Originally Posted by
sbagdon
I verbalize my understanding of the sterile area in that you are allowed to have an administrative search performed on you or your items at any time, whether attempting to enter the sterile area (checkpoint), or being in the sterile area (airside). This includes random pat-downs, bag searches, explosives testing, gate searches, and any other searches they wish to do, all performed by the TSA.
Which has always begged the question, if you are screened when you enter 'sterile' and all goods and workers are supposedly screened (whether via machines or background checks), then aren't these searches tantamount to admission by the TSA that their primary screening is excessively flawed?