Originally Posted by
GoingAway
TSA Stop #1 - ID and boarding pass bs
Put ID away
Move to line for x-ray
Place your belongings on belt, with coats, shoes, et al
Don't leave purse loose, put it inside bag better to hide wallet then make it too available for curious fingers.
Laptop goes in bin of its own -- if you have a protector sleeve that is just material, you can leave it in there but sometimes it's easier to take it out because they don't all seem to have read that memo
Remove baggie of liquids (max 3oz per liquid - fit into 1 sandwich baggie) -- or leave it in the luggage and watch how useless the charade really is
Medicines - if they're liquid it's easiest for you if they are in a separate baggie that can be pulled out. Make sure there is something that indicates prescription or who knows what they might do to "test" your stuff and thereby contaminate it. Again, leave this in the bag and likely nothing would happen.
If you are told they want to check your bag - tell them to wait for you. Do not let them walk away with your bag. Request they put on new gloves - from the box - before touching your stuff. Ask that only one person (if they're bored, they sometimes converge) touches your stuff at a time. If anyone is out of line in manner, or disrespectful to your property - watch them carefully and tell them to call a supervisor now, please - do not remove the eyes and look for the guy yourself, they will call one over.
I hate this process, these people and the thought of what this country has come to. It is just so friggin sad.
pretty much it but i'll add a few things....
make sure all loose items are inside your carry on luggage or coat/jacket pockets-no loose items in the grey bins at all (cell phones, pens change, etc)
don't go thru the wtmd until you last item has gone into the x-ray machine
if your luggage and/or you are "selected" for an explosives swab, make sure that they use a fresh "stridex pad" from the container for each test and it's one pad for each item/body part tested. if asked why, tell the screener you don't want a false positive like you had before (trust me, i learned that one the hard way but thanks to our resident tsa folks here, that's what i was told to do in the future)