TSA Baby Fiasco

Ok--I have been embroiled in some not-so-in-depth critiques of these blogs/stories/videos on another aviation-related forum:

http://www.mybottlesup.com/tsa-agents-took-my-son/

response:
http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2009/10/response-t...ook-my-son.html

I have some very definite thoughts based on what I can see (and not) and it's kind of amusing to see the chaos that's ensued.

Love to hear from others--since there are some folks here with some well-educated brains and well-traveled opinions.
Lots more fun than the Cathay Pacific screaming lady...

I think she's a scammer... that being said I don't know if it had audio as I had my laptop muted. If the TSA people said what she says they said, then she shoulda got a supervisor.

My friend once missed a nonrev flight to Vegas by a few mintutes as the TSA decided to give him a lecture on since he was a pilot he should know better about his deodorant not being in a baggie or whatever. He offered to give it up and run, but she seemingly felt duty bound to protect the country one deodorant at a time and waste 5 minitues lecturing him. His tax dollars well paid i'm sure.

My favourite win was at AZO when the TSA officer found lip balm in my bag (I also had a baggie, but lip balm is not a liquid, aerosol or gel.... it's a balm). I refused to put it in my plastic bag and she said she would get her supervisor "to explain this sign right here". So the supervisor dons some gloves, opens my lip balm and starts rubbing it on across his fingers!! Then gives it back. Nick 1, TSA 0.

That being said, since they got their new uniforms and don't bark as much, it has been far more pleasant. I like their badges too...

Well right off the bat I was a little skeptical of Nicole's story; although the TSA having poorly thought out rules and agents on power trips isn't much of a stretch. I did think her tale of an agent whisking a baby off for a security search sounded a bit strange, as was Nicole's reaction not to run after her son, but rather to take her "emergency xanax" and call her husband and mother so they could calm her down. The whole thing just sounded odd.

The TSA response- There are thousands of TSA horror stories on the net. To my knowledge this is the first time the TSA has released security camera footage ( from multiple angles no less) to discredit someone's story. One could conclude that the TSA was overly anxious to finally disprove a story.

Nick I don't think Nicole is a scammer. I think she is a very high strung individual, after all, she does " always carry emergency xanax".
I think the SLOW secondary screening and the anxiety of possibly missing her flight triggered a panic attack.

Two words:

DRAMA QUEEN.


My god, I hate flying with people like that, and even worse, getting the call from them later at the airport when they miss their flight and the gate agents say "Call this number...." http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e..._DIR#>/dry.gif

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Migflanker @ Oct 22 2009, 06:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Quote:

---

To my knowledge this is the first time the TSA has released security camera footage ( from multiple angles no less) to discredit someone&#39;s story.[/b]

---

What about the sippy cup incident last year!!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nick @ Oct 21 2009, 03:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Quote:

---

What about the sippy cup incident last year!![/b]

---

Right you are Nick, I&#39;d forgotten about the sippy cup incident.

It really does become farcical when a government dept is battling it out with people online though

What jumper said.

I think that she should stay the heck home and not fly.


One of my daughters is notorious for getting the dreaded SSSS DM. The TSA have never given me a hard time when I insist on being with her when they do screen her, but then again I&#39;m polite.

Nicole is definitely not a candidate for non-rev travel. http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...DIR#>/wink.gif

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (drewmeister_sd @ Oct 23 2009, 03:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Quote:

---

One of my daughters is notorious for getting the dreaded SSSS DM.[/b]

---

Speaking of this, I meant to ask you folk about the whole SSSS thing. When I worked at SWA and did one ways i got it all the time. This trip I did lots of one ways and never got it.

That being said, in the past it displayed SSSS and it would be circled, then upon walking through the scanner the TSA person would shunt you inside a box. This trip I noticed either the TSA didn&#39;t even look at my card when I walked through the scanner, or sometimes I didn&#39;t even bother to walk through with it as no one was interested.

Are they still meant to be checking them, or is there some new procedure?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nick @ Oct 27 2009, 07:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Quote:

---

Speaking of this, I meant to ask you folk about the whole SSSS thing. When I worked at SWA and did one ways i got it all the time. This trip I did lots of one ways and never got it.

That being said, in the past it displayed SSSS and it would be circled, then upon walking through the scanner the TSA person would shunt you inside a box. This trip I noticed either the TSA didn&#39;t even look at my card when I walked through the scanner, or sometimes I didn&#39;t even bother to walk through with it as no one was interested.

Are they still meant to be checking them, or is there some new procedure?[/b]

---

It hasn&#39;t happened in a while, but this early screening thing would happen when the method of buying a ticket fit certain parameters, such as a last minute one way ticket. That happened to me a couple times, but my daughter would be a standby passenger...

Wonder if the TSA will release multiple camera angles proving this was or was not "just ice chips" that Britney got thru the TSA checkpoint @ LAX on her way to SYD - Link