TSA Confiscates Pregnant Woman's Insulin, Ice Packs
#46
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: twitter:TSAABUSEWATCH
Posts: 100
Frankly, I am happy that this Blueshirt criminal act is being publicized. The more people hear of these Blueshirt crimes, the sooner TSA can be neutered.
#47
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,728
(Ghu knows the average TSA clerk isn't into that sort of thing - so it's probably for resale.)
#48
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: DTW
Programs: DL 0.22 MM, AA 0.34 MM, PC Plat Amb, Hertz #1 GC 5*
Posts: 7,511
Yet taken without her knowledge? Something's up there.
#49
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Ottawa
Programs: Cessna TTx Self-Fly
Posts: 2,982
Bull. The TSOs are being paid to supposedly know the rules. Passengers are not. And the rules are very simple, at least for those with a 10th grade education. Putting the blame on the passenger here is beyond any sane reason and is in fact indicative of why TSOs and their thought processes are so despised. In case you missed it - the passenger did nothing wrong, the TSO(s) did. The blame is 100% on TSA.
#51
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: DEN
Programs: UA Gold MM
Posts: 146
As has been demonstrated numerous times, it is impossible to know all the rules. Most of the rules are apparently SSI (or "outdated") - and it has been illustrated over and over that the blue monkeys don't know all the rules - so how is it possible for pax to know all the rules?
The TSA culture of intimidation and retaliation cows passengers into complying regardless of the "rules".
The passenger has absolutely no blame in this case.
The TSA culture of intimidation and retaliation cows passengers into complying regardless of the "rules".
The passenger has absolutely no blame in this case.
#53
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: where the chile is hot
Programs: AA,RR,NW,Delta ,UA,CO
Posts: 41,714
If it happened as posted, then everybody involved should be terminated.
Insulin/supplies unfortunately aren't rare anymore and the individuals involved should have known better.
A minute portion of the blame goes to the passenger as well. Had she known the rules, then she should have escalated the matter until she got to someone bright enough to allow it through.
Even if it happened as posted, one has to wonder "was she looking for publicity?"
Insulin/supplies unfortunately aren't rare anymore and the individuals involved should have known better.
A minute portion of the blame goes to the passenger as well. Had she known the rules, then she should have escalated the matter until she got to someone bright enough to allow it through.
Even if it happened as posted, one has to wonder "was she looking for publicity?"
The website is worse than a joke. TSA has time to promote Windbag Bob and his blog, but not time to keep the website accurate and current? Must be because of the 10-year-long major shortage in website developers.
Escalate? To who? How long should she have allowed to escalate something that shouldn't have needed escalation? And, as is often the case, if a supervisor was actually available and willing to get off his/her butt and show up on the floor, there's every reason to believe the supervisor will back up his/her employee - happens all the time. Summon an LEO? We have an LEO on another thread who has made it clear - LEOs don't know the rules, the rules are SSI, so for something like this, the LEO has to do what the TSA tells him/her to do.
I don't know this woman or her state of mind when travelling. However, AFAIK, anyone in this country is still free to travel (more or less). There's no law requiring pax to be intelligent, informed (reading and following the news and IBBs about TSA matters), unstressed. There's no law that says someone of marginal intellect, someone who is illiterate, someone who's mental faculties are declining (age, injury, disease), someone who is simply too stressed to think straight, someone who has never flown before - there's no law saying these folks can't fly.
It is criminal to suggest that if a pax doesn't know the unknowable rules, doesn't have adequate time to hang around escalating the process (it took me almost 25 minutes to 'escalate' and get a comment form to compliment a TSO) - it is criminal to suggest that such a pax is in any way responsible for what happened at the checkpoint. It suggests that the pax somehow deserves the treatment he/she gets.
(example: I believe one of our resident TSOs (real or alleged) indicated that at one airport (not his/her own, might be SAT), the rules about netbooks are unusually strict - IIRC, they have to be taken out. That is the local FSDs option to make that extra rule, but I wonder if there are any signs posted warning pax - or do they just get barked at because they don't know that the rules are different?) (If it is SAT I'm thinking about, it might explain why they supposedly tried not barking (like the rest of the world) but it "didn't work". I would hope they have signage, but I doubt it).
This may or may not have happened exactly as posted. However, it is all too similar to what just happened to Tom Sawyer (ostomy bag) again at his home airport.
Retraining? I think an employee should be allowed (max) retraining in a particular area once. Second offense, the employee is no longer allowed to perform that function.
BTW, I don't wonder, but since you did...do you think Tom Sawyer keeps travelling and reporting on the mishandling of his ostomy bag for publicity?
