Screened at gate by TSA
 

OK, I was standing second in the A line at a Southwest gate in Dallas. I needed to be in the front so I could get an exit row seat, given my need for legroom. As I gave the GA my BP, two TSA agents stopped me and said I had been selected for additional screening. As they are wanding me and looking through my bag, I told them they were ruining my chance for an exit row. I was pleasant.
The man wanding and patting me down found some object in my pocket and asked what they were. I had snuck two small mini-bar sized bottles of rum in my front pockets when I went through the WTMD at security (plastic lid, so no metal there). I figured for sure the guy at the gate would take them from me, but I showed them to him and he handed them back to me and sent me on my way. I had no baggie, and he had to assume I brought them from outside. You can't buy those inside the airport.

by the way, I still got the exit row!

Were your bottles less than 3.4 oz?? If they weren't....or even if they were)...this is just one more example as to why these random "security" checks are futile.

Forget the exit row, ask them to put on clean gloves. Always! :)

On a few short distance flights, I've actually filled my token baggie with tiny bottles of booze. If you are flying coach they sure come in handy, as opposed to paying five bucks for a lukewarm alcoholic beverage and plastic cup.

Were you singled out for the search or were others being selected also?

File a complaint. Gate screening is useless harassment and those responsible for it should be severely punished.

I'm not sure who else might have been selected behind me. since there were about 100+ pax behind me, I don't know if they screened anyone else

they don't have the oz. listed on the bottles. they were small bottles. my question is how does the screener think I got them thru security? I guess he assumed i used a baggie.

I hate the baggie carnival worse than I hate the shoe carnival!

ok, let's see....

• the op was selceted for secondary gate screening by the tsa
• the bad and evil op ;) had two mini-bar bottles in his pocket and not in a baggie (and admits he/she did not have a baggie).
• the tsa "maroons" found the very dangerous and threat to our national security items
• the tsa screeners gave said dangerous liquids back to the op and allowed him/her to continue on their way.

i feel safer now, don't you :rolleyes:

exactly.
what was the point?

doctall41 <-----bad and evil op, bad and evil op. SSSShame on you for reporting SSSSuch flaws in our SSSSecurity SSSSySSSStem you made me feel leSSSSssss SSSSafe, it's all your fault....bad and evil op ;)
<wheeeeeeee and off to the penalty box for being silly>

I am hoping that this might strike even the staunchest Kettles as: "Don't you trust yourself in getting it right at the checkpoint?"