Slow security today at BOS - watch your liquids!!
Aug 13, 2012, 8:55 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: BOSish
Programs: DL PM / MM, Nat'l EE
Posts: 450
Slow security today at BOS - watch your liquids!!
Experienced the slllooowwwest Sky Priority security line in my years flying from BOS. .It took 30 mins to get through and there were just 10 people in front of me. .Apparently the 'issue of the week' is liquids not in plastic zip lock bags. .All but one person in front of me (and myself) had non plastic zip lock bags. .Mine is a quart size clear plastic bag with a metal zipper. .TSA had to wait for a supervisor, then pull everything out of each bag, then rescan....
Be warned - you could have some long waits today :-(
Be warned - you could have some long waits today :-(
Aug 13, 2012, 10:04 am
#2
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: LAX
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Posts: 613
Either the TSA has to lighten up, or, those people have to be sent to the end of the line. I prefer the former. Anyone with training can easily eyeball the liquids and determine if they are greater than 3.4 fl oz, and also if the number of items would fit in a bag. As a guy I put all my hygeine stuff in one clear plastic zipper bag but Ms Shine has to have 1 bag for liquids and another bag for other toiletries like razors, cotton swabs etc. Takes sorting. (I travel a lot more than her so I just have a travel bag and never have to unpack it).
Aug 13, 2012, 11:01 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: BOS/MHT (Lakes Region)
Programs: DL PM(sigh)/2.3MM & a bunch of other programs...
Posts: 692
What's really fun is when they start making up rules on the fly.
A few weeks ago in BOS some fresh out of high school smurf said "You have to take your iPad out of your bag." The guy next to me and I both said "that's new to us. You need to post it somewhere." I said, "you can't just make up rules." The kid didn't say another word.
In MLI last Friday it was "please hold onto your BP as you go through the scanner." Evidently, they do things differently there than every other airport I've been through in the past few years.
A few weeks ago in BOS some fresh out of high school smurf said "You have to take your iPad out of your bag." The guy next to me and I both said "that's new to us. You need to post it somewhere." I said, "you can't just make up rules." The kid didn't say another word.
In MLI last Friday it was "please hold onto your BP as you go through the scanner." Evidently, they do things differently there than every other airport I've been through in the past few years.
Aug 13, 2012, 11:34 am
#5
In memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Rarely, but occasionally, I have called them out when they have asked for something different than what I have always done at other airports. They always have the same answer - something like . . . .
Well, you wouldn't want security to be predictable, would you?
My answer is usually something like . . . .
I thought that was why the TSA was created - - So that airport security would finally be uniform throughout the country!
Well, you wouldn't want security to be predictable, would you?
My answer is usually something like . . . .
I thought that was why the TSA was created - - So that airport security would finally be uniform throughout the country!
Aug 13, 2012, 11:40 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fayetteville, AR, USA
Programs: AA EP + million miler DL PL Med + million miler
Posts: 129
The isue in BOS is probably that a story broke today accusing the BOS TSAs of profiling the passengers to determine who gets additional screening. Agents said they were to look at black, hipanic and middle-easterners to select people for extra screening. I'll bet they went to a go-by-the-book screening process to slow it all down. We will be punished because they screwed up.
Although I understand the history of who has committed past crimes, there is a reason to not focus on groups like that. If we do profile and spend time looking at those groups, they will find people who like to shoot up movie theaters and houses of worship to do this for them. They don't fit that profile.
Although I understand the history of who has committed past crimes, there is a reason to not focus on groups like that. If we do profile and spend time looking at those groups, they will find people who like to shoot up movie theaters and houses of worship to do this for them. They don't fit that profile.
Aug 13, 2012, 11:43 am
#8
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And the TSA just needs to start following its own rules, which are:
"1-quart size, clear plastic, zip top bag".
Says nothing about it needing to be a flimsy Ziploc type bag. I can have a quart-sized sturdy clear plastic bag with a real zipper and that's just fine.
Aug 13, 2012, 12:25 pm
#9
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: CLT
Programs: Delta GM
Posts: 12
A couple of weeks ago I had a lady in front of me with 3 zip locks full of liquids, many of which were over the standard travel size. The TSA guy went through all of them individually, put them back in her bag and had it scanned twice. This took 10+ minutes. After she went through the metal detector I told the TSA guy that he should have thrown all of that crap in the trash since it was clearly against the rules. His only response to me was "that's not my job."
Aug 13, 2012, 12:38 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: ATL
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He then left everything from my bag out on the table and told me I was free to repack everything.
I had an extra drink in the SC in his honor a few minutes later! 
Aug 13, 2012, 12:40 pm
#11
Original Poster
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Location: BOSish
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Aug 13, 2012, 2:37 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: New York City
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Or just ignore the liquids thing. I havent taken mine out of my Dopp kit in 2+ years. Never has anyone raised an eyebrow - JFK, LGA, ORD, DFW, LAX, SFO, LAS, MSP, ORF, etc etc
Aug 13, 2012, 4:17 pm
#13
Join Date: May 2010
Location: California, USA
Programs: DL PM, HH Diamond, Marriott Silver, National EE
Posts: 475
I can honestly say that BOS has absolutely the slowest and worst security of any of the airports I have gone through.
I once came close to losing it because a TSA agent spent an inordinate amount of time chastising me for "putting my bag on top of my laptop." When I asked what she meant, she pointed out that the edge of my bag was resting on the edge of the bin containing my laptop. No exaggeration here. It had been a bad day, took me 30 minutes to get through security with about 12 people in front of me. I just bit my tongue and headed to my gate.
I once came close to losing it because a TSA agent spent an inordinate amount of time chastising me for "putting my bag on top of my laptop." When I asked what she meant, she pointed out that the edge of my bag was resting on the edge of the bin containing my laptop. No exaggeration here. It had been a bad day, took me 30 minutes to get through security with about 12 people in front of me. I just bit my tongue and headed to my gate.
Aug 13, 2012, 4:24 pm
#14
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As jimg20 said, it's retaliation against the passengers for their ineptitude. I should probably add an again to that sentence, as this happens at BOS every once in a while. In a week or two they'll have forgotten all about security and it'll be back to the usual profiling in order to find drugs.
Aug 13, 2012, 6:10 pm
#15
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: DAL Plat, HH LT Diamond
Posts: 280
next time i go thru BOS (which isn't often...) i will refuse to answer any of their completely INANE questions..
i have a gov't CAC card - why i am being asked where i am going, why i am going there, etc. etc. etc.... is just a clear violation of my rights.
my response next time will be "i'm not answering your questions"
d
i have a gov't CAC card - why i am being asked where i am going, why i am going there, etc. etc. etc.... is just a clear violation of my rights.
my response next time will be "i'm not answering your questions"
d