TSACHICK, thank you for the candid reply. I was being a little toungue in cheak when I said there should be ZERO employees on break in a secure area. I really did not believe a single one of those agents where on break. You sound like a fine example of what a TSA agent should be. Honest, candid, intelligent and willing to take the time to explain something to a traveler.

Most of the time the TSA does a decent job. It bugs me that banned/not banned list does not have any common sense behind it. Just Monday I had a key chain taken away from me. This key chain had passed through the airports in 43 states and a half a dozen countries around the world. At least a 100 times through PWM's check point. When it was inspected, it was allowed to fly. This time a screener decided it was a tool and now dangerous.

I asked to speak to his supervisor. "Supervisor Dan" came over looked at it and said "NO". I brought up the common sense discussion. My second line out of my mouth and he said "I'll get my supervisor". "Supervisor XXX" arrived and stood 15 feet away. He went over to her showed her my key fob and she shook her head. Came back and said no. I requested to speak to her. "Supervisor Dan" said "You just did through me." Next action by "Supervisor Dan" was to get the local PD involoved to give me 3 choices. 1. Loose the item, 2. Don't fly, or 3. go to jail. So I really had no choice in the matter. A item of great personal value has now been destroyed.

"Supervisor Dan" did hunt me down in the terminal to give me the 877 number to call. And take my name. No doubt I will be flagged from here on in. I told him I wasn't really angered until the "You just did speak to her through me" line. He started to say "Well she...." looked up at the cameras and asked me to walk with him away from all the cameras in the check point area.

I have to give him credit, while I would never get my keychain back, he was trying to reverse my perception of what had gone down there. Unfortunately the damage had been pretty much done by that point. Being threatend with jail pretty much puts me in the angered catagory.

He told me "You are our customers". Well, that bugs me a little too because, at least acording to Loy, we are the TSA employers.

He noticed my dogtag on my key ring. Yes the one with all the keys with the sharp jagged edges, any one of which was more menacing then the harmless key fob. And said "look you know what SOP is." I said if we take a step back here and look at the situtaion with common sense we will see that a screener made a bad call, this has flown 1000's of times, 100's under the TSA inspections. He just shook his head and said "Well we caught it this time". I then asked if a screener makes a bad call, can anyone in the supervisor level reverse it. His answer "That's not SOP". I really got to believe he was wrong there. If he isn't, what is the point of a having a supervisor.

The subject of knitting needles was brought up and the far more damage they could cause. (I know every screener has probably heard that argument and gets a blood presure lift when someone uses it again). "Supervisor Dan" told me that if I didn't have the ball of yarn to go with it. I would not be allowed on the plane with those. At that point I thanked him for trying to recover the situtaion, but please go back to work.

Again another long post to a short point. I do believe the TSA has some fine people working for them. I have seen some candid answers on the board here. I do believe that the spending is way out of control in the TSA. I do believe that the figure of $250,000,000 wasteful spending is probably pretty close. (that number is based on government audits and interviews, and is being used on capitol hill) I do believe that the "SOP" is to operate only in a world where there are no greys, only black and whites. I do believe that a supervisor should be empowered to reverse a descision a newbee screener makes, not to say I can't SOP.

Thank you TSA chick, great post!

[This message has been edited by pwmflyer (edited 04-26-2003).]

[This message has been edited by pwmflyer (edited 04-26-2003).]