One Bin Per Person - And That Means YOU!
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 2,974
One Bin Per Person - And That Means YOU!
Morning departure, BWI, D-gates. The WTMD TSO is shouting out orders to those of us waiting to deposit our belongings on the conveyor belt. "One bin per person, no exceptions, unless you have more than one laptop, one bin per person."
Now haven't we've all been drilled that the laptop must go in its own separate bin so it can be easily viewed on the x-ray? And I'm not gonna dump my Kippie bag, jacket, shoes and belt on the conveyor belt.
I see LOTS of empty bins at the end of the table. It's not like we have a bin shortage here. I'm thinking what we have here is a case of somebody on a power trip.
So I grab two bins.
Oh, he didn't like that. Not one bit. He's staring at me, repeating his mantra, and I'm staring at him right back. As I get ready to shove my two bins through the x-ray, he walks through the WTMD, grabs the bin with my jacket, Kippie bag and belt, and says, "I said one bin per person. That's the limit."
My response, "Is that so? And what exactly do you propose we do given that the laptop goes through separately?"
He takes my jacket, belt and Kippie bag and places them on TOP of the lap top, pushes the loaded bin through the X-ray followed by my shoes. Hands the confiscated second bin to an associate and waits for me on the other side of the WTMD.
I hand him my boarding card, and he hands it back to me. No retaliatory secondary which honestly surprised me.
Then he scolds me, "Next time listen to us. We know how to get you through (security) quickly. That's why we're the TSA's Number 1 Airport in the country".
I turned to him and just started laughing out loud. I couldn't help it, what he said was just so silly sounding. Which infuriated him even more but at that point I was already through the WTMD and had my boarding pass back in hand.
Yeah, BWI is the number 1 airport in the country. Makes me wonder who came in last...
Now haven't we've all been drilled that the laptop must go in its own separate bin so it can be easily viewed on the x-ray? And I'm not gonna dump my Kippie bag, jacket, shoes and belt on the conveyor belt.
I see LOTS of empty bins at the end of the table. It's not like we have a bin shortage here. I'm thinking what we have here is a case of somebody on a power trip.
So I grab two bins.
Oh, he didn't like that. Not one bit. He's staring at me, repeating his mantra, and I'm staring at him right back. As I get ready to shove my two bins through the x-ray, he walks through the WTMD, grabs the bin with my jacket, Kippie bag and belt, and says, "I said one bin per person. That's the limit."
My response, "Is that so? And what exactly do you propose we do given that the laptop goes through separately?"
He takes my jacket, belt and Kippie bag and places them on TOP of the lap top, pushes the loaded bin through the X-ray followed by my shoes. Hands the confiscated second bin to an associate and waits for me on the other side of the WTMD.
I hand him my boarding card, and he hands it back to me. No retaliatory secondary which honestly surprised me.
Then he scolds me, "Next time listen to us. We know how to get you through (security) quickly. That's why we're the TSA's Number 1 Airport in the country".
I turned to him and just started laughing out loud. I couldn't help it, what he said was just so silly sounding. Which infuriated him even more but at that point I was already through the WTMD and had my boarding pass back in hand.
Yeah, BWI is the number 1 airport in the country. Makes me wonder who came in last...
Last edited by El Cochinito; Mar 4, 2008 at 10:05 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,037
That's a new one. Good move on getting your materials back before the retaliatory secondary. Oh wait, that never happens.
With the absence of dedicated bag feeders, one thing I find amusing at all airports is how TSAers will walk by the mouth of the x-ray while doing something else (re-stocking bins, yelling at passengers, whatever) and diligently change the bin insertion to go width-wise, and not length-wise.
It's clearly something that's done everywhere, so the chuckles I get are frequent. As if changing those bins are going to make a difference how long it takes to go through the dog-and-pony show.
With the absence of dedicated bag feeders, one thing I find amusing at all airports is how TSAers will walk by the mouth of the x-ray while doing something else (re-stocking bins, yelling at passengers, whatever) and diligently change the bin insertion to go width-wise, and not length-wise.
It's clearly something that's done everywhere, so the chuckles I get are frequent. As if changing those bins are going to make a difference how long it takes to go through the dog-and-pony show.
#7
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 562
With the absence of dedicated bag feeders, one thing I find amusing at all airports is how TSAers will walk by the mouth of the x-ray while doing something else (re-stocking bins, yelling at passengers, whatever) and diligently change the bin insertion to go width-wise, and not length-wise.
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: LAX; AA EXP, MM; HH Gold
Posts: 31,789
Anybody (and I mean anybody) at the airport who yells at me about taking more than one bin can Go Straight to Hell.
Let's review what I have to remove: Laptop out of bag. One bin.
Shoes off and one quart KHIAI baggie. Another bin.
Small plastic bag of food for flight. Another bin.
Jacket or coat. Another bin.
Don't like it? Go ..... yourself.
Focus on your job: screening my stuff and I'll focus on packaging my stuff for the x-ray machine.
Let's review what I have to remove: Laptop out of bag. One bin.
Shoes off and one quart KHIAI baggie. Another bin.
Small plastic bag of food for flight. Another bin.
Jacket or coat. Another bin.
Don't like it? Go ..... yourself.
Focus on your job: screening my stuff and I'll focus on packaging my stuff for the x-ray machine.
