Random TSA Questioning and ID Verification in Terminal
 

Yesterday I was flying AUS-DFW with my boss. We were both in suits as we were having an unfortunate Saturday business meeting in Anaheim.

We exited the Admiral's Club and were waiting in the sea of people as they were about to board gate 13 (which is right in front of the elevator to the AC).

Being EXP while the CEO of our company is only a gold, I was showing him my ticket in an effort to trade seats as my upgrade had cleared. There was a perimeter of people surrounding us as sort of a protective shield. My boss politely refused my offer and I pushed a bit harder when out of nowhere a lady in a blue TSA shirt comes swimming through the perimeter defense and asks to see my ticket. I show it to her and she asks in a rude manner, "I need your ID too." as if I was supposed to know she was looking for my ID.

I commented, "Wow this is a first." and she rudely and abruptly replied in a terse manner, "It won't be the last." and then she disappeared in to the masses.

Immediately after the event, first class boarding was called and I began to board. I then began thinking to myself what if I had swapped tickets with my boss and he had already started boarding and the TSA lady asked me (or my boss for that matter) for our ticket and ID, it wouldn't match and I couldn't imagine backpedaling out of it.

I've never seen a random questioning like this and I have in the past given tickets to some of my subordinates who have worked hard (especially on weekends) and I'll reward them with swapping seats. Now I need to rethink that and maybe board together and just seat-swap on the plane.

Anyways, is this a new trend or has it always been something that I've just been ignorant too?

I tried to think why I was targeted as I was not an easy target for her to reach (she had to pry her way through a crowd of people). I figured a couple things stood out:
1. Two guys in black suits with limited luggage on a Saturday morning (everyone else looked like they were heading to Disneyland).
2. My boss is Japanese and I'm a taller white guy so we stood out
3. I was comparing tickets with my boss (we both had our tickets in hand but I was showing him my seat number and somewhat gesturing the swap), it was jovial and I was kind of chuckling.

That's all I could think of.

Just another way that proves TSA doesn't trust their own primary screening, so they have to harass us at the gate...:td::td::mad:

Please file a complaint with TSA, your airline, and your elected representatives.

Always counter TSA demands with one word: "Why?"

Until they start to say, "Because Your Safety Is Our Top Priority!"

"How so? What do your disgusting, un-American demands for my ID and/or BP have to do with my safety?"

There already saying that; I heard that out of a BDO at EWR who was interrogating a elderly kettle, and turned around and called "BS" and listed a handful of deficiencies and breaking/not following of there own rules (including alvin crabtree). The look was priceless as the BDO didnt have a single response "go pretend like your looking for a terrorist"

I was waiting for the retaliation despite having cleared already, but the STSO wasn't either paying attention or knew it wasn't in his best interest to pick that fight. I did get a high five from the LEO standing at the CP.

In LA Friday morning (terminal six/seven) there was a real jerk of an officer, who didn't shut up, stopped the belt whenever somebody put a backpack in a bin instead of on the belt directly, etc. One of the things he kept barking over and over again was

"Because safety is out top priority we will do absolutely everything we are allowed to do so within the laws of the United States"

He was so trying to be intimidating, but it was the first flight out of the day time, mostly business people types who just ignored him.

One backpack strap did catch after he took it out of the bin, and it dropped the macbook in the bin behind it to the floor as it skidded off the belt.

As the person said whose backpack it was "That's why you should put them in bins"

:td::td::mad::mad:

Did you mean to say, we will do whatever we feel like, even if it is outside of the laws of the US;)

:mad::td: to this "Papers, please"

+1 and the Airport Director. They are sick of the TSA’s debauchery as well.

Until they say "Do you want to fly today, prole? Bend over and shut up!"

Hmm. Seagull Security, eh? - the TSA swoops in out of nowhere, makes a lot of noise, craps all over the place and then flies out. idiots.

More Layerz of Security™ :rolleyes:

TSO: Are you tewwowists?
PAX: No ma’am. We’re musicians.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...hs74mv71-1.jpg

just another bullying power trip from a totally useless and make for work government agency.

That's not TSAs job. That's the airlines job.

+1^