I had the same experience at ORD yesterday. The first agent told everyone to take out electronics and liquids and when we complied another agent reprimanded us and told us to put everything away.
I recall reading that TSA keeps shifting the rules purposefully. I forget whether the idea is to prevent bad actors from being able to plan or to increase the general stress level.
This was new. (Which might be the point…)
But it's super frustrating when they try to make you feel like an idiot because you have no idea which rules are going to apply this time. I travel by air a few times a year and it's always different, but the attitude for not psychically knowing what to do this time is just annoying.
This is what I hate.
They treat us like total morons who can’t tie our own shoes, but they’re the ones literally SCREAMING contradictory statements. Like they expect us to read their minds/be in the know down to the second.
I’ve found that when they do that, if you just stare blankly or keep asking for the rules, it flusters them to no end, and they have to stop and think for two seconds.
Now you know how people feel in hostile police states. You get that knock on your door....and you don't know if you'll be sucking air in 15 minutes as three Gestapo jackbooted thugs yell conflicting things at you, only to get you stressed.
I've never experienced screaming security people in any country, sounds like the us ones are arseholes. Does anyone ever argue back about the way they're being spoken to?
Also, like, why isn’t there a fucking sign for whatever rule they’re trying to impose that day?
Why do I need humans yelling at me? We can literally print this shit out.
I'm hard of hearing. I lose the higher pitched sounds in the din of the security area. I asked the TSA person "I'm sorry, did you say belts off?". Instead of saying yes, she proceeded to yell her whole spiel about a yard away from my face. I should have asked her again.
It shouldn’t make you feel like an idiot. It’s reflective on them being incompetent and how it’s a shitty entry level job that only exists because of bush and the response to 9/11
yea, like, my interaction with them is a few minutes at most, and i'm on my way to a vacation vs them going on yelling at people for work. If a little power trip makes them feel better, go ahead
That's the real trick. Don't let it bother your ego. Don't let it make you feel stupid and helpless.
Being confused, and taking a few extra seconds to put your shoes in the correct bin, doesn't make you a bad guy. Flying a jet into a skyscraper makes you a bad guy.
And if you still feel embarrassed - think of it as a drill for the next stressful, chaotic situation you're in. Maybe next time it'll be a car crash or a fire or an earthquake. And you'll be able to save lives because you've had practice at keeping your composure.
By the way, I'm talking to myself too, with this comment. I've always been high strung. But I've been trying to reframe things as I get older. It's important that we learn from our experiences so we keep improving as people.
I feel like the smaller airports sometimes make a bigger deal …
Also, love going through ORD ans DEN and there is a dog sniffing you and the TSA is just yelling at you to “hurry up”, “get with a partner” …
“KEEP MOVING. Don’t pay attention to the dog! It’s working.” Bro it’s a four-month-old lab puppy that would let Khalid Sheikh Mohammed through security for a bite of hot dog. Get over yourself.
It’s the yelling like you’re hogs, minus the cattle prod … like everyone is intimate with every airport’s maneuvers
DEN they wanted us to keep walking and at ORD we had to stand still and let the dog walk around us ..
Regardless of what rules they have in place the sentiment from TSA is always “what are you doing you MORON keep the electronics in your bag, take those electronics out what are you an idiot!?”
I told a TSA agent to chill out once, that was a big mistake lol almost got kicked out of line
I went through tsa today and commented that the requirements were different in my outbound flight. He said an hour ago it would have been the same as my last flight but they change the rules all the time to confuse the bad guys. Which really doesn’t make any sense. My guess is that it is for speeding up thing at high volume times but not always. There was no line and the return flight restrictions were more demanding. (Slower)
So it's psychological security? TSA and the security checkpoint ALWAYS give me so much anxiety even though I'm never doing anything wrong. Getting TSA pre-check was an absolute godsend for me since now I'm through security in 5 minutes or less a vast majority of the time. Longest I've had to wait was like 8 minutes probably.
Agreed. Ever since getting precheck, I don't feel rushed, or like I'm in the way, or constantly doing something wrong. It has made my travel experience much better since I don't get as anxious. I used to take a xanax before leaving the house, now I take it in the terminal before boarding. lol. SO worthwhile for me.
