Originally Posted by
SDF_Traveler
What about the common sense solution?
Sippy Cup, a little bit of water and a toddler. See it for what it is and allow the passengers (mother and toddler) to move on with the sippy cup and the few oz of water in it.... (unless it was filled at Applebee's
)
When it comes to "Sippy Cup's" specifically, does that 99% number apply?
Sadly, it seems procedures don't allow for use of common sense.
I agree that the procedures ought to allow more flexibility, especially when it comes to toddlers and infants. TSOs and supervisors ought to be permitted to exercise a broader range of on-the-ground judgment. However, you also run into the situation of one checkpoint permitting it and another not permitting it.
That's my biggest complaint about TSA. The promise was that we would have a more professional screener workforce. However, TSA mandates a lot of situations to us rather than allowing any degree of discretion or judgment. In my brief 20+ years in the military, I learned that no book or set of rules can capture every single scenario and some poor schmuck will have to make a decision on what the spirit of the law intends when the letter of the law fails to address it.
I am curious, however, if Emmerson was permitted to keep it and someone else in this forum witnessed it if the complaint in here would be that TSA allows fellow federal employees to slide on the rules while everyone else gets their liquids taken away.