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Old Dec 28, 2011, 10:52 pm
  #16  
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Originally Posted by ralfp
So no, without more info, I would not put blame on the passengers.
The whole rotten system is crafted so no mishap is anybody's fault. Air travelers are at the mercy of psychotic idiots. "Suspicious iPod".... ye Gods, what fools.
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Old Dec 28, 2011, 11:11 pm
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Originally Posted by BearX220
travelers are at the mercy of psychotic idiots. "Suspicious iPod".... ye Gods, what fools.
+1 perhaps it was mistaken as an iPod clone with a questionable battery? We all know that lots of them are produced & branded overseas, and, OMG, those might explode. Just a matter of time before we read about a full scale Hazmat mobilization response and Terminal Evacuation, etc.

BTW, the bucks stop where ?? Leadership and accountablility begin at the top, so ....
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Old Dec 28, 2011, 11:13 pm
  #18  
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Originally Posted by BearX220
The whole rotten system is crafted so no mishap is anybody's fault. Air travelers are at the mercy of psychotic idiots. "Suspicious iPod".... ye Gods, what fools.
I don't blame on TSA screener and there is no evidence on ipods and candy is not an threats. They should be fired TSO or suspended from work for approximately 14 to 30 days without paying.

Good riddance to TSA at GRR!!
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Old Dec 28, 2011, 11:20 pm
  #19  
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It takes 30 minutes to clear a bag of candy and an iPod? Did they bring sniffer dogs in? Sheeeesh.
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 7:32 am
  #20  
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Originally Posted by Letitride3c
+1 perhaps it was mistaken as an iPod clone with a questionable battery? We all know that lots of them are produced & branded overseas, and, OMG, those might explode. Just a matter of time before we read about a full scale Hazmat mobilization response and Terminal Evacuation, etc.

BTW, the bucks stop where ?? Leadership and accountablility begin at the top, so ....
TSA has no leadership.
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 7:55 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by ralfp
Running away from the scene of a bomb treat, away from the area where the TSA told you to wait? That's a terrible idea. The TSA did not tell people that they were being held next to a bomb, so running away from the area would be a clear indication that you know about the threat and should be held for questioning.

The sad thing is I don't even know if this calls for a ... so it's really a and .

Heck, I can even see how a paranoid TSA employee would consider a passenger pulling out a cell phone a threat (might be trying to remote-detonate the device). So no, without more info, I would not put blame on the passengers.
I hadn't thought about these possibilities, but you are, of course, correct. If I find myself in this situation, I'll still pull out the cell phone. Unless I'm in Denver, where there's a possibility that a TSO is carrying.

Originally Posted by Jaimito Cartero
It takes 30 minutes to clear a bag of candy and an iPod? Did they bring sniffer dogs in? Sheeeesh.
And they couldn't isolate the "threat" and let the passengers go on their merry ways?

I have no doubt that someone will soon be along to tell us that they have SSI about this incident and that it was a real threat.

Mike
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 8:43 am
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Originally Posted by Boggie Dog
TSA has no leadership.
+1 on that, of course. All the way to the occupier(s) & company at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW in DC. Oopps, he's on vacation ....
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 8:56 am
  #23  
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Sorry, my bad for saying run to the counter. I forget that some people here take everything totally literally.

One of the people waiting in line, not those who were told to wait in the area 20 feet away, should have slowly turned without making any sudden motions or loud noises, or reaching into their pockets, turned and walked at a normal pace back to the counter and asked they hold the planes because of the delay.

Though I also feel if a 20 minute delay at security will cause you to miss your flight, you are not getting to the airport early enough. The passenger with the candy though was able to make their flight.
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 9:15 am
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Originally Posted by cordelli
Though I also feel if a 20 minute delay at security will cause you to miss your flight, you are not getting to the airport early enough.
Agreed, but a 20 minute closure doesn't necessarily mean a 20 minute delay. It sounds like they cleared away the line so that people had to queue up again. The person with the candy just had the 20 minute delay, but others had a 20 minute delay plus the line length, which could easily have been 30-40 minutes. That's a hour delay.

