LEX-LGA Commuter

I got this from a friend who also travels to LGA frequently. Yes I know him personally, yes I believe him, no this is not some internet urban legend......

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I have a pretty funny story about Michael Vick that I witnessed at the Atlanta airport. I was second in line behind him and we were all going through security. If you've flown out of Atlanta you know how busy it is.

One of the female security guards recognized him and shouted out "Michael Vick" and all of a sudden 7 or 8 female security guards came running over to him. They left their "post" and passengers were flooding through the screening area without being checked.

Poor old Vick was about to run away as it look like a scene out of a rock concert. Finally, he yelled at them to get back to the x-ray machine that he had to catch a plane and he wanted to make sure everyone getting on board was clean.

I politely walked past the "guards" and went on to Delta.

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Professionalism at its best.

geekfactory

No offense, but I find this seriously hard to believe... Some basic facts:

One idiot gets through screening with the machine going off and is not detained, and they shut down the terminal to rescreen half the world. Everyone misses their flight, no apologies becasue hey, "it's security."

Video cameras record everything that happens at the checkpoints.

I just have a really hard time believing that passengers were "flooding through security without being checked." Can you imagine the uproar?

What might have happened is they rushed him, delaying everyone ele in the process who couldn't go through until they got back - that sounds a lot more plausable.

LEX-LGA Commuter

No offense taken. I know the author personally, he sent it to me, I have absolutely no reason to doubt him as he has no reason to invent such a story.

Your mileage may vary..........

Xyzzy

I, too, find the "flooding through the screening area without being checked" comment unbelievable.

By the way, who is Michael Vick?

CATSA Screener

Reminds me of the time I was working when Patrick Stewart came through. All our under-socialized star trek dork screeners came out of the woodwork to greet the good captain. I melted back into the breakroom to avoid the spectacle. Thankfully we only had one line open so there could be no security breach.


Goddamn, sometimes I forget how much I hated that job. I really wish I could change my screen name.

FWAAA

Randy has approved username changes/new usernames for good reasons when people ask; perhaps EX-CATSA Screener?

Problems seem to aris when people register new/multiple usernames without asking permission.

exerda

I can't imagine they would actually have people flooding past them, particularly with the sort of sheep most pax are (they'd stand there being "good little screenees" waiting to be told to come through the X-ray). Then again, the times TSA has done something silly with the lines at IAD--like closing the one I'm in and sending me and the pax behind me all the way to another, and I've ducked under the rope to stay in the line I was already in, I've noticed pax behind me doing the same... just takes one "leader" to get them going.

Mike Vick is the very popular quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, who I believe has an endorsement deal with AirTran. I've seen commercials and heard from those who know him he flies coach, but I'm not sure I believe that someone being paid mega-millions does that. Watched him play in his (short) college career, and he's definitely a lot of fun.

BTW, I read the title of the thread first as "Screeners go gropie at ATL"

FWAAA

Several other internet bulletin boards feature sections devoted to postings by screeners of their encounters with celebrities at the checkpoints; one even featured a page where photos of starstruck TSA screeners were shown fawning over their favorite stars. Professionalism? Hardly.

CATSA Screener

I checked Ron Jeremy's carry-on.

HeHateY

(Eyes and ears perk up)

And???

CATSA Screener

It would be unprofessional of me to say more