Has anyone traveling this holiday noticed syrupy sweet TSOs at the CPs?? Like -- much more customer service oriented than usual?

I went through SJC on a red-eye on 12/17. The CP was not crowded, so that may have a factor. The document checker (female) looked at my boarding pass and then looked up at me (female) and said something along the lines of "never hide your smile, it's beautiful" and "Happy Holidays". I then went to the bag scanner and asked for special screening of photographic paper that I was carrying. The TSO refused the special screening -- I wasn't in a fighting mood and I wasn't convinced it would ruin it -- but I wanted to be on the safe side. I decided to let him x-ray it. He wasn't mean or condescending about it -- he was nice and gave me no trouble. WTMD was on (no scanners open) -- went through no problems. My fiance's suitcase was taken for secondary poking (Christmas ornaments inside a metal box set it off). The man who did the search was very friendly and even offered to help my fiance pack up his bag again (although he had only taken out the one thing in question). Everyone seemed like they were in a really good mood.

My fiance and I walked away from the checkpoint and quickly came to the consensus that they had been so syrupy sweet that it was suspicious. Maybe I'm just used to the terrible customer service up at SFO -- or maybe it's another Thanksgiving best-behavior tactic.

Anyone else had a similar/dissimilar experience?

I believe that it is the season and the individual because there has been nothing official issued about changing attitudes.

If there were such orders issued, wouldn't they be as secret as the SOP?

Wish I could believe it were just the season. However, given TSA's attitude around time of year every year for the last 9 years, it seems different than other years.

It's temporary, then?

I went through SMF, BUR and IAD last week and in all cases, the Smurfs were on good behavior. They even had the NoS turned off at the Diamond Lane at IAD.

I still wouldn't p1ss on one if they were on fire, and acting civil while feeling up someone's crotch doesn't make me condone them for feeling up someone's crotch.

I flew on the so called "the busiest travel day of the year," the day before Thanksgiving. I also thought things were eerily quiet and non eventful, and everyone was cordial.

Flew last week from Detroit to Jacksonville and back and I honestly wondered if they were all on meds. Going to New Orleans this week, we will see if the meds held or if it is an anomoly.

+1,000 ^

me either

they are still getting lumps of coal no matter how sickly sweet their christmas pantomime is

i wouldn't say the people were nicer than normal today, but the roped off NoS at BOS terminal A (if there's anywhere they should be in full scale operation, that's it) was sure nice.

Nope, I've seen the opposite. Pissy clerks in DEN, MCO & MCI.

If you're talking about sealed photosensitive paper (used in dark rooms with chemical baths) that's a good question. I really don't know what will happen to that stuff; haven't heard of it going through a checkpoint before. Undeveloped film certainly gets roasted by TSA x-ray scanners. It's likely the paper isn't sensitive enough to be affected by x-rays but I think you were right to take the safe approach since it is similar to film.

The TSO should have honored your request to not x-ray your photosensitive materials, but as we all know we can only have security through constant inconsistency. Hope your paper isn't toast.

I've traveled in the past with items sensitive enough to radiation/magnetism that I've had to either demand a special screening, or would have had to have not flown. When your occupation makes you a better authority on what your carrying then the TSA, things get interesting...

The same in MIA this passed week. One clerk in particular, named Covington, was one of the rudest I have seen in any airport, other than ATL. She came into the screening area screaming and did not stop. At one point, she screamed "if you would do it right the first time, I wouldn't have to yell at yous". Yes, she said 'yous'. One of the TSA's finest!