Your TSA Horror Stories, please!

[fireheart17]

That actually rings a bell. Laptops have since become smaller and thinner, so maybe that isn't as much of a concern nowadays? Or maybe because they are going through x-rays they're able to tell what's inside anyway?

A bit of both. Although some parts can disguise other things.

two stories I remember hearing from Border security (doco that looks at customs, quarantine and immigration, not always in that order )

-first story involved a guy who was bringing down a mouldy old musical keyboard to give to his friend. Story was vague, so they were suspicious. Drug test showed something and then they put it through the machine. Nothing. They were still suspicious (partially because a number of keys down the bottom weren't playing), but the man was otherwise alright, so they let him through sans keyboard. The guy fled the country but someone else kept calling in to pick it up. They decided to pull the thing open and see what the fuss was about.

Inside, they found a HEAP of skimming equipment. Fake card readers, cards, machines and so on. It'd been hidden behind the parts on the X-ray and was a REALLY good concealment. The fact that the keyboard was old and the guy had paid 100 euros for it (a keyboard in that state and size would not be that expensive) clinched it. Both the guy who was picking it up AND the guy who dropped it off were arrested.

-Second story involved a guy who WAS bringing down his laptop. went through and they found a gap near the front. While it could've been for a minidisc or something else, they were still suspicious. OPening it up, they discover card readers (again, skimming equipment). Guy got arrested.

Skimming equipment=stuff they can attach to the ATM and record people's PIN details and card info.


As for horror stories, this is more funny than sucky, but in our family, none of us had flown prior to 2005. We went to Queensland for a holiday. My parents then went again for a business thing. Mum had to fly to Melbourne for another job interview and my parents flew to Sydney for a cruise. Apart from the first time we flew over, my mum has ALWAYS been pulled aside for the random bomb checks. (we've always flown domestic) They've always swiped her handbag and her. What was funny the first time was that my sister and I were carrying bigger backpacks than her handbag

[ExRetailDrone]

LAX is the worst . . . airport . . . ever. I hate having to fly through there.

I'd like to go back to Korea some time, but I will avoid going through that airport if at all possible.

If you can, get a flight that goes through O'Hare instead. When I flew out here to Korea, we had a layover at O'Hare and then it was non-stop from there to Incheon.

Thankfully, I've never had any issues with TSA so far, but the only time I've flown since 9/11 is when I moved to Korea. Flying within Asia is so much more convenient and quick as far as security goes. Here's to no issues whenever I return to the States.

[HYHYBT]

Second story involved a guy who WAS bringing down his laptop. went through and they found a gap near the front. While it could've been for a minidisc or something else, they were still suspicious.

I'll have to remember that. My laptop has a gap running about 1/3 of the way around, not because there's anything improper inside, but because it's old and has been dropped, and the plastic strip that goes around the seam between the handrest surface and the bottom piece has gradually broken off.

[Greenday]

Just saw starting April 15th, people will be allowed to bring pocket knives on planes...as long as they are no longer than 6cm (About 2.45in)...

[Panacea]

Unfortunately, LAX is that West Coast hub for flights across the Pacific.

I think Korea Air also flies out of San Francisco and Portland, and apparently OHare as well. I can deal with O'Hare a lot better than LAX.

Flying within Asia is so much more convenient and quick as far as security goes. Here's to no issues whenever I return to the States.

Yeah, that was my experience as well. Flying from Inchon to Jejudo was a snap.

However, on the way back to the States from Inchon, we had a layover and to change plans in Japan. That was a mess; they didn't have enough people for security and there was a long line and a delay that almost caused us to miss our connecting flight. And we were getting back on the same durned plane! It was the flight crew that was changing out.

But that was more of an airline issue than a security issue and at least the people we dealt with were polite.

Just saw starting April 15th, people will be allowed to bring pocket knives on planes...as long as they are no longer than 6cm (About 2.45in)...

I'll believe it when I see it. Supposedly we don't have to take our shoes off anymore either, but if you don't you can count on delays and grief from the TSA asshats.

