SFO Chaos
 

Let me preface this by saying "pardon my rant". My business travel has only recently taken me to the west coast and I've been flying out of SFO a lot. I have to say that the security gate for the Delta pier at SFO might be one of the worst in the system - particularly at around 5:30 am; the time I've gone through my past several trips. Typically there is one overwhelmed TSA agent checking ID's as fast as he/she possibly can (which does not give me comfort as to the security screening process); a line for elite's, a line for regular passengers and a 3rd line for what I've dubbed the elite-by-lateness (EBL) passengers. This is far and away the fastest moving line, as everybody who is late for a flight simply heads over to that line; causing the other 2 lines to stop dead in their tracks, back up and cause that many more people to leave the basic line to get on the EBL line; further increasing the back up. Factor in the occasional hot-headed crank (who pre-coffee, is even crankier) who starts to yell at the poor overwhelmed TSA agent (I've never seen this before but it happened on 2 separate occasions at SFO) and the whole thing is just a clusterblank.

Add on top of this one of those non-TSA private security workers at the entrance who arbitrarily has decided that regular carry-on roller-boards (which as any Frequent Flyer will tell you fit just fine into the overhead – hence the reason they purchased that particular piece of luggage in the first place); are too big, and need to be checked. Never mind the fact that every other airport seems to have no problem with the size, and it is highly unlikely that any of the aircraft have shrunk since parking at the gate and getting ready to receive passengers. It’s infuriating.

I honestly can't tell you whether the line issue or the luggage issue bothers me more, but I can say I am ranking SFO (at least the Delta gates) as a terrible terrible airport.

It may just depend on the time of the day and the days you traveled, but I've never experienced any prolonged wait for morning departures at the DL pier.
In both cases on the past month (around 6:45am and 8:00a), the priority line was virtually empty and the ID-checker immediately available, but no carry on bag-size police.
I always try to keep to the left as that is usually the most direct and fastest screening lane.
Of course, a post-security SC would have been been a nice idea. @:-)

This is a TSA topic and not DL specific. Therefore I am moving it to the TS/S forum.

RSSrsvp - Moderator

A) Welcome to FlyerTalk and the TS/S forum.
B) You'll find a lot here that will void your sense of "security" regarding the screening process.
C) You haven't seen anything like the rants available here.

:D

The TSA or their contractors have no business determining the proper size of carryons.

The ID check is nothing more than security theatre that only accomplishes revenue protection for the airlines.

Could the baggage not just be sky checked??? As well, could they not have the baggage measured? As in the tubing that are at all ticket counters, where you slide you bag in? If it fits it is allowed? Or am I making too much sense here?

I've run into this ID checking lady at SFO before (she works the Delta concourse), where she's demanded that I dispose of one of my two shoulder sized carry on bags before going through security.

To solve the problem, I just stuffed one of the bags into my half empty other bag.

And yep, the overstepping-her-job-requirements experience was very infuriating. She's wearing the uniform of a private security company, not TSA.

She possesses no authority whatsoever - you can tell her to go stuff herself, and continue on with your bags. If she complains, she can go summon a DL employee who will make the decision. The screeners have nothing to do with luggage size - only the quantity of items (1+1) are regulated.

Mrs. Italy and I have flown out of SFO on a number of occasions, the most recent being this past Thanksgiving, and except for line length we have not experienced any other issues. I do know that those individuals who require a medical device (that will not fit in a carry-on) have an exception to the 1 + 1 bag rule.

This would be pier B, at terminal 1. I stay at international mainly b/c I hate domestic. Especially terminal 1. That checkpoint's setup is a such a headache. Also, I dislike the morning crew myself, and have had to deal with them many times i the past few months while doing OT. They're all so like damn angry at everything. The ladies outside the checkpoint that seperate the passengers from the bazillion lines work for the airlines, and not for TSA/CAS. Their job is to determine whether your bags are bog enough to go no the plane, and the 1 + 1 rule thingy. They work for the airlines, and not us.

And we don't (or shouldn't really). I mean, if I see a gigantic bag come through that I know the airlines won't let you carry on the plane, I might at least let you know what to expect. Early in the morning, the ladies outside the checkpoints aren't always there as early as us. I can sometime just let the passenger know what's up, but i'm not going to outright deny you to carry it through security as it's none of my concern.

Unfortunately, when any passenger is ~45 minutes away from doors closing and it's likely this power-tripping ID checker is going to call a real cop (and not a DL employee), most of those people are likely to just roll over and play dead (or do whatever she's demanding they do).

If she pulls this stunt on me personally again though, I will get her name and SFO badge number to let both the Delta/SFO station manager and the security guard company management know what's going on.

SFO does not have TSA, unless it has changed recently.

To clarify for the confused, the screening people at San Francisco airport wearing TSA-type uniforms are contractors and part of a "screening partnership program".

The ID checking dragon referred to in this post was right before the actual line begins, wasn't wearing a TSA-style uniform but a different uniform (I believe her company may be "Securitas", but my memory on this is a little fuzzy from the rage I had at the semi-humiliating experience).

Anyways... this whole thing could've been avoided if she had merely suggested I was carrying too many carry on bags instead of insisting I had to go back to the ticket counter to check in another bag. Oh, and forget telling her that "1 + 1 is okay for Delta Medallion members". She was buying none of that.

Not sure why they would be checking carryon size. At my terminal that is all up to the airline. As long as the bag will fit though the x-ray, we'll screen it. Now I will say this, if one person is carrying a cartload of huge suitcases, then we might say something if the airline doesn't catch it since that one will certainly be an issue when the passeger gets to the gate. But other than that, if a person has an extra bag over and above the one carryon + one personal item or the bag is a little bigger than a normal carry-on, doesn't bother me.

It was an airline employee or contract employee that was checking the baggage size, according to senseker. And if so, they have every right to determine size. But that will make little difference to many here.