#54
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: IAD
Posts: 13
I've been travelling for about 6 months with insulin, needles etc and have never had a problem. I asked one of the supervising mouth breathers the first time I went thru screening and he told me not to even bother reporting it (at IAD). As long as they could see it clearly in the xray there wouldnt be any problem.
Note union represented TSO's: Ask questions all you want. You touch my insulin and you'll eat that hand. And don't even think about the whole explosives argument....I'm a retired bomb disposal tech, that crap won't cut it with me.
Note union represented TSO's: Ask questions all you want. You touch my insulin and you'll eat that hand. And don't even think about the whole explosives argument....I'm a retired bomb disposal tech, that crap won't cut it with me.
#55
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 82
If it happened as posted, then everybody involved should be terminated.
Insulin/supplies unfortunately aren't rare anymore and the individuals involved should have known better.
A minute portion of the blame goes to the passenger as well. Had she known the rules, then she should have escalated the matter until she got to someone bright enough to allow it through.
Even if it happened as posted, one has to wonder "was she looking for publicity?"
Insulin/supplies unfortunately aren't rare anymore and the individuals involved should have known better.
A minute portion of the blame goes to the passenger as well. Had she known the rules, then she should have escalated the matter until she got to someone bright enough to allow it through.
Even if it happened as posted, one has to wonder "was she looking for publicity?"
Passenger responsibility for "knowing the rules" only applies if the TSA is willing to publish the rules and consistently apply them, every day, to every passenger, at every checkpoint, in every airport, come hell or high water.
The TSA has made it beyond clear that the passenger's responsibility is to show up at the checkpoint and do as you are told, no questions allowed.
#56
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DFW
Posts: 28,126
I've been travelling for about 6 months with insulin, needles etc and have never had a problem. I asked one of the supervising mouth breathers the first time I went thru screening and he told me not to even bother reporting it (at IAD). As long as they could see it clearly in the xray there wouldnt be any problem.
Note union represented TSO's: Ask questions all you want. You touch my insulin and you'll eat that hand. And don't even think about the whole explosives argument....I'm a retired bomb disposal tech, that crap won't cut it with me.
Note union represented TSO's: Ask questions all you want. You touch my insulin and you'll eat that hand. And don't even think about the whole explosives argument....I'm a retired bomb disposal tech, that crap won't cut it with me.
#57
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: west of DFW airport
Programs: AA LT Gold 1.9 MM flying my way to LT PLAT
Posts: 11,074
I also travel with a non-insulin injectible Rx drug that is expensive and is not covered by my medical insurance.
It is also in very short supply and is difficult to get.
I watch it like a hawk when going through the TSA.
I am often asked 'what is it for?' to which I reply 'none of your business'.
So far so good!
But I will watch it even more closely.
It is also in very short supply and is difficult to get.
I watch it like a hawk when going through the TSA.
I am often asked 'what is it for?' to which I reply 'none of your business'.
So far so good!
But I will watch it even more closely.
#58
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,657
The front-line TSO failed to execute their duties properly. The fault is theirs. Period. End of story.
WRONG. Note that she would not allow her name to be broadcast, precisely because she was afraid of personal retaliation from the TSA against her and her family. I'm not sure how one goes about "looking for publicity" when one refuses to gives one's name to the press ...
#59
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: SJC
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,628
I would have demanded a LEO to document the transfer of a controlled substance.
Actually, I amend my answer. I would have waited for the screener to "confiscate" the morphine, then called the LEO. Maybe the screener could get busted for illegal possession of a controlled substance.
Last edited by SFOSpiff; Aug 5, 2011 at 11:34 am
#60
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Finally back in Boston after escaping from New York
Posts: 13,644
"A formal complaint has been filed with the TSA."
I'm sure that complaint will end up in the same file as all the other complaints. The circular file, to be exact.
That does sound a bit odd. I'm surprised she didn't check to make sure that she had put everything back, but maybe her previous successful travel had lulled her into a belief that they wouldn't steal it.
She was absolutely looking for publicity and did exactly what everyone in this situation should do: get the media involved. I hope she filed a police report and called a lawyer, too.
Was she looking to cash in or get her 15 minutes of fame? Seems to me that she would have used her name if she were.
Mike
I'm sure that complaint will end up in the same file as all the other complaints. The circular file, to be exact.
I don't possibly see how they would have taken the insulin and the ice packs without telling her, and I don't understand how she would not check her lunch box (which would have weighed half what it did when she put it down if they took the ice packs) before leaving the area to make sure everything was in it.
Was she looking to cash in or get her 15 minutes of fame? Seems to me that she would have used her name if she were.
Mike