Last edited by RichardKenner; Dec 29, 2011 at 9:40 am
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 9:38 am
  #25  
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The flight was scheduled to leave at 12:35. The checkpoint was closed just after noon, which means that when they closed the checkpoint, she had not yet cleared security.

This woman who missed the flight and posting about it all over the place I feel did not leave enough time to get to the gate. I don't feel that getting to the checkpoint with less than 30 minutes to flight time is enough time, even without the candy bomb.

Even if she was the first person back in line once they started screening again at 12:30, she still would have missed the 12:35 flight.
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 10:12 am
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by cordelli
This woman who missed the flight and posting about it all over the place I feel did not leave enough time to get to the gate. I don't feel that getting to the checkpoint with less than 30 minutes to flight time is enough time, even without the candy bomb.
This incident occurred at GRR.
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 10:46 am
  #27  
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Originally Posted by exbayern
This incident occurred at GRR.
Wonder if it was (gasp!) KinderEggs.

'Artfully concealed...toys!' Someone could have gotten hurt.

Too bad we don't know if the candy was confiscated, er, surrendered.
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 11:17 am
  #28  
 
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The TSA has no power to detain a passenger. You may not be allowed to proceed to your gate until they've determined the suspicious item is not a threat -- but you can certainly make a decision not to wait in an area designated by the TSA -- and walk away in the opposite direction.

Faced with such a situation, I'd depart the area and head back to the ticket counter if I really thought that I would miss a flight.

Actually, I have departed a screening checkpoint -- after screening had begun -- and returned to the Delta counter to be re-booked when the local "blue shirt" and I disagreed on the screening procedure at IND.

Delta was very understanding and re-booked me for a different flight and recommended / gave suggestions to enter another checkpoint in order to evade the same "blue shirt' again.

It worked -- and worked quite well.
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 11:31 am
  #29  
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Originally Posted by 10mmAutoFan
The TSA has no power to detain a passenger. You may not be allowed to proceed to your gate until they've determined the suspicious item is not a threat -- but you can certainly make a decision not to wait in an area designated by the TSA -- and walk away in the opposite direction.

Faced with such a situation, I'd depart the area and head back to the ticket counter if I really thought that I would miss a flight.

Actually, I have departed a screening checkpoint -- after screening had begun -- and returned to the Delta counter to be re-booked when the local "blue shirt" and I disagreed on the screening procedure at IND.

Delta was very understanding and re-booked me for a different flight and recommended / gave suggestions to enter another checkpoint in order to evade the same "blue shirt' again.

It worked -- and worked quite well.
As ralfp pointed out, leaving the checkpoint in this situation might not have been a great idea. TSA already assumes all pax are guilty of something. In this case, TSA might have assumed a pax leaving a checkpoint was involved with the candy. All TSA has to do to detain a pax is summon a LEO.

LAX keeps having some kind of exercise where everyone is told to freeze and not move until the all-clear is sounded. I don't know what would happen if someone kept on walking, but I suspect TSA would get LE involved.
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Old Dec 29, 2011, 12:00 pm
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by chollie
As ralfp pointed out, leaving the checkpoint in this situation might not have been a great idea. TSA already assumes all pax are guilty of something. In this case, TSA might have assumed a pax leaving a checkpoint was involved with the candy. All TSA has to do to detain a pax is summon a LEO.

LAX keeps having some kind of exercise where everyone is told to freeze and not move until the all-clear is sounded. I don't know what would happen if someone kept on walking, but I suspect TSA would get LE involved.
Sounds like the infamous "Code Bravo" excercises, which have entire threads devoted to them here on FT. And some folks actually have walked away from them, with various results, but I haven't heard of anyone being arrested for continuing to walk through the terminal during a Bravo excercise.
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