goalie

a test of what?!?!?!? i really do hope they "test" the ua checkpoints tomorrow as i will not be a happy camper and neither will they (hint hint, i made a phone call to a friend's wife who is a tv reporter and she'll be there waiting for me-but "off to the side")

tom911

My sanity? I survived.

Tom in Frankfurt, Germany now

goalie

<applause> and later today it will be my turn.

Skymonster

No electronics problems at the UA checkpoints at SFO the same date as the OP - in fact, I got to the airport a bit early after reading the top of this topic and given all of the electronic stuff in my camera bag, so it was therefore a pleasant surprise that the process was no more difficult than "normal" and they didn't pull my bag for manual checking as they often do - only "issue" was that the queues at UA were shorter on the regular side than on the elite side!!!

A

Wilbur

Passive agressive response - the lady in front of me in line proceeded to take her carry-on bags and empty them into the bins. However, she only put a minimally-reasonable amount of "stuff" into each bin, so that I would estimate she used ten or twelve of them.

Since I was in no hurry, I got a good chuckle out of her actions, and it visibly annoyed the TSA, since she was complying, but not necessarily in the way they expected.

dfw_plt_aa

The security show was continuing at SFO on Sunday, Jan. 20 in the afternoon with the TSA at the AA checkpoint requiring all electronics to be placed into bins.

skydiver

Went from SFO-DFW on AA early morning (0500) on the 19th. The barker was stating that ALL electronics had to be in the bins. I did ask several questions that never did get good answers:

Q: What is the official definition of "electronics"?
A: Anything with a cord

Q: So battery powered devices like Ipods don't need to come out?
A: No, all items with a battery must come out

Q: My wristwatch has a battery, does it need to go in the bins?
A: Ahh...ummm...eeeeh..no

Q: My travel mouse does not have a battery does it need to go in the bins
A: Ahh...ummm...eeeeh..yes

Q: What about cables like ethernet or USB?
A: Ahh...ummm...eeeeh..yes

Q: small LED flashlights?
A: Ahh...ummm...eeeeh..yes

Q: Spare (non lithium) battery?
A: Ahh...ummm...eeeeh..yes

Q: What is the reason for this non-standard procedure?
A: It is a test

Q: Of what?
A: We want to separate the electronics because we are having a hard time with the x-ray image of bags with lots of electronics

Q: So does that mean you want each "electronic" item in a separate bin just like my laptop?
A: No

Q: Was this new "Test" created and approved by the SFO FSD?
A: This is a TSA test

I did use 4 additional bins for my electronics.

DesertMoonDavid

Cool! I can't wait to fly next week with a bag of iPhones & iPods (wish I was kidding) - sounds like I need an extra hour for security

TheDudeAbides

The nonsensical "test" was still in place at the SFO AA security checkpoint on 1/25.

stupidhead

They can shove their "all electronics out" up their .... And their "SimpliFly" or whatever the hell it is, unless they want to come to my dorm room, pack my bags for me, take all electronics out of my carryon, and neatly put them back at the end of the checkpoint, and be on the hook for any damage to them.

Or just to spite them, cellphone in one bin, cellphone battery in a second bin, cellphone batter COVER in a third bin, laptop battery cord in a fourth, laptop power adapter in a fifth, laptop itself in a sixth, laptop battery in a seventh, my laptop remote and battery in an eighth/9th, ipod in a tenth, one bin for each of my 3 pairs of headsets, one bin for each battery that is in my digital camera, one for the digital camera itself, one for the memory chip, one for my cellphone power cord, one for each of my 12 different cables, etc. etc.

But then that's probably just taking it out on the other passengers behind me and I probably shouldn't do that.

Spiff

I hope that everyone who passes thru SFO files a complaint and that the SFO FSD/Clownboy is severely punished for this unnecessary harassment of travelers. "Here's your 'test', you little pissant!"

Xyzzy

We should have a contest to see who can use the most bins

stupidhead

I'd take my laptop apart and send each little component separately, too, but that voids the warranty on it. Plus I don't know how.

JakiChan

They love what I do - I refuse to send the items through X-ray until I'm ready to go through the WTMD. Why? Because I had someone walk off with my laptop a few years ago @ SFO when it went through before I did. And I always refused to be rushed when putting my stuff back together (and my belt back on, etc.)

BaileyN

SFO is currently federalized with TSA officers.

I travel often, and if you pay attention to what everyone around you is taking out, it's not all the little items. I have asked at the airports I fly through and they say anything larger than a portable DVD player needs to come out. So your IPod, cell phone, chargers and such do not have to come out. And no you don't need a seperate bin for everything. You are just taking them all and leaving none for the rest of us behind you.