Last week I had to travel to Mississippi for my Aunt Virginia's funeral. I haven't traveled in a while (2 months) because we are under travel restrictions at work but it hadn't been long enough for me to forget my friends at the TSA and their restrictions to make us safer. :-)
So I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and things were going smoothly until I was third in line to walk through the magnetron and send my stuff through XRAY. The line stopped because the TSA person staffing the XRAY saw something suspicious in a bag and stopped the belt. It must have been serious because when he signaled that he needed assistance all three lines were stopped - not just the one I was in. TSA agents stepped in front of the magnetrons and turned their back to the people in line (I think this is kind of strange don't you - shouldn't they turn and face the people in line in case something is up?). If a terrorist was trying to pull something they could knock the TSA person over the head and run through because the agent isn't looking! Okay but enough about that - it gets worse...
Two minutes passed with no movement in any of the lines. People started to grumble. We're standing there in our socks or barefeet (and the guy behind me had stinky shoes) and we're not moving! After five minutes people are starting to shout at the TSA guys, "What's the problem?" "What's holding up the line up there?" I was close enough to overhear the TSA people talking - it seems that the procedure requires the shutdown until a manager/supervisor comes to check the bag at XRAY and they had asked for a manager to come but he hadn't come yet!!! Now I was pissed but I felt powerless - I was even nervous to answer people's questions behind me in the line cause they were becoming louder and angrier by the minute.
Two TSA guys came over and looked at the XRAY image and said a few words to the guy who had stopped the line but no movement. Seven minutes had passed since there was any movement and the lines now stretched out of sight behind us. I heard the TSA guy say, "What are we supposed to do? I'll get written up if I don't follow procedure but they aren't responding on the radio!"
"All clear!" No manager had come but TSA guy decided that we had waited long enough? Now I'm thinking - what the hell was in that bag and is the owner of the questionable bag on my flight? I watch the guy pick up his bag so I'll recognize him in the waiting area. I'm through the magnetron when my line stops again and the TSA guy, who let God knows what go unchecked because no manager showed up, now pulls my backpack off the conveyer belt and calls, "bag check" because as mentioned in an earlier post I have a breathing machine to treat my sleep apnea. He kept the line moving except for me. I waited a couple of minutes until someone showed up to unpack my backpack, swab the C-PAP and check for explosive residue.
What procedure requires stopping every line until a manager comes but allows some things to be pulled off inconveniencing no one but the bag's owner? If that conveyer-stopping bag was so much more frightening - why the hell did it get no check at all? Does anyone reading this blog question why TSA does NOT make me feel more secure traveling?
So I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and things were going smoothly until I was third in line to walk through the magnetron and send my stuff through XRAY. The line stopped because the TSA person staffing the XRAY saw something suspicious in a bag and stopped the belt. It must have been serious because when he signaled that he needed assistance all three lines were stopped - not just the one I was in. TSA agents stepped in front of the magnetrons and turned their back to the people in line (I think this is kind of strange don't you - shouldn't they turn and face the people in line in case something is up?). If a terrorist was trying to pull something they could knock the TSA person over the head and run through because the agent isn't looking! Okay but enough about that - it gets worse...
Two minutes passed with no movement in any of the lines. People started to grumble. We're standing there in our socks or barefeet (and the guy behind me had stinky shoes) and we're not moving! After five minutes people are starting to shout at the TSA guys, "What's the problem?" "What's holding up the line up there?" I was close enough to overhear the TSA people talking - it seems that the procedure requires the shutdown until a manager/supervisor comes to check the bag at XRAY and they had asked for a manager to come but he hadn't come yet!!! Now I was pissed but I felt powerless - I was even nervous to answer people's questions behind me in the line cause they were becoming louder and angrier by the minute.
Two TSA guys came over and looked at the XRAY image and said a few words to the guy who had stopped the line but no movement. Seven minutes had passed since there was any movement and the lines now stretched out of sight behind us. I heard the TSA guy say, "What are we supposed to do? I'll get written up if I don't follow procedure but they aren't responding on the radio!"
"All clear!" No manager had come but TSA guy decided that we had waited long enough? Now I'm thinking - what the hell was in that bag and is the owner of the questionable bag on my flight? I watch the guy pick up his bag so I'll recognize him in the waiting area. I'm through the magnetron when my line stops again and the TSA guy, who let God knows what go unchecked because no manager showed up, now pulls my backpack off the conveyer belt and calls, "bag check" because as mentioned in an earlier post I have a breathing machine to treat my sleep apnea. He kept the line moving except for me. I waited a couple of minutes until someone showed up to unpack my backpack, swab the C-PAP and check for explosive residue.
What procedure requires stopping every line until a manager comes but allows some things to be pulled off inconveniencing no one but the bag's owner? If that conveyer-stopping bag was so much more frightening - why the hell did it get no check at all? Does anyone reading this blog question why TSA does NOT make me feel more secure traveling?
Comments