#10
Original Member, Moderator: Hotel Deals and MilesBuzz
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 14,256
It sounds like a case of laziness to me...
TSA Thug #1: I'm tired of stacking all these empty bins and dragging them 20 feet to the other side.
TSA Thug #2: Yeah, these packmules are making us work hard.
TSA Thug #1: Hey, I have an idea.. if we tell them they can only use one bin, it will mean I don't have to recycle them as often.
TSA Thug #2: Sounds good to me... "ATTENTION PEOPLE, ONE BIN PER PERSON!"
TSA Thug #1: I'm tired of stacking all these empty bins and dragging them 20 feet to the other side.
TSA Thug #2: Yeah, these packmules are making us work hard.
TSA Thug #1: Hey, I have an idea.. if we tell them they can only use one bin, it will mean I don't have to recycle them as often.
TSA Thug #2: Sounds good to me... "ATTENTION PEOPLE, ONE BIN PER PERSON!"
#11
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: BOS and vicinity
Programs: Former UA 1P
Posts: 3,723
One bin per person, great! I assume that means I no longer have to take my (non-alarming) coat off, no longer have to take my shoes off, no longer have to take my freedom-baggie out of my rollaboard, and no longer have to put my laptop in a separate bin? Right?
Idiots.
Idiots.
#12
Original Member, Moderator: Hotel Deals and MilesBuzz
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 14,256
I consider BWI to have some of the LEAST professional screeners in the country... and without any exaggeration, I've flown through at least 40 different US airports over the past two years.
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Out West
Programs: DL-2MM, NW, AA, AS, NZ, AM
Posts: 432
"uhhh, excuse me, Mr. TSO, but your own published regulations REQUIRE that I place my laptop in a separate bin....can I have it in writing that you are forcing me to do otherwise?...You, know just in case Kippie decides to fine me..."
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...ip_laptop.shtm
"Place laptops in bin by itself. Do not place any other items on top of it. This ensures the screener can see that the bin contains a laptop."
TSA - Confusing The Tewowists By Changing The Rules and Layering America.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...ip_laptop.shtm
"Place laptops in bin by itself. Do not place any other items on top of it. This ensures the screener can see that the bin contains a laptop."
TSA - Confusing The Tewowists By Changing The Rules and Layering America.
#14
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 644
No. There's no justification for that. The TSA guy was just trying to do his job and make things quicker for travelers. I'm sure that the OP has complained numerous times about the lack of bins and the time it takes to get past security. So TSA helps clear up those problems.
I see a lot of people on this forum take out their hatred of TSA policies and security measures on the people on the ground.
If you have a compliant, then complain effectively, not by this childish passive-agression. Complain to the DHS, complain to your Congressional representative, but don't be a jerk to the guy who's getting paid by the hour and just doing his job.
And the laughter was inexcusable. I can't imagine that there's too much the TSA guys on the ground can take pride in (as far as work goes) and being #1 in the country is something they can. And the OP mocked that. How low can you go?
And then you people talk about the arrogance of the TSA guy.
I see a lot of people on this forum take out their hatred of TSA policies and security measures on the people on the ground.
If you have a compliant, then complain effectively, not by this childish passive-agression. Complain to the DHS, complain to your Congressional representative, but don't be a jerk to the guy who's getting paid by the hour and just doing his job.
And the laughter was inexcusable. I can't imagine that there's too much the TSA guys on the ground can take pride in (as far as work goes) and being #1 in the country is something they can. And the OP mocked that. How low can you go?
And then you people talk about the arrogance of the TSA guy.
Last edited by essxjay; Mar 4, 2008 at 5:55 pm Reason: Personal attack removed
#15
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: BOS and vicinity
Programs: Former UA 1P
Posts: 3,723
So TSA helps clear up those problems.
If an individual TSO is going to make up his own rules in violation of SOP (which this guy was doing), then why not make up rules that will speed up the process without increasing risk of damage to passenger property? (e.g., "laptops don't have to come out.")
I see a lot of people on this forum take out their hatred of TSA policies and security measures on the people on the ground.
If you have a compliant, then complain effectively, not by this childish passive-agression. Complain to the DHS, complain to your Congressional representative, but don't be a jerk to the guy who's getting paid by the hour and just doing his job.
And the laughter was inexcusable. I can't imagine that there's too much the TSA guys on the ground can take pride in (as far as work goes) and being #1 in the country is something they can. And the OP mocked that. How low can you go?
If you have a compliant, then complain effectively, not by this childish passive-agression. Complain to the DHS, complain to your Congressional representative, but don't be a jerk to the guy who's getting paid by the hour and just doing his job.
And the laughter was inexcusable. I can't imagine that there's too much the TSA guys on the ground can take pride in (as far as work goes) and being #1 in the country is something they can. And the OP mocked that. How low can you go?
Complaining to Congress and the DHS is not working. I'm against taking out our frustrations on random screeners who are following their own published rules, as a good number of them seem to be reasonable human beings caught up in a bad agency. (E.g., most TSAers on FT.)
But when a TSO starts being a jerk and/or making up his own rules to the detriment of the passenger, all bets are off. If enough people complain and take it out on the bad guys individually, then maybe they'll complain to their leadership, quit, or just see the error in their ways.
Last edited by essxjay; Mar 4, 2008 at 6:07 pm Reason: Quoted material deleted