Originally Posted by
red456
Do these SPOTters have access and authority to the entire airport or is it just at the checkpoint bottleneck? (I think we've had that discussion in the past but I don't recall what conclusion was reached.)
I believe a TSA screener can only demand to search your bag at the checkpoint or within the sterile area. If you are wandering around the terminal, near the check-in counters or outside for example, and a screener demands to check your bag, pat you down or look at your ID, you can tell them to buzz off.
All they can do is run to a cop and tattle on you.