Not exactly. They do this when the lead screener desperately needs a coffee enema. Just be glad YOUR Starbucks didn't cause that piece of magic paper to change color.

The TSA gate cops were on duty in MEM this morning for my flight from MEM-MSP. Instead of positioning themselves at the doorway to the ramp, they were stationed INSIDE the ramp just before entry to the plane. I was my usual gate-louse self and was first to board, and while I was sweating it somewhat I remembered that they're on to this in many places and wait until the 3rd/5th/10th person now. I was able to walk on past, no stop, no problem.

Besides sharing everyone else's complaint that this is all for show and they should've gotten it right the first time at the checkpoint, like most people my biggest problem with this is that the delay in searching my bag might cost me my gate-louse-earned preferred space in the overhead storage. Phooey on that. :mad:

Like everyone else, I accept that we need TSA (but maybe not some of the security theater). At large airports, eg, LAX, ATL, JFK, DTW, etc, TSA is most often quiet but professional, though I did see a TSO at DTW once make a joke. At smaller airports, TSA is downright cordial, even funny.

The TSO's at MCO act as if they were trained as stormtroopers. BTW, recent articles have suggested the MCO FAM's are about the same. I think the problem at MCO is management. The employees get this attitude from their bosses and for whatever reason, arrogance seems to be encouraged.

IF they only delayed fliers for 10 extra seconds it would be fine. But that is not the case.

Boarding in IAD for a flight to LHR, they selected my 70 year old mother to frisk and open her bag. I had to wait for them to finish so I could assist her with her luggage as we boarded. They checked the water we purchased in the terminal. It did not take 10 seconds.

Like I said before, they should do in properly, and do it once.

At certain airports they routinely pull me aside for full secondary screening because I wear an insulin pump. Hey, it's about the size of a pager, has a reservoir for fluid (insulin), and is powered by a battery. I'm fine if they want to swab that...even my hands. However, they also dump my carry on bag, swab it's insides...and swab the rest of my stuff too. Not a fan.

I support TSA's mission, not always how they go about it.

This is something we have to get used to. Security in the US is becoming more and more like the UK. At LHR they do many "random" checks of people boarding flights. When it's a 777 that can make boarding take quite a while if you get stopped.

Also, in the UK the sweeps (like on the trams at MCO) are usually to check to see if anyone left anything on board (either on a ledge above your head or under a seat, etc). In the UK they did this on the London Eye and I saw periodic sweeps by the police at tube stations.

Basically any sort of transportation or attraction used by the public in London has massive security and random checks and sweeps. Not to mention your every move is videotaped in public areas.

In my opinion, this is the way of the future in this country, it's just a matter of time (we're not quite there yet).

C'mon guys, we're in a recession. There's no way that most of these TSOs could get a job anywhere else in the country. By keeping them at the airport, we're keeping them off the streets.

Mike

+1.

I don't drink the stuff so I do not have to worry about it... I would not be surprised if some of the TSA at MCO weren't up to something like that.. Disgusting as it may be....

Don't even get me started on that one... LOL.. :D:D

So wrong on so many levels...:rolleyes:

At MEX they set up a cordon around the gate and open up every single carry-on as you board the plane (to USA destinations). You have to wait around the tables as all the passengers get extensively searched. They never find anything, of course, except dirty clothes.

This is done within the secure area, long after the x-ray machines and metal detectors have already had their go at all the passengers.

None of this extra screening makes anyone safer or prevents any disasters. It's make-work done for show and fliers have to suffer for it. Of course we resent it.

Land of the formerly brave and free - now not so brave and not so free.

Where once we were innocent until proven guilty, now the moment we attempt to travel we are immediately guilty until proven (and re-proven) innocent.

I don't know if we can make a blanket statement regarding security. How would you know that they only ever find dirty clothes in every single instance? They may coverup any finds to protect the tourism and business travel industries. Exactly how many incidents are prevented are unknown. So, we certainly can't make an absolute statement that they have been completely ineffective.

If your logic is carried to it's natural conclusion then we should be able to walk right into an airport, right up to the gate and get on our flight without a checkpoint (since the TSA is for show only after all). Why are we not having in-flight incidents at the levels of the 1960s or 1970s? Something has obviously changed since then (hint: it's the security situation). Even if somewhat for show, it has been at least somewhat productive, if not completely so.

Most of the things people are complaining about here are commonplace elsewhere in the world (such as Canada and the UK). It's becoming a fact of life for air travel.

I don't think security checkpoints are interpreted that way at all in any other country of the world. Certainly you weren't charged with any crime when you last approached a security checkpoint at an airport and then had to defend yourself in a court of law? The land of the free does not imply there are no requirements or obligations in order to do something within the country. Travel is not a right (unless that was in the 28th Amendment).

Can you imagine if there were no qualifying requirements for anything at all? It would be absolute anarchy.

I'm not an attorney, but I believe the US Supreme Court has long recognized that Freedom of Movement within the US is a constitutional right.

Since you don't know that any of your surmises are true, or even likely to be true, this amounts to rationalization. You can't posit things out of thin air to prove your point. That's not logic.

For real? What do they know that you don't know. When something happens everyone blames the TSA for not doing their job but when they do it everyone complains. Get real this isn't the 1990's. You are going to go through security and at times you are going to go through extra security for reasons that will go unknown to us.

Think back to how pissed everyone was when the info came out that the Christmas Day guy should have been on a list but wasn't. Everyone jumped on the security system for not doing their job. Well the more and more everyone jumps on them the more and more you are going to see them try and do they job better and secure our travel.