer Support Manager.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
TSA Contact Center
Dec 13, 2016, 4:05 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
I decided to submit a formal complaint to the TSA about the experience in Waco. Plain, no hyperbole, just the facts and how unprofessional the agent was. Even threw in a bit about how I respected their important function and how much-improved I think their services have been over the past few years (ok, so some hyperbole .
Their response:
.Their response:
Dec 13, 2016, 4:13 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,526
I decided to submit a formal complaint to the TSA about the experience in Waco. Plain, no hyperbole, just the facts and how unprofessional the agent was. Even threw in a bit about how I respected their important function and how much-improved I think their services have been over the past few years (ok, so some hyperbole .
.
Dec 13, 2016, 4:32 pm
#9
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Originally Posted by gsoltso
...while not providing you with an immediate resolution...
I really do think the TSA has made big improvements over time, and 99% of my experiences with them are positive ones, especially with PreCheck access. If things were usually horrendous with them I wouldn't have bothered to tell them about it, but this stood out so seemed worth a note to let them know.
It would be just perfect if the offending TSO actually was the supervisor.
Dec 13, 2016, 4:49 pm
#11
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Similar experience, but at ORD. I forgot about a can of soda in my backpack. The guy opened my backpack, pulled it out, holds it up with two fingers, and conversation goes like this:
Agent: "Hey, you can keep this, but you have to go back out drink this and then come back."
Me: "Does that mean I have to go through the line again?"
Agent: "Yes"
Me: "Then what's the point? You can have it if you want or just throw it out."
Agent: "Oh no, we can't have it"
Me: "Then throw it out."
Agent; "You sure? I mean, you can just go out and drink it?"
Me: "Yes throw it out"
Agent: Stood there puzzled for a second like I was being unreasonable.
Seriously, the 10 feet between where we was standing on the terminal side of the scanners and the line side of the scanners determines the lethalness of this can of soda. Great job TSA, I feel safer already.
Agent: "Hey, you can keep this, but you have to go back out drink this and then come back."
Me: "Does that mean I have to go through the line again?"
Agent: "Yes"
Me: "Then what's the point? You can have it if you want or just throw it out."
Agent: "Oh no, we can't have it"
Me: "Then throw it out."
Agent; "You sure? I mean, you can just go out and drink it?"
Me: "Yes throw it out"
Agent: Stood there puzzled for a second like I was being unreasonable.
Seriously, the 10 feet between where we was standing on the terminal side of the scanners and the line side of the scanners determines the lethalness of this can of soda. Great job TSA, I feel safer already.
Dec 13, 2016, 4:54 pm
#12
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Greensboro
Programs: TSA
Posts: 2,424
In fact they did; it's in the subject line.
I am just hopeful--but have no expectations--that this might make some other poor travelers experience at ACT airport better than mine that day.
I really do think the TSA has made big improvements over time, and 99% of my experiences with them are positive ones, especially with PreCheck access. If things were usually horrendous with them I wouldn't have bothered to tell them about it, but this stood out so seemed worth a note to let them know.
It would be just perfect if the offending TSO actually was the supervisor.
I am just hopeful--but have no expectations--that this might make some other poor travelers experience at ACT airport better than mine that day.
I really do think the TSA has made big improvements over time, and 99% of my experiences with them are positive ones, especially with PreCheck access. If things were usually horrendous with them I wouldn't have bothered to tell them about it, but this stood out so seemed worth a note to let them know.
It would be just perfect if the offending TSO actually was the supervisor.
Back on topic, I really hope this marks a bit of a turn in our public engagement. Our Instagram (seriously, our Instagram account is earning all sorts of kudos right now) is earning a niche in the social media world. Many of our other social media outreach programs are working better for our passengers, and (on the back end) for our employees. The more we focus some of our resources on communicating effectively (and that requires a willingness to embrace new forms of communication like social media), the better it will get for our passengers. I have family members that send me messages on social media apps asking about what they can and can't bring - 10-15 years ago, they would never have even thought to call about it. I hope that these small changes are the leading edge of better help for our passengers.
Dec 19, 2016, 4:40 pm
#15
Join Date: Jul 1999
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Posts: 3,520
This is definitely a thing at smaller airports. TOL, DBQ, SPI all come to mind with repeatable over the top screening incidents that I've experienced. I have a toolkit I travel with that is always dissected at TOL - by the same clerks.