Originally Posted by
manneca
I was screened yesterday at TLV and at EWR. TVL was wonderful. There were two people working the screening position. One sat behind the monitor and the other came forward to help me. Smiling, very polite. No shouting. Helped me arrange my items. I didn't have to take out my Kippie bag nor my camera. Just my laptop. Helped me put it in a bin. I took off my vest (loaded with electronics) and he put it in a bin for me.
At EWR, completely different experience. A woman TSO yelled at me because I wasn't moving my bins along as I unpacked all the junk: Kippie bag, laptop, camera, vest, jacket, shoes, and loaded my carryon bag and backpack. I told people behind me to go around me. I was trying to take up as little space as possible at the end of the table because I need about five bins. She just stood there, yelling at me. I ignored her basically because if I had moved my stuff along as I unpacked (a difficult task) I would have arrived at the screening machine without all my stuff in its proper position. How much does it take to have a little care and courtesy? Obviously more than TSA is willing to expend.
It is as simple as a mindset. When I was manager of a field office for a nonprofit, I taught my employees basic skills: smile, listen, help. TSA's approach seems to be indimidate, yell, don't listen, and for heaven's sake, don't help. This is why Americans who fly hate TSA.
You state that the first part of your experience with the TSA was pleasant and helpful, an overall enjoyable experience as far as that kind of experience can be, and the second part as completely unpleasant. Yet the in commentary at the end of your post you lump both experiences into the same bag and complain about the whole thing as if they were both the same way. Was it your intent to ignore the difference between the two experiences and focus on only the second as the total sum of your screening experience, or was this an oversight, a part of the human condition that is honestly difficult to put to the side and not allow to color one’s perception?
I appreciate that half of your time at the checkpoint was not negative, but to ignore that and place the focus on the other half and make the commentary you did is less than fair, to the readers here, to the TSA, and to those who were helpful and pleasant.