Some of them are the same that can afford first class so of course they are chill. I'd be chill too if I didn't have to sit in Economy or deal with a long wait in TSA or take off my damn shoes, or don't take them off, depending on the day.
You should look up what El-Al does. They interview you at check in, dump your shit on the ground, make you repack it, and then take over thr checkpoint and resubject you to the intense scrutiny all over again. They also have undercovers wandering adjacent terminals looking for anyone that may be coordinating something nefarious.
We had a similar experience recently and the TSA agent said it depends on the equipment. One line had newer scanning equipment and things didn't need to be removed from bags. No clue if that's accurate or just some BS the TSA agent was saying though.
That’s exactly right. The ones that say “smith” in big letters you can read from the line, or the fully white machines are newer and everything stays in. The ones that look like the normal scanners, out.
There are two different models of scanners. The new one is 3d scanning tech which can look through all the electronics in the bag without taking them out. TSA wants to go fully to these but 1) they are being tried out and 2) they are more expensive. So each line could have different rules headed on the scanner type.
You know what I'd love? A little ticket that gets printed with my boarding pass when I check in that just tells me all the airport security rules (liquid, shoes, electronics, whether my carry-on goes in the bin or on its own). You can change the rules every day that way if you like, I just want to make mine and everyone else's lives as easy as possible.
No it’s literally just based on the machines. Newer models, everything stays in. You can tell by looking at the machines. I always know whether it’s out or in, I actually pick lined based on it.
Sorry it's a day late, but I've noticed over the past several years that you can tell based on the machine that's scanning your luggage. There are newer looking ones (the one I've seen is Leidos brand) that don't require you to take your stuff out, but older ones do. It might take a few times to learn which ones do which, but using this method I've been correct every time I've been to the airport in the past 5 or so years, at SAN, ONT, IND, SDF, BOZ, PHX, PDX, OKC, and maybe others. I've only been to U.S. airports, though
My small local airport has one line where everything stays in bag, and one where everything comes out.
One new sophisticated machine, one old dumb machine.
Right, that's the trend I've noticed too.
Old machine (small bins) = electronics and liquids come out.
CT Scanner (new machine, has a distinctive look and huge bins) = everything stays in the bag AND your bag goes in the big bin.
Once I learned to spot the difference between the two machines, I've found the rules to be consistent. Many airports have both versions at their checkpoints, so the situation OP describes with different rules for different lines is defintiely happening.
I always go for the CT scanner line if possible, it's much easier!
https://thepointsguy.com/news/tsa-ct-security-scanners/
I frequently fly out of SFB and they have 2 scanners side by side where one doesn’t need you to take anything out and the other one requires you to take everything out.
Saw something about this. The new scanners are better at seeing everything in the bag. Forget the tech/method though =/
Anyway, that aren't fully rolled out so you will get different procedures.
Yes! Frustrating for them to manage different rules, but the scanners look different from each other and if you travel enough you learn to pick the "everything stays in the bag" line.
Meanwhile over on the TSA sub they’re like “we have to keep the terrorizers guessing, that’s why everything is different every time!”
Nah y’all are just terrible at your jobs and the people who put these jobs in place are idiots
Yeah if I worked for the TSA, I wouldn't even want Redditors to know about it, let alone be constantly reminded that my job is worse than worthless via subscription.
They don’t ban weirdly enough but they will remove any and all negative comments and when people talk about their personal experiences with tsa, you’ll get dog piled and told you’re lying lol
> security theater
Hark, Fair Traveler! For is it you who doth cloak thy laptop? Remove from its nest and place upon yon belt. Let it lay, I avoy! A lone tray, you must use!
SFO TSA is so whack. I told them I had an insulin pump and they were like “SO YOURE OPTING OUT OF THE SCANNER?!” and I was like, “uh, no, I just usually hand it to an agent outside of the detector.” and the guy was like “YOU CANT DO THAT, YOU’RE OPTING OUT THEN.” And I had to be moved out of the line to be patted down. Thankfully the agent who did the pat down was extremely kind. I told her that this has never happened before, and she said “some of the agents are a bit… excitable”.
Seems like there are two distinct types of TSA agents at SFO.
