Originally Posted by
knotyeagle
"Private screening!" would be an appropriate response at the moment. Ask them whatever question they ask you. Make it absolutely miserable for them. And yes say "private screening" when they search you at the gate.
So what's the deal if you insist on a private screening at the gate? Has anyone done this? Do they have to haul you off somewhere, almost certainly causing you to miss the flight? Or would they just drag you into a nearby corner for a "semi-private" screening? Can you insist on a truly private screening somewhere else?
If you get held up at the checkpoint and miss your flight, I can see them falling back on the argument that you should have shown up earlier, but if you're sitting around the gate for hours and they decide to start messing with you 15 minutes before departure, what obligation do they have to make sure you board?