aviators99

I had two rolls of the infamous presidential coins in my carry-on, and it caused a bag search. I thought it might...

WChou

I got smurfed today for homemade soaps. My family likes the soaps that my friend in California makes. She gave me a bunch to take home and packed them into my rollaboard. The TSOs must've thought they hit the motherlode because they stopped an entire security line, got three xray watchers, and a supervisor to stare at the screen. Then they proceeded to stare and point like little kids.

After a few minutes, my rollaboard got pulled and I was given the thorough SSSS-type search. Rifled through my stuff to get to the deadly bars of soap. Swabbed every single bar, gingerbread man, Santa Claus, frog, ladybug, duck, bunny and rose for explosives. There was quite a bit of disappointment when they realized the soap was only deadly if you slip them on a wet floor. At least the security checkpoint smelled nice.

My friend is now quite amused. She never thought her creations would cause such alarm at an airport and delay countless travellers. I'll start calling her Ms. Tyler Durden

chollie

They don't seem to get smoked turkeys either. I usually take one home to the family for Thanksgiving holidays. Every single time I get pulled aside and the turkey gets swabbed...wish I could wire it somehow so it would jump and say something like "ooh, that tickles" while they're rubbing it down...

TSORon

Has nothing to do with if we like them or not. They are made of a dense metal and in rolls are far too dense for the x-ray to penetrate. We have to be able to see behind them with the x-ray, and if we cannot then we are required to open the bag and look the old fashioned way.

tev9999

Now you know the real reason for the war on water. Terrorists are plotting to soap the floor of aircraft to incapacitate the pilots when they take a bathroom break.

jiejie

Hmm...couple of years ago after a Christmas visit to the old folks, I put my carry-on through the xray prior to outbound flight. Inside was a full-sized loaf shaped fruitcake, wrapped solidly in aluminum foil by its proud maker, my Mom. Sure enough, the 2 TSA'ers stopped the machine, stared and pointed, and asked what that "brick thing" was. I told them "a fruitcake, would you like to inspect it?" They looked at each other, in unison choked out a "NO!" and turned that belt back on to full speed--to the point that my bag came shooting out of the machine and practically flew off the end of the belt.

TSORon

There is someone out there that actually eats fruitcake? Dont say that to loud, the post office might find out and then you are lost forever!

MikeMpls

Any roll of coins will trigger a bag search. Before I learned the toll-free route south of ORD I carried rolls of quarters for the toll booths. Got a bag search almost every time.

SATTSO

I like fruitcakes!! Really, I do.

SATTSO

"I got smurfed" lol

I thought smurfs wore white pants, and had some sort of hat?

Its hard to tell on x-ray what organic items actually are - solid or LGA. If a STSO got involved and they then gave you the once over, then something else in your bad may have resembled a component of an IED. Note, I am not saying they thought it was an IED, if they did, they would have shut down the checkpoint. But, obviously, the soaps along with something else in your bag was suspicious enough.

It always amazes me (though it shouldn't) that people wonder, it was just my soaps, it was just my ham/turkey or fruit cake, why would that bother them? As someone who works the x-ray, you never really know what it is till you check it, many times.

whirledtraveler

Yup, that's what happens when they play the movie Fight Club in the TSA break room

whirledtraveler

Canadian security ordered a full search for me a couple years ago when I came through with scandinavian coins in my laptop bag. The notion of coins with holes in their centers freaked them out.

mikeef

I hope you asked them if they'd like to see the gun you used to shoot those holes in them.

Mike

WChou

Don't get me wrong. I tend to give the TSA a little more leeway than the average FTer. One of my good friends is a TSO and he has his fair share of stupid passenger stories. He also shares with me quite a few stupid coworker stories and admits to many of the dog and pony show aspects of airport security.

I was just amazed at the horrible indecisiveness and inefficiency of the whole process. I went through an AA PriorityAAccess line but behind me, there were hundred of people waiting to get through security. Shutting down a security line to look at one bag is pretty silly. Then have each item be swabbed down and analyzed was a horrible waste of everyone's time and resources. Presumably, one or two swabs across all the items would do the trick.

Watching the agent trying to work a zipper was worthy of a laugh. The agent first pulled the zipper in the wrong direction and ended up against the hinge portion. She proceeds to yank on the zipper with all her might. A few of those tugs almost dropped the bag off the table. I had to stop her lest she pull off the entire thing. Each time the bag fell back to the table, the loud thumps attracted at attention of the bystanders. Yes, it could be heard above the noise of a busy security area.

Then she grabbed another random zipper and proceeded to yank. That one was for the expandable portion and all she succeeded in doing is making my bag an inch thicker. Thinking there was a opening, she proceeds to yank at the opening only to realize the bag was still closed. Again the loud noise attracted onlookers.

She then proceeded to try the original zipper. That one got stuck against other zipper and would not move. Again tugging that almost pulled the bag off the table. The next attempt at another zipper opened a size pocket. She finally gave up and told me to open the bag.

All this is being done in a very public area for the security show but all i saw were a few people chuckling and shaking their heads.

WChou

That's because they had bad flashback of when the centers fell out of tooneys.

"Sir, your money is broken! eh?"