[ExRetailDrone]

Yeah, that was my experience as well. Flying from Inchon to Jejudo was a snap.

However, on the way back to the States from Inchon, we had a layover and to change plans in Japan. That was a mess; they didn't have enough people for security and there was a long line and a delay that almost caused us to miss our connecting flight. And we were getting back on the same durned plane! It was the flight crew that was changing out.

But that was more of an airline issue than a security issue and at least the people we dealt with were polite.

Ugh, that would be frustrating. The only semi-issue my husband and I had on our most recent trip was on our way back to Korea from Cambodia, we had a layover in Shanghai. Luckily it was a few hours, or we would have definitely missed our flight. First we had to go through immigration to get our temporary visa stamp thing basically giving us 72 hours since we weren't actually staying in country...but there were only 2 or 3 people working since it was super early in the morning, so the line moved like molasses. Then we get to the transfer area and rest for a bit until the check-in place opens. When it does, we stand in line for AN HOUR (at a little before 7am) before just getting our boarding passes and our checked baggage taken care of. Again, only 2 people were working, while 2 more people hovered over them not doing a damn thing. Then we get to go stand in another line to go through security, which luckily moved faster. I was so glad to finally get the hell out of Shanghai after that

[NorthernZel]

I had one slightly sucky situation with our local version of the TSA: back in 2007, I had to go to the Czech Republic for several dental treatments (even if you added the travel costs, you'd still save about 50% opposed to local dentists) where I was recommended to use a special OTC antiseptic mouthwash.

Two out of three times the bottle of mouthwash was cleared by security at both CPH and PRG airports. Third time at CPH? "nope, nuh-huh, it's a liquid, we'll have to confiscate it". And I had *just* bought a new bottle. Bummer.

[Shadowen]

This isn't a TSA story as it took place well before Sept 11.

[BG]Canadian living within spitting distance of the border[/BG]


The local border guards on the US side have a local reputation of being major assholes.
There have been many instances of where they will pull a car to the side to be searched, stripping it down to its frame while the owner can only watch helplessly. Once done, they may or may not give the owner a wrench, tell them good luck putting it back together, and walk away laughing.

After 911, at certain times of the year, it is very common to be delayed at the local crossings due to only two or three guards working, the rest will be a short distance away firing off many rounds doing gun or qualifying training. Given past history with these guards, I would not trust them to have enough trigger control to prevent a stray bullet or twenty going towards the line of cars waiting to cross the border.

And friends wonder why I haven't felt any need to go to the states.

[Chromatix]

My bad experience wasn't in the US, so not strictly speaking TSA, but it *was* in the immediate post-9/11 crackdown. A combination of factors meant that despite arriving at the airport 2.5 hours before departure (for a flight entirely within the EU), the gate was boarding for the *following* flight by the time I got to it. I eventually had to wait overnight for the next flight actually going in the correct direction, and lost the price of the ticket.

This combination of factors included:

- The budget airline was saving money by opening the checkin desks for bursts of activity as short as possible, with flights taking off during a tight block of time slots. This meant that *all* of their travellers for the evening block were queued up at the desks at the same time. They regularly had to call people for the slightly earlier flights forward to give them priority.

- My luggage was overweight. I was aware that it would be - what I didn't know was that the checkin desks for this airline did not have payment terminals to handle it there and then. So after waiting ages in one line, I had to transfer to another long queue for the desk which *did* handle payments. Fortunately, I was told that I could come straight back to the checkin desk without queueing after that. At this point it was about 45 minutes to departure - tight, but still theoretically acceptable.

- The newly enhanced security procedures completely overwhelmed the security desks between the check-in area and the gates. Finding the end of the queue was in itself challenging, as the queues at the check-in desks were still very long as well. I soon observed - quietly - that if a terrorist wanted to cause death and destruction, they only had to get their bomb into this area of the concourse, not past security at all. And here I was stuck for roughly a further hour, having queued for an hour in each of two other queues previously.

