So today at a checkpoint at an airport I wont mention, a TSO who I like very much was sitting at the entry to the checkpoint line looking very sorry for herself. I walked up to her and we exchanged greetings. She said "They've got us checking carry on bag sizes now". "What, manually?" I asked. She replied that "they" (Management - AKA "The Man") want one TSO to visibly inspect the size of every carry on at the entry to each checkpoint, and if it they look too large, to send passengers back to the check-in line!

To think that an otherwise useless agency, representing a useless government in a useless war that is on track to being the most comical defeat in the history of mankind is now reduced to checking.... the size of carry on bags people are taking onto aircraft... it's just absolutely unbelievable! Surely things can't get any more idiotic, or can they????

I wonder if this was a checkpoint that was UA, US or AA Centric?

Maybe this was PHL? I'm sure WN cares way less about carry on size then the folks trying to raise revenue by hassling passengers...

If this is becomes commonplace, I will keep a copy of the 1 bag 1 personal item part of tsa.gov with me, and my airline's carry on dimension page, and show this to whoever doesn't like it, hopefully that will set them straight....

That is absolutely ridiculous!! TSA has always taken the position that the size and amount of carry-on bags is up to the airline and it's sub-contractors to enforce. A memo reiterating that was even sent out a couple months ago when the airlines started charging for checked bags. As long as it is free of prohibited items and fits in the xray machine, it can go through. If the airlines has a problem, they can deal with it at the gate.

Only FT members with the letters "PHL" in their screen name may post on this thread

I would love to know what terminal this was and what time this happened. Please PM me with the specifics if your okay with giving it out, but don't want to post it in the open forum for whatever reason. I can say that this is one TSO who won't be hassling anyone over the size of their bag. Shaving cream and toothpaste is another story though.

putting a stop to the PHL-driven monopoly in replying...

To quote Prince Humperdink, "I would not say such things if I were you."

Sigh, more publicly funded revenue protection. I wonder if this is a how TSA placates the airlines amid reports of decreasing ridership due to kabuki security.

Let the "PHL" domination continue!

why not post the airport and checkpoint?? We should know where it's happening.

Carry-on SIZE is NOT the jurisdiction of the TSA, and anyone who presents themselves at the checkpoint with the appropriate NUMBER of carry-on items and is told their carry-on is too big, should tell the screener to go take a flying leap and order their supervisor to summon the GSC immediately.

No - this is NOT a good use of screener time, nor are they doing anything which is legally part of their mandate or scope of authority.

Where did this occur??

If you can't tell, bullcrap like this really gets my juices boiling.

Ugh. I also heard that some airlines were planning to add template-sizers on the x-ray machines to ensure carry-ons weren't over their limit, like they used to do in the 1990s. Not sure which airline.

Hopefully this is just a temporary flux and not a permament thing. The airline should use their own staff to do that job, instead of piggybacking on TSA.

I guess that's one good outcome of TSA checking IDs...the old, contracted ID checkers used to also enforce carryon sizes, while the TDC doesn't care at all.