TSA detained a flight attendant at SEA this morning
 

On my way to SLC from SEA this morning. Gate agent mentioned the reason for delayed boarding was that TSA has detained a flight attendant. This is a first for me. I'm glad they were able to get a non rev FA to work the flight.

TSA cannot detain anyone. Either law enforcement was involved, or the FA chose to remain at the checkpoint.

Yup. They do NOT have the authority to detain you. The AP police or local police need to be called in for that.

Pretty classy of the non-revving F/A to step up and help so the flight could operate!

I've had some pretty darn good experiences with SEA-based flight attendants lately... not sure if the F/A who stepped up to help was SEA based, but it wouldn't surprise me at all. The crew base here is divided in half - the PMNW base covers most of the int'l flying and former NW hub flying, while the PMDL base is very small so those attendants are stuck grinding out SEA-ATL-SEA over and over and over again. Really cool folks in both pre-merger groups, and from idle chatter they all seem excited about working together in the future.

+1

It may not have been someone assigned to SEA that stepped forward, might just be someone that lived there.

Bob H

Did DL say that the FA was detained and that a nonrev "volunteer" is taking her place? Or could it be that he/she was simply delayed by TSA and hence arrived at the aircraft late? If the FA was really arrested, I would expect the incident to be in the news.

From what the FA told me was that TSA found something suspicious in the FA's baggage at the security checkpoint and would not let her go. Had the non rev not volunteered the flight would have been cancelled.

I don't know if the AP were involved or not but the GA made the announcement that the FA was detained by TSA and hence the boarding was delayed till the FA shows up or they find a replacement.

I'll wager it was a 4 oz bottle of hand lotion.

You lost, mail your SWU to my address ;)
Any on duty crew is exempted from 3-1-1 rule. ::rolleyes:

Alas Gargoyle was being sarcastic...

But it was likely probably something similar knowing the smurfs at SEA.

Yes but TSA is exempt from any semblance of consistency in applying their own rules. Uncertainty is security.

Kuddos to the FA who stepped up.

Was the "non-rev" FA just deadheading, or was he/she actually traveling for personal reasons? Was he/she in uniform?

My SWU's are as useless as the TSA, so it's a fair deal.

I agree.

skidv25, I do not think that crew can work w/o being in uniform.

Dave

So it sounds like it was a deadheading/commuting FA who volunteered to fill in? Either way, ^ to him or her.