I normally fly out of EWR on Monday mornings with one check-in bag, from terminal B using NW. In every single trip out of there, I had to drop my bag off at the CTX machine after checking in, whether or not there were a lot of bags waiting to be processed.

Today was rather strange. There were 4 TSA staffed at the CTX machine waiting to screen bags. After the agent tagged my bag, she immediately took it and dropped it off on the conveyor belt, bypassing the CTX machine. I asked her why I didn't have to drop it off at the machine. She replied, "It's random". Very strange, esp. considering there were 4 people eager to screen bags. They looked rather bored too!

When I claimed my bag, I got no cutsy TSA-inspected sticker on my bag tag unlike before. (What's the point of these stickers then?) Is there another CTX machine directly connected to a conveyor belt behind or below the ticketing counter?

[Facts/theories only. No TSA bashing please.]

- Pat