Incident 1: At ID check for an early morning flight, wearing a tech company T-Shirt that looks a lot like Minecraft, agent checks my ID, looks at me and says, "how many XP?", and I'm a little startled because while I get the lingo, I don't quite remember which T-shirt I put on. He says, "Minecraft, yeah?" and waves me off to the shortest line.

Incident 2: Was flying out of Logan (BOS) wearing my favourite Big Bang Theory T-Shirt. Went through the TSA-Pre line for security with my regular carry-on. It's a low traffic period, and the agent at the X-Ray looks at me straight faced and says, you can't take this bag through.

I look at her stunned and say that I've never had a problem before, but she insists, "I can't allow it!", then her expression completely changes and she goes "Bazinga!"

Incident 3: At the international terminal agent walking up and down the line rattling out instructions regarding laptops, liquids, shoes, etc., except he's also trying to determine the nationality of everyone in the line and repeating the instructions in their language. English, Spanish, French, German... we ask him how many languages he can cover, and he goes on to list a variety including Hindi, Italian and Portuguese.

Incident 4: At SFO ID check flying back to BOS, agent looks at my newly issued MA license and says, "Hey, I just moved here from Boston, how's the winter treating you?"

I always get a hard time during football season wearing my Chicago Bears shirts from packer fans or some commiseration from fellow Bear fans.

One gave me the heart stopping moment like you with "I'm sorry sir but I can't let you through like that..."

I think this is a great post to show that they are people too. They're just like you and me. They have feelings and families and they are just there to make air travel safer.

I am in a wheelchair, so I get the pat-down every time I travel. One time, after the pat-down, the TSA officer asked if she could help me put my shoes back on. I told her I would appreciate it. She picked up a shoe, and noticed it was a Manolo. She said, "Look at you, wearing your Manolos, just like Carrie Bradshaw! Now where's Mr. Big?"

If only the last sentence were so ... I was once told to throw out a half-empty, originally 4.2-ounce tube of toothpaste. (I was willing to squeeze some of it into my mouth to confirm that its contents were what they claimed to be.) I said something to the effect of "If you think throwing out this toothpaste will make air travel safer, out it goes." The agent replied "What I think, or what we both think, isn't the issue. My instructions are not to let it through. It's not worth my job to make an exception." (Going further into whether they're there for security or not would likely get this thread detoured into the safety/security forum in short order. I only mention this anecdote to suggest some of the constraints they work under and how they understand their position, not to start a debate.)

That said, I've had several interactions that prove your point about agents having feelings (and a sense of humor) - including one who made an all-in-fun attempt to "confiscate" my brand-new 17" MacBook Pro. Clearly, he appreciates the finer things in life!

"Just following orders" is the greatest alibi a person can have.

Totally agree, except for the part about how they're there to make air travel safer. I imagine most of them are probably there to collect a paycheck and I appreciate it they are down-to-earth enough to realize that instead of seeing themselves as frontline warriors on the battle against terrorism.

The best experiences I've had with TSA are when they are kind and unobtrusive, and I've particularly appreciated it when they've taken the time to say hi to my 3 year old when flying and sometimes give him one of their little "sticker badges." While I'm far from a fan of the TSA as an organization, I am a fan of those who work there who may air travel a little more humane

I had a similar experience with a TSA officer trying to confiscate my Sarah Bernhardt cookies at JFK, then smiling and saying "no just kidding" and letting me through. I agree they are human, at least some of them.

My God. I had to read this twice to make sure Sandra Bernhard didn't have a line of cookies out.

www.sandrabernhard.com

Please follow the thread as it moves to the apt travel security forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

Impressive job skill for someone who works in an international terminal. Would be nice if TSA had such people in every airport. It would certainly ease the process for a lot of international visitors.

Certainly, they are human beings. Only human beings can be so cluelessly cruel when in a position of authority over others.

As frequent fliers, many FTers tend to forget that flying is a terrifying experience for some people. Those with an irrational fear of flying will be outright traumatized by such a poor-taste joke as the old, "You can't go through - just kidding!" crap.

It may seem like a trivial thing, but to those who are already on the edge of a panic attack before boarding a plane, it's not.

At the security checkpoint in Bangor, ME, 0600 on a Sunday morning. I Produce my Australian Passport as ID.

TSA guy just starts laughing at me and then calls out to the other TSA "this kangaroo's a long way from home mate".

I have a very unique TSA story. I was *walking* to the TTN airport (Trenton NJ), which isn't exactly pedestrian friendly. About 3/4 of a mile away from the terminal (right at the entrance to the airport grounds), a sweet middle-aged lady pulls up and offers me a ride to the terminal. Then I notice she's wearing a TSA outfit. She drops me off right in front of the passenger drop off before going to park the car for herself. We had a quick chat about how her profession is under appreciated but she still tries to be friendly to every passenger she encounters. Looking back it sounds weird, but she couldn't have been nicer about it.

Sorry - Anyone wearing a TSA fake cop uniform is guilty by association of rubbing our precious Constitution in our noses. They and their civilian-clothed coworkers deserve our contempt. You've got to kill this cancer that is the TSA from the bottom up, one clerk at a time.

Ah, yes, a large dose of bitter hatred is always a good way to destroy a feel-good thread.