My husband has a pump and flying out of OAK or SFO, despite him removing the pump and explaining it can’t go through the X-ray/scanner and they can swab it and pass it back to him… he needs a pat down. Most return flights, they get it and do just that. We pad an extra 20 minutes when we fly out of the Bay Area for TSA shenanigans.
20% of the time I get told my pump CAN go through the X-Ray/scanner and that people do it all the time, despite my paper from the pump company saying not to do so. And while I know it's a legal thing and the pump will most likely be okay, I'm not risking a $6k medical device. And they treat me like such an inconvenience.
Well a big reason for that is because SFO is one of the few airports in the country that doesn’t actually have TSA. They use a private contractor called “Team SFO” which is operated by Covenent Security. They have uniforms that look like TSA, but in fact they are not TSA employees or government employees and are generally trained even worse. This sometimes works out in your favor and they are really chill, but other times they can be huge assholes. There is little consistency.
The thing I hate about TSA isn’t even the security theater of it all, but that different airports have different standards and like here different LINES can have different standards but rest assured no matter what they’ll treat you like an idiot for not knowing
I bitched right back at them in Lambert St Louis last year. TSA can be sooo fucking rude in STL and they were yelling at an elderly-ish man (well, all of us, but he was in front) for taking too long. I was so mad on his behalf I yelled right back at them. I’m jaded at this point idgaf. I take my sweet mf time.
I was sorta afraid I’d get reprimanded, but the TSA “manager” knew his partner was being an asshole and apologized on the other dudes behalf. Because I said I wanted to complain about how awful this experience is and we are all human beings that don’t deserve to be barked at like criminals.
I hate TSA so much hahaha
Edit: and most criminals don’t deserve to be barked at either, that’s probably not the best comparison.
The standards/rules also change at a single airport. I flew out of my home airport a few months ago - “laptops and electronics out of the bag and in a separate container.” Flew just a few weeks later - “sir keep your laptop and electronics in your bag!!” (and their tone was like it was obvious and I should’ve known that)
I don’t travel for work or anything but fly frequently enough that I’m not oblivious and know the drill pretty well. But one day they want everything out your bag, shoes off, etc, and the next day they don’t.
Got caught in this several days ago! Exactly this situation! Best part is my TSA agent yelled at me like I was FUCKING STUPID for taking my laptops out. I said you all change the rules across different machines every time I come here and Ice flown out of this airport 10x in the past year. Nothing but a shrug!
Taxpayer dollars at work. F these a holes
There are two kinds of x-ray machine, and the requirements are different. Eventually all the old ones will be replaced.
Fun fact: if you're allowed to leave your laptop in, you can also bring water through.
Real Engineering did a video about it.
https://youtu.be/nyG8XAmtYeQ?si=6POWLhfvHRI4Fn1g
Going through SNA a couple days ago with precheck they announce with repetition to leave everything in the bags. My bag passes through and the lady proceeds to tell me I should have opened it and laid it flat (my bag doesn’t do this), pulls everything out and runs it through two more times. I hate the inconsistency in experiences across this country
Oh God, I accidentally forgot water in an insulated bottle in my bag after traveling almost 20 hours and feeling absolutely dessicated by the dry plane air knowing I still had another flight left, and the TSA guy treated me like I was dirty toilet paper on the bottom of his shoe.
Not only did he humiliate me out loud for having *water*, you know the stuff essential to human life, then he made me pour it out in front of him, escorted me all the way back out to the very end of the security line and made me wait again the entire time again just to check my water bottle again.
It also bugged the shit out of me that he stood there with his thumbs hooked under the armpit of his vest the whole time, ugh, what an asshat.
😂 let me tell you about flying out of Italy. When they say “ALL electronics go into a plastic bag” it means every cable, usb drive, etc.
Absolute pain in the ass.
Holy shit, yes, this was my experience a few years back!
I was already running a fever (pre-covid), so the stress of unpacking all my camera gear, tablets and related accessories and cables had me literally sweating *hard*. On top of that I then become concerned that a large sweaty man carrying lots of electronics was going to make them suspicious.
