Originally Posted by flyer_girl295
hey everyone. I'm new here, but have been an aviation enthusiast for years. I've recently moved back to Memphis and I'm taking my first flight out of that airport in a long time on Saturday. My question is, what should I expect with security there? I've been flying out of LIT for the last several years, and security is rather a non-issue there, so I wasn't sure what to expect at MEM. I've been reading various things about X-rays, BioSensors and all sorts of other mind-boggling things! So if someone could set me straight, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
Hi Flyer_girl295 & welcome to FlyerTalk. I had the "pleasure" ;-) of going thru MEM in April-this visit resulted in my first formal TSA complaint & very lengthy discussion w/the MEM FSD office re: events there, if that tells you anything...I was flying Delta, which goes out Terminal A. Baggage screening is done right @ the check-in counter, but the young men doing the screening (which is manual, btw, w/the lovely little cotton pads that get used over & over) were more interested in talking to each other about some girl & so the pad the made such a production about swabbing over every inch of my suitcase never did get put in the little machine for analysis. Wish I could say that was the end of it, but alas it wasn't because there was still the checkpoint to deal with. The TSA person who was manning the machine I went thru either kicked it to set it off, after I refused to take off my non-profile, no metal shanks flats that have gone thru just about every airport in the country in the past 3 years w/o problems OR, according to the FSD's office, mixed up the alarm from the machine next to his w/the one I was going thru. However, the fun really started when I requested a complaint form from his supervisor-given HER behavior, the behavior of the rest of the staff there isn't the least bit surprising (among other little gems, she claimed there was "no such thing" as a complaint form & that I "should prove" there was one-this chick was CLEARLY looking for a fight!). When I finally spoke w/the FSD's office, he didn't seem the least bit surprised by the behavior I was describing from the supervisor (he WAS, on the other hand, pretty irate about what had happened @ the check-in counter w/my suitcase-kept saying "we spent alot of money on those machines & they're not even using it?"). Anyway, the FSD apoligized profusely, but what if anything has been done to rectify the situation there, I couldn't say since I haven't been back &, quite frankly, have no desire to.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but if you don't mind, let me know how you make out & good luck!
Laura