Originally Posted by
brandsberg
The Europeans are all laughing that we spend so much time and money on grandma and little kids instead of looking more closely at those who might be the real risks.
In Europe I barely get a glance but here at podunk airports they take apart all my luggage. We checked in at a small airport last summer and missed out flight even though we checked in the required hour ahead of time. The line was backed up all the way down the airport and they took apart ALL our bags even though my husband works in a job that requires a clearance.
As a result we missed our connecting flight overseas and had to pay a change fee.
One of the commenters to the NY Times article wrote:
For just over a year, I helped my daughter run a cafe/ gift shop in a very small resort airport. I was well known to all of the TSA personnel and some of them were our customers. Even so, when my husband and I left on a trip last March, they went through my carry-on and practically strip searched my 85 year old husband whose arm was still in a sling following rotator cuff surgery. Two of them took him into a private room and made him remove most of his clothes. I accompanied him into that room so I saw what lengths they went to. Disgusting behavior on their part. Their excuse, they "mustn't discriminate." Not only that, but one day, one of the TSA people came into the shop and insisted on putting me through a wipe off test for explosive residue!!!