Originally Posted by
exbayern
And that is why I didn't understand the gallon bags being permitted at one airport and not others. It generally fits both your examples (less restrictive, and one type/brand of bag) I tend to believe what you and gsoltso post here and I think that you both have good intentions with your presence here.
I can understand someone misinterpreting a new rule or directive and mistakenly posting information, but when we see it stated several times it becomes really frustrating and I at least become mistrustful of information I read here. The same holds true for things on the tsa.gov website which are contradicted in the field.
Again, I appreciate your input and your feedback, but it often just reaffirms what I have been feeling.
+1 to the points you make in both this and your earlier post.
Whenever a TSO (real or alleged) posts here, on the blog, or elsewhere, their posts reflect folks' image of TSA generally.
I wonder if some of the TSOs (real or alleged) who post nonsensical, inflammatory, insulting or misinformed posts here and elsewhere really think about their audience.
A TSO who responds on the blog with a condescending post telling someone to 'just read the website before going to the airport' - knowing that the website may be incorrect or that the local practice at that particular airport (FSD direction) or even with that particular TSO may be something completely different - does that TSO realize that he/she has just set his/her co-workers up? Pax will show up at the checkpoint only to find out that the website and the checkpoint practices bear little relationship to each other. Won't be an optimal experience for either the checkpoint TSOs or the pax, although the pax always gets the worst of the deal.
I've shown TSO posts on this forum and the blog to folks who don't fly regularly. How do you think it affects folks' perceptions of TSA when they see these posts? Do the negative posters realize how their negative, condescending, 'pax=perp, pax is always guilty by default' attitude' is displayed not just for active posters, but also for many lurkers?
When a TSO posts incorrect information or misleading information on this forum to try to antagonize folks or cause folks to encounter difficulties at the checkpoint, it impacts the credibility of the organization. It was absolutely clear last fall that many of the changes coming would upset folks, but at least one TSO (real or alleged) took obvious delight in dropping hints (and one clear lie) about coming changes and the anticipated unhappiness.
The overwhelming majority of posts by TSOs (alleged or real) that I see on the blog and other forums are critical or hostile to pax.
One pax with a chip on his/her shoulder can have a negative impact on possibly several TSOs/pax at a checkpoint.
One TSO with a chip on his/her shoulder can have a negative impact on dozens of pax (as well as TSOs) at a checkpoint. Further, one TSO distracted by a chip on his/her shoulder is all it takes for something to get past the checkpoint. Hate and vitriol can and do interfere with job performance.
And just a nit...but has anyone actually verified that the gallon bags are allowed at SAT?