Originally Posted by
artemis021
No. There's no justification for that. The TSA guy was just trying to do his job and make things quicker for travelers. I'm sure that the OP has complained numerous times about the lack of bins and the time it takes to get past security.
The TSA guy was just trying to expose the OP's property to risk of damage (Those belts aren't exactly clean; I sure wouldn't place my coat on a dirty belt where someone's dirty shoes have been. At least you can see if the bin you put your coat in is full of mud. And don't get me started on the risk of loose items getting caught in the belt or in the rollers.) Of course, the TSA guy is immune to having to pay for any such damages.
So TSA helps clear up those problems.
If TSA wants to clear up those problems, they can end the war on water, shoe carnival, and laptops out rule.
If an individual TSO is going to make up his own rules in violation of SOP (which this guy was doing), then why not make up rules that will speed up the process without increasing risk of damage to passenger property? (e.g., "laptops don't have to come out.")
I see a lot of people on this forum take out their hatred of TSA policies and security measures on the people on the ground.
If you have a compliant, then complain effectively, not by this childish passive-agression. Complain to the DHS, complain to your Congressional representative, but don't be a jerk to the guy who's getting paid by the hour and just doing his job.
And the laughter was inexcusable. I can't imagine that there's too much the TSA guys on the ground can take pride in (as far as work goes) and being #1 in the country is something they can. And the OP mocked that. How low can you go?
I would be honored to go through behind the OP. The OP sounds like a model frequent flier to me.
Complaining to Congress and the DHS is not working. I'm against taking out our frustrations on
random screeners who are
following their own published rules, as a good number of them seem to be reasonable human beings caught up in a bad agency. (E.g., most TSAers on FT.)
But when a TSO starts being a jerk and/or making up his own rules to the detriment of the passenger, all bets are off. If enough people complain and take it out on the bad guys
individually, then maybe they'll complain to their leadership, quit, or just see the error in their ways.