Originally Posted by Bart
"all of the deviations"?? Counselor, show me the evidence of gross deviations from the SOP. What we are really and truly talking about is the number one obsession on FlyerTalk: shoes. That's the only real area where there's a lot of discussion, disagreement and dispute over the SOP. And, unfortunately, that boils down to screener interpretation. Again, tie goes to the runner in my book.
As for the threat of keeping someone from flying, I'll play my broken record: submit a complaint to the checkpoint supervisor or, if not confident that anything will be done, submit it to the FSD and/or airline station manager. As I'm sure you understand, Counselor, have to document the complaint in order to initiate the sort of procedures required to correct this attitude.
North Platte, Nebraska, summer 2005, twice: several American attorneys, including me, who dutifully removed shoes, did not alarm the WTMD, and did not have bulky clothes showing bulges, subjected to pat downs.
Evansville, Indiana, spring 2006: same penny loafers, not required to remove them, did not alarm WTMD, no pat down, no harassment of American citizen trying to travel between states.
Attitude of screeners at many checkpoints have a chilling effect on willingness of many passengers, including this one, to fill out complaint form. Based on the TSA attitude exhibited at checkpoints, what good is filling out these complaint forms? Let's be real, they end up being sh!tcanned, so filling out a complaint form is a cathartic waste of time. Just look at the statements of TSA spokesholes, claiming that they have received only a handful of complaints. I am hopeful that speaking with my Senators will have more effect on TSA than completing a form.