This is correct, just like the magnetometers are also programmed to randomly "quota" people. Usually it's pretty transparent from the passenger point of view but 3 or 4 years ago a screener was like 'you don't actually have a gun in your bag, do you?' before re-running my bag.
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There can also be an argument made that it is safer that way to a certain extent... Both for the handling of the object as well as onlookers. For example, if you see something that looks like a gun or a bomb, and are able to rerun at a different angle it without opening the package you minimize both the risk of triggering the device as well as causing mass panic if someone sees it and yells out.

I believe (from random body cam video available on the internet, that when TSA does find a confirmed gun, they are generally required to evacuate the checkpoint until local police are able to clear it... So if just rerunning the bag solves the problem a. There are very strong motivations to do that.

Still a much more efficient way to do it and I am sure you would be happy if it was your bag that was run through a second time as opposed to waiting forever for a hand search just because a completely innocuous object at a particular 2D projection looked suspect or unidentifiable.

Never once seen that at EWR precheck. Certainly an aberration.

Won't solve anything though as doesn't make practical difference vs PreCheck at EWR, as discussed extensively in the CLEAR thread.

Not United though. Maybe for Alaska forum?

FWIW, I never believe what TSA advertises about wait times at any airport. IME it always tells a time that has little basis in reality. And I’ve seen airports where pre-check limes are longer and take more time than the regular lines (DL at LAX).

Doesn’t any one else find those grey TSA bins beyond gross, disgusting, harboring millions of germs, bacteria and diseases? And I’m not a germophobe who even normally cares one bit about hand sanitizer, et. al that much.
but compared to bins at other airport, the EWR ones are next level vile… they need to be replaced , and or cleaned at least once or twice a year, because by the looks of things they’ve never been cleaned

And at this point, and my company is not happy bc of the the boxes being destroyed and I almost missed 4 flights in the past month bc of security. Re the boxes, one of them was a small box, like, as in I can't even figure out why it got caught and destroyed. They are avoiding bookings for me out of EWR for now. And I am not making a complaint bc they know me and they know bc of the specifics they would know I complained. The only time I every answered a survey in a negative way was with a Hertz car bc the water droplets obscured all my window views and I had to pull over and buy Windex to fix, I put that in a survey and the Hertz agency in Florida retaliated against me WEEKS after I returned the car. It was a nightmare. I won't say negative things in an official way ever again.


TSA does the same at all terminals at EWR. They immediately rescan all flagged items then do a very slow, manual examination. And if there are multiple manual exams you have to somethimes wait for 3 people in front of you to get done. This is my issue and there is no way of avoiding it for me bc I have to carry what I'm carrying onbaoard. EWR is the only airport I have these issues with,

As this seems to be out of scope for the UA forum (AS flights, EWR Term B, TSA, ...) will moved this to the Travel Safety/Security: Trust Traveler forum

WineCountryUA
UA coModerator

That should no longer be necessary with the new scanners which produce a 3D image (e.g. the scanners are a CAT scan). There are eleven of these CT scanners at Newark Liberty International Airport in Terminal B.

Long ago after meeting with TSA and having a behind the scenes tour of the scanning process what I learned and my advise when traveling is to pack checked baggage as a series of compartments. That is pack items in a series of smaller "bags" then place that in checked bag. If it needs to be inspected only a smaller "bag" is opened.

​​​​​​​Similarly with carry on items, if there something that is likely to tigger take that item out and place it separately in a bin. Doing so keeps the TSA out of everything else.

That is my best practice advice. It usually works. Not always, because the TSA does not always hire "the best and brightest." That is not my statement but a direct quote from someone within TSA.

I admittedly have seen TSA at Terminal B be a mess before, especially when they close the Precheck line later at night. However, missing 4 flights due to TSA in one month is pretty extreme. Are you arriving at the airport only 30 mins before your flight or something?

Nice! Can't recall anything that fancy at "C".

OP, you mentioned not flying out of EWR for now. We have seen UA make comments about ATC and the delays there as well. I don't know how married you are to UA, but if it's that bad, and you are headed to JFK anyhow, could you choose a different airline. This does sound maddening, and I make a point now to avoid EWR for lots of reasons. LGA is my first choice, followed by JFK. But you have many variables because of work that others may not have,

FWIW, TSA complaints are followed up on, or at least some are. I filed one after two incidents in the same airport by the same people (tiny outstation) and made it clear I wanted action. A supervisor called and talked for quite some time and seemed to follow through. Correlation sure doesn't equal causation, but I gave the airport a go again (believe me when I say tiny means tiny), and have since taken 4 trips through there with zero repeats. Whether the complaint helped or not, I don't know, but I felt heard at least. It will not be the same with one of the busiest airports in the nation of course, but if I were that frustrated and my job was dependent on flying, I'd try all the options for sure. JFK has some nice DL and AA lounges...

OP, when you transit through with fragile parts, you *should* be able to request a hand check, instead of putting it through the xray. That is not a 100% equation, but if it is smaller parts, hand sized or seriously fragile, ask for a hand check of the part due to the fragility of it.