The TSA seems to be getting friendlier by the day. I have to say that in recent months I have been greeted with more smiles and friendly hellos than in the past. Every TSA employee I encounter is courteous and professional and shows no 'superiority' complex. My bag was searched yesterday (as noted by the card/paper they slip in) and all my clothes and belongings were exactly where I placed them and still folded very nicely.

To any TSA employees who read this, thank you, and know that a large part of the public doesn't feel the need to disparage or have a blind hatred of you and actually appreciates the work that you do.

^

But did they use clean, new latex gloves?

I hope so. And I hope you don't have a latex allergy.

I'd still strongly reccomend laundering all of the clothes.

Please take note of the last two items in this "pledge"

http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?th...000519800fd2c0

The following link is to a customer satisfaction survey conducted by the TSA recently. Being too lazy to go back and look at the "Shoe Carnival Airports" list, does anybody want to tell us how many of the carnival airports are on the list in the link? I didn't see EWR there.


http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlib...d_TSA__PP5.pdf

Nope, no latex allergy. And no paranoia, either, so I'm good to go!


Thanks for the advice, but I've already discovered the benefits of laundering my clothes on a regular basis.

Duly noted, thank you. I will send them a praise comment tonight.

I smell something rotten here.

Tismfu, you're sure you don't work for TSA, right?

As have I. My warning applies to the "clean" clothes you may have packed. Wash them again before wearing them.

And while you are waiting for the dryer to finish, give a long thought as to why you are letting your fourth amendment rights slip away without a fight.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/c...n/amendment04/

And how do you know what a "large part of the public" believes? Have you taken a poll? Maybe you've asked the travelers who pass through your checkpoint?

I don't have a "blind hatred" of the TSA. My negative feelings are quite justified by my experiences. Nothing "blind" about it!

Bruce

Submitted respectfully, please go ahead and commend whoever you feel deserves it, through whichever channels you feel appropriate.

However, I, and some other FTers, do not feel a smile and doing the job the TSA is supposed to do is such an outstanding accomplishment.

Many of us have read the information on how the security sausage is made, both in front of our eyes at the WTMDs, in the pits of the airports where our bags usually get checked, or the lack of security along perimeters or in the cargo bins.

Again, if you feel the desire to commend someone, please go ahead and do so. But just understand that us who have the "blind hatred" might be a little more informed as to our own experiences and how things go, or don't go, with the TSA.

Nope. I don't, never have, and never will. Nor do I have any friends/relatives who do. Nor do I work or have any friends/relatives who work in the government.


Err... sorry, but if I am going to worry about the possibility of used latex gloves touching my clothing I might as well have a panic attack any time I touch anything in public. You think those gloves are dirty? What about the seats on airplanes, handles in lavatories, and just about any other high-use area. I might as well live in a bubble if I am even going to begin to waste time fretting about the cleanliness of the TSA's latex gloves. JMHO.


Well, I have to admit, while I didn't give it a long thought I did give it a passing thought. And then I moved on. Thanks for the refresher and advice, however!


Never said you did. And sorry about your bad experiences with the TSA. Mine have been excellent all things considered. Maybe we could fly together one day and some of my good experiences might rub off on you.

Thanks for your permission.


Sorry you feel that way. While you might not like the job the TSA is 'supposed to do', perhaps you should focus your energies on the department as a whole and not the front line employees who are just doing their job, merely trying to earn a living to put food on the table, probably without the same employment opportunities like you and I had/have.


Again, thanks for your permission.

I never said anything about your experiences. I'm sorry you have a problem with the TSA. Maybe we too could fly together one day and some of my good experiences might rub off on you. I've noticed that a smile and friendly demeanor 99% of the time yields reciprocal treatment from the TSA.

Thank you tsmfu for your comments. They're very much appreciated.

Sort of sad that a positive thread like this could get hijacked by the usual suspects. However, it's not surprising.

Friendly does not equal effective or efficient.

How many times have we read here of pax being sent to secondary for refusing to remove compliant shoes and joking with nice screeners, screeners who acknowledge that what they are doing is not efficient or effective?

I find it very difficult to "appreciate" someone doing a job that is neither efficient nor effective - rather is all for show.

http://www.helicoptermonthly.com/det...4&CategoryID=3

The difference being that we have control of what we touch.

If I am concerned that something may be left on the seat of the airplane, I can bring my own blanket to put on the seat before I sit down. If I go into a public bathroom and find it's not clean, I don't have to use it. Or if I choose to use it, I can thoroughly wash my hands before leaving the room.

We as travelers have no choice in allowing the TSA to rummage through our bags, possibly transferring who-knows-what in the process.

Got to sat on my last 3 trips to the States, Palm Springs in Sept, Dallas/Phoenix in nov and SFO in Feb i found the whole immigration and security experience fine, very friendly in Palm Springs and very helpful in SFO.
All security is a chore, but i have found it no worse in the USA than elsewhere, the only exception sometimes is the queues in America.