The security procedures themselves weren't excessively bad, just unnecessarily thorough - and directly contributed to my missing my flight. I wasn't the only one either - another chap who was in precisely the same situation later gave me a lift from the airport to the railway station, saving me some time since the airport bus was rather infrequent - the budget airline having flown into a small airport rather than the large one closer to my home.

Since then, I have used neither that airline nor the airports concerned. I fly from the bigger, closer airport using an airiine which is prestigious enough to care when things go wrong.

[Greenday]

Came home from Reno a few weeks ago. Their x-ray scanners have trouble seeing in bowling balls so they had to open up my bags to look at the balls. They took my ball cleaner out of the plastic bag I had, then just put it back in my bowling bag but not the plastic bag. It leaked, got all over my knee brace, shoes, and rosin bag.

[fireheart17]

I'll have to remember that. My laptop has a gap running about 1/3 of the way around, not because there's anything improper inside, but because it's old and has been dropped, and the plastic strip that goes around the seam between the handrest surface and the bottom piece has gradually broken off.

This was a gap in the bottom right hand corner that was about the size of three credit cards stacked longways. I think you'll be fine.

Also said gap didn't show up visibly, it only showed up on the x-ray.

[insertNameHere]

I hate dealing with the TSA they don't know their own fucking regulations but also have a wonderful policy that says agents can be more restrictive if that agent deems it necessary... What the fuck is the point of having a standard if it not going to be followed. Maybe I am just bitter because it didn't matter that they have a policy that Military members traveling in uniform on orders who do not set of the metal detector DO NOT have to remove their boots. They fucking made me do it anyways and swabbed my xbox for explosives while the 5 foreign arab nationals in front of me got a free pass. While there are domestic terrorists the numbers are significantly smaller than the certain group that hit us, but no we fucking dump crippled people out of chairs and molest children for security theater that pointless when the behind the scenes workers have full access. Not to mention lack of cameras in baggage claim where now the wonderful staff has keys to every bag and steals whatever they choose

[Bardmaiden]

Have flown in and out of the States several times (going to Dragon*Con). Flown into Newark and Atlanta. Haven't had any problems with the TSA even with swords and other odd looking items in our checked luggage. They've been searched but all we got was a little leaflet.

The only time one of us (four travelling together, me, my sister, her husband and my Arabic named boyfriend) got pulled aside. As I got told a bit later asked a few questions, they were polite and got things sorted quickly. The person they pulled over was my twin sister, small problem with the passport I think but it's never happened again.

That year my sister got searched about 6 times. My half Arabic boyfriend wasn't bothered by the airport staff once.

[Dreamstalker]

Mine isn't so much a horror story, but could have ended badly. In 2004, I was living in New Mexico and on this occasion was heading back there from winter break in Boston. My state ID was from NM.

The TSA agent at the head of the security line starts speaking rapid-fire Spanish to me. I understood a little, enough to determine that she thought I was from Mexico. I politely respond in the negative ("I do not speak Spanish, I am from the United States" or similar)...she persists. My accent (or lack thereof) combined with my last name should have been a tipoff that I am not Hispanic. Lather, rinse, repeat. Both sides are getting progressively more confused; me because I can't understand the agent, but rather than pick up on this and try English (at this point I would have welcomed a simple "speak English?") she forges ahead in a more insistent tone.

Luckily mom is still on the other side of the barrier to make sure I get through security okay, and she jumps into the conversation ("Ma'am, my daughter is from New Mexico, the state next to Arizona."). I'm able to dig my US passport from my bag and hand it over--still not sure why I was carrying it with me, but it probably saved my butt. The agent gets suspicious as to why I hold an American passport , and a supervisor is called over; he takes one look at my ID and passport, clears me to go (after wondering aloud why I even needed to have my passport out), and takes the agent aside. Somehow, I made my flight with seconds to spare. Mom later told me that the ticket agent actually called down to hold the plane.

[HYHYBT]

Good grief. Is it really too much to ask of airport security that they know New Mexico is within the United States?