reamworks

Opted out today (as usual!) at SFO.

The person in front of me on line at the ID check shared a name that was in a movie title. I didn't hear what it was. (Let's call him "Austin Powers") but the TSA spent nearly two minutes saying "Wow! Did your life change after the movie came out?" and similar chit-chat. (It reminded me of "Michael Bolton" in _Office Space_). The guy obliged saying "Yeah, I was 15 when it came out and it's never been the same since." I have NO IDEA how this 2-minute waste of my life makes my flight any safer. Maybe it was an advanced BDO technique!

They claimed there was no male assist available and asked me to remove my items from the belt. I balked. "Why don't you serve people in the order they arrive?" I asked. Then I asked for a supervisor. They told me to stand in the penalty box. I reminded them that 318 of them have been arrested for crimes against passengers in 2011 and I needed to see my belongings.

A male assist arrived before they were able to get my things off the belt.

On the other side, he asked which were my things, and then he took my laptop out of one bin and threw them on top of my brand-new Bruno Maglis! I told him "TAKE MY LAPTOP OFF MY BRUNO MAGLIS" and he did.

Fortunately, I had a pre-filled out comment card with the time and flight number (I fill them out before I go), so I just had to write in his name and my complaint and dropped in in the comment box. This saves me a lot of time.

And, even at 5:30 am, the shoeshine was open at SFO so I was able to undo the damage the TSA caused.

dan1431

I like the idea of the pre-filled out comment cards!

Dan

MSPGabe

Not that I enjoy defending the TSA, but they asked you to remove your things from the belt since you weren't being helped yet...sounds like they didn't want your stuff stolen either.

(Yes I know it is much more likely they just didn't want your stuff clogging up the belt, but the side effect would have been you having your stuff in your possession until a male assist showed up.)

Caradoc

EVERY time I've seen an opt-out reach for their stuff they've been barked at that they cannot touch their belongings until after they've been groped.

This is supposedly to prevent someone from putting a prohibited item into a bag that's already been searched.

MSPGabe

I read his post as them telling him to remove his things PRIOR to being screened.

Caradoc

...and I've seen TSA clerks shout at people for trying to move their bags once they're on the belt, too.

Global_Hi_Flyer

Opt-out at DCA today (how miserable is the AA pier now that they have the strip-search machines - the first class line took 10+ minutes just to get to ID check). I was pleased to see a line of folks that had opted out. My traveling companion did not opt out, I was done in the same amount of time. Oh and the screener got torqued that I asked for new gloves.

dan1431

I have always found it quasi amusing that TSA Employees find it so annoying to put on a new pair of gloves each time they have to interact with a PAX.

It is not like the FED Gov't is deducting each pair of gloves from said employees paycheck, so what is the issue?

Dan

chollie

Never seems to bother the detectives and CSI's in the movies and on TV...

dan1431

Or MDs, Nurses, etc.

I for the life of me cannot understand why it bothers TSA so much.

My Mom (an OB/GYN) went through LGA today and was directed to the AIT machine, she opted-out and was asked to step aside while they found a female to screen her.

The female TSA Employee came over and said Dr. XXXXX, I did not expect to find you here. She proceeded to tell the moat dragon that this is her (the TSA Employee's MD) and what a great MD she (my Mother) is.

She collected my Mother's belonging and made small talk with my Mother for a minute, said that she had to come in for an appointment and explained the pat down.

According to my Mother, she barely patted my Mother down and instead just sort of checked her arms and legs and wished her a pleasant flight.

Dan

chollie

But...did she change her gloves first?

KurtVH

I always count the number of TSA employees at a checkpoint as a form of entertainment. They are never understaffed.

Caradoc

That depends. Are you counting the ones in uniforms performing security theatre, or the ones performing actions that are constructive to real security?

KurtVH

I wasn't aware that any of them were performing real security.

KDS

Opted out at FNT this morning. Worst patdown experience since a few months ago. TSO pulled my pants down many times while working on my waistband (had to make two roundtrips on the waistband!), and pulled my shirt completely out of my pants while doing this. Pulled my hair while checking my collar. Ran his fingers over my genital area while checking the waistband. Insisted that he'd go until he got to resistance -- neither he nor the 3-striper supervisor were happy when I told them "resistance" is my <medical terms for male genitalia>.

Got full contact with hands in all four "leg" swipes up to "resistance", as the TSO called it.

I complained about the TSO's handling of my body throughout the procedure. The 3-striper told me I could have gone through the MMW/AIT instead; so I guess this was a retaliatory groping to teach me a lesson again about how I should do what I'm told. So we're back to that again here at FNT...my experiences over past 8 months suggested that they'd finally figured out they can't intimidate me, but .... lesson unlearned this morning.

LEO stood there and watched the entire process too. He was watching me as if he expected me to become a criminal in front of his eyes; very unfriendly face and demeanor.

In short, the perfectly awful way to start a trip to visit a family member. I despise the TSA and its "people", and I despise my government for forcing this on us citizens (we're citizens, not subjects, not servants, not serfs, not slaves -- CITIZENS!).