I got caught up in the craziness at LAX yesterday and was re-booked on United. Of course I was SSSS'd and had 30 minutes to make my United flight. The TSA crew there was absolutely awesome. The line monitor brought me to the front of the line (even though I have no status on United) and 2 folks checked me, my bags and equipment as quickly as possible. They apologized several times for me getting SSSS'd and told me that it was probably because I had no status and the way the ticketing was done (I guess they saw my EXP tags).

There were several AA EXPs and Plats that were in the same boat and they were cranking us through the process as quickly as possible and were extremely professional about the entire situation.

With all of the negative posting that goes on about TSA, maybe a thread should be established for success stories to give credit where credit is due.

In any event, if any of the TSA staff that works the United area at LAX is on the boards please know that your work yesterday was extremely appreciated. That's the way it should work given the current requirements. Several of us were discussing the great experience on the way to our gates.

What was up with AA yesterday? Did they have all their flights grounded?

Not quite all, but a good portion of them! And the #of flights cx'd just continues to climb today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/bu...nd-air.html?hp

Interesting. Most of my most offensive incidents (though, to be fair, not all--many terminals are equally terrible) with the TSA at LAX have happened at the United entrance.

i will agree. being the "orthotic shoe ter'wrist" that i am , i will say this about the lax-ua tsa folks when they are good, they're very good but when they are bad (which is more often than not), they are beyond comprehension. illiterate, ignorant, rude, violators of the privacy act and hipaa and not aware of their own rules (which on several times, i had to pull out of my briefcase to show them)

TSA apologizing? Pix or it didn't happen.

Sure it wasn't an airline contractor? TSA cares nothing about your EXP status.

Run join up, Thrillington! Obviously, you've had an epiphany on the right way to do the wrong thing!

Going to have to second whirledtraveler's demand for pix.

Also, regarding being bumped up in line, same requirement.

No doubt. Perhaps it was just my attitude that helped.

I have already served my Federal time in and out of uniform. Thanks anyway.

Some (very few) TSA'ers are attuned to elite status because they understand that those elite travelers are the ones who support their "workfare" industry day in, day out.

I wouldn't know how to recognize an elite traveler. Unless you tell me your status, I am not going to know.

Kind of like terrorists that way, aren't they?

Hahaha! Nice.