Couple upset over security prank at MSP
 

Travelers get thrown in jail and/or have their lives disrupted all the time for the most innocuous attempts at humor. Why should these guys get a pass?:td: :td: :td:
-T/T


http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S42596.shtml?cat=1

Couple upset over security prank at MSP
A Canadian woman and her boyfriend didn’t think it was funny when security officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International made them pawns in an April Fool’s prank.

Kate Burgess and her boyfriend were returning from Mexico when they had a two-hour layover at MSP.

As they placed their bags on the conveyor belt and went through security, Kate’s bag triggered a detector.

According to Kate, when the detector went off a Transportation Security Administration employee said, "That’s it, call police."

As more TSA employees surrounded her, Kate suffered a severe asthma attack.

That’s when a supervisor told her it was an April Fool’s joke.

"They scared me, but even worse they humiliated me…I won’t ever travel through Minneapolis again," Kate said.

In a statement, the Transportation Security Administration said, "TSA staff communicated with Ms. Burgess and expressed our regret. While our inquiry revealed no irregularities in the actual screening process, we do not condone or tolerate inappropriate remarks or behavior by our staff.

I assume they did something to the TSA people, otherwise it certainly is condoning AND tolerating inappropriate remarks and behavior.

Gosh it's so reassuring that such professionals are responsible for US homeland security at airports. I could not imagine this happening at Heathrow to a passenger (to a member of airport staff or airline staff clearing staff security -yes maybe but not a random passenger) Doesn't inspire me to route through MSP either.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Not the end of the world, folks. While I agree that this isn't exactly professional behavior, I don't see it as a big thing.

General rule: jokes have a way of backfiring; don't do it unless you know for certain it will work.

Some people have no sense of humor. Especially Canadians :p
:rolleyes:

If the TSA were serious, then I'm sure she would've had more than an asthma attack. The TSA make a joke/prank, and no one finds it funny. The TSA are serious, and people b***h and moan because they're doing their job. Looks like the TSA can't do anything right. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't have any problem with this except for the fact that jokes perpetrated by passengers will get them detained and/or prosecuted. :mad:

If it's not alright for us, it certainly not alright for them - those who are supposed to be "professionals".

Not true. However, I will agree that the checkpoint is not the place to joke around for both passenger and screener.

I tend mostly to lurk on this section of FT and have in the main only ever experienced professional treatment whilst in US airports (in fact I posted of my positive experience at MCO).

However I must say that the overwhelming weight of evidence in all forms of media suggests to me that if it were passengers playing a joke on the TSA that the situation would have turned out quite differently.

I disagree with you on whether or not this is a "big thing" for one simple reason - an asthma attack is often an incredibly frightening event for the person having it. Indeed it can be life threatening.

If I went "Aaah, I'm glad you didn't see my bomb. April Fools!" I'd be locked up in an instant. They shouldn't be able to get away with the reverse.

It's a poorly planned prank from the TSA staffer that backfired. They were trying to be funny. It didn't work, they shouldn't have tried.

The TSA most likely weren't expecting her to have an asthma attack. Sure, the joke backfired, but it seemed like a harmless prank at first. I don't blame the couple for being angry, but also think that some people should have a sense of humor.
Being April Fool's Day, the TSA probably had some pranks about bombs and stuff played on them too. The TSA were only having a little fun for once.

What if it had been a heart attack? Or a stroke? Would it still be "boys will be boys"?

Now you got it! ^

So a family of 5 or 6 large middle eastern males goes through security and one of them has a 6 oz. bottle of hand cleanser which is immediatley seized by the TSO and declared to be to big. The men all surround the TSO and ask "Whats the problem". Now does everyone who thinksthis is not a problem realize that it IS a problem?@:-)

Wow, I just listed to the video. Not only did they search her bag and scare her into an asthma attack, they then searched her (after telling her it was a joke) while she was still suffering from the attack.

Those morons should have been fired!

I guess now would not be a good time to admit that we used to put snakes inside of each other's desk drawers as practical jokes back when I was with the teams.