Originally Posted by
SJC ORD LDR
I got pulled aside for having an unopened bag of dry cat food in my bag. I was annoyed. Has the TSA gotten worse at being incompetent at its own job?
I've gotten sent to secondary over ten plastic jars of cat treats in my backpack before (The Squeaker loves, loves, loves the ones you get at Trader Joe's more than just about anything else on earth, and I stock up when I'm close to a TJ's). There's the fable about Mohammed and the sleeping cat on the sleeve of his robe, so maybe that's it?
I have literally never waited at the TSA checkpoint at VPS for more than five minutes- holiday season, departing the same time as a couple of Allegiant flights are headed out, whatever. It's a well-run small outstation where more than half the folks seem to have Pre. If there's a log jam, it's at the individual airline counter because there isn't typically a designated bag drop station and you always seem to get stuck behind someone who just had a trip to Brussels or Lima go IRROPS in a big way. I generally try for 1:15 before departure only if I'm checking a bag and an hour is just fine if I'm not.