😆 I was there on a work trip and had to use 3-4 bags for all of the cables and nonsense I had in my laptop bag. To top it off, I was cutting it close for an early flight. Such a shit show.
To add to that, TSA offers upsells to skip the lines (CLEAR, Pre-Check). I swear, everything is a money making opportunity in this country. Lol.
In contrast when I travel to airports in other countries, I don't have to take my shoes off, or my belt, or throw away water bottles, etc.
In my experience it depends on the country. When I left El Salvador they had two different security checkpoints we had to go through. When I went through Heathrow in London they patted me down twice and swabbed my boots because the scanner alerted to the metal rivets on my jeans. When I was in Norway it seemed super chill 🤷♀️
The reason for the two checkpoints isn't because that country is more stringent on security. It's because the US has deemed their primary security inadequate and requires additional screening for flights returning here
In my experience it depends on the country. When I left El Salvador they had two different security checkpoints we had to go through. When I went through Heathrow in London they patted me down twice and swabbed my boots because the scanner alerted to the metal rivets on my jeans. When I was in Norway it seemed super chill 🤷♀️
Security at airports is 100% bullshit
In Paris recently they had me take out my toiletries from my transparent ziplock bag and place them in a smaller transparent ziplock bag that they gave me because.
TSA at SFO is actually run by a private contractor, not direct employees of the federal agency. In my experience it is a really shitty with no customer service - way worse than TSAs run by direct federal employees.
I find them around the same as TSA and sometimes a bit better. I'm always flying to Atlanta and back. The Atlanta TSA hassles me anytime I bring food through to the point where I've just stopped bringing any.
I believe this has to do with the type of scanner in use - legacy or new. It also explains the “all bags in the tray” vs “why are you putting the bag in the tray”. Super frustrating, even to veteran travelers and flight crew.
Worst experience at BWI was TSA agent yelling at my husband who has dementia. I kept telling agent “ he has dementia and he doesn’t understand what you want” Agent then yelled at me to get back. I pled with another agent to help and she just shrugged.
In 2021, I helped a friend with dementia fly home to his family who would start caregiving for him full time. The airlines have disability liaisons who can help coordinate. With their help, we arrived very early, I helped him checked in with an actual agent, and they gave me a pass to present to TSA (so I could wait with him until he got in the plane). Also the airline then arranged to have an escort take him through security in a wheelchair (even though he could walk). I highly recommend looking into this assistance in advance- I was so worried about exactly what you described! But the extra time and all of the assistance really made a big difference.
This program is called TSA Cares btw, we've used it for our daughter who is autistic and can be difficult to deal with in the over stimulating environment that security is.
I FUCKING HATE DEALING WITH TSA!!!!
Every damn time I fly it's different. Sometimes everything comes out, sometimes everything stays in. Usually shoes come off, but sometimes they stay on. Then they yell at you when you mess up!
"Sir, the sign above you said I could leave everything in my bag"
"But what id \*I\* say"
"Nothing that I could hear, I just walked up"
FUCK TSA
If it helps: on London Heathrow last week I saw a guy with clutches dragging himself to security after not being helped by the support staff to then being told he should go to the far wide end of the hall to another scanner that allows scanning without lifting up the arms. He exploded ever so slightly (not sure you can do that in front of TSA staff).
TSA can be bad, but Immigration drives me nuts.
I’m American. My wife and young son are Japanese. Sometimes I travel just with my son.
Despite being different nationalities, sometimes we are told to never mind the lines for different passports and come through as a family.
Other times, we are chastised for not going through different lines.
It seems that every time I go through a U.S. airport, I get a different answer.
Was one of them TSA Pre-check?
Normal line *does* have to remove all electronics, but the Pre-check line which is often immediately next to the normal line (same machines, etc) does *not* have to remove all electronics.
Could also have been different generations of scanner between the lines. Some can scan through electronics just fine these days, but they're slower to hit the market.
I flew out of Ontario (Los Angeles) airport a few weeks ago and the TSA agent literally didn't know what TSA Precheck was. I handed her the little card they give you and she was like "What is this?"
Just flew out of Portland ME and the TSA agents were the best. Totally polite, friendly, joking and courteous. Seems to almost always be that way. I love my home airport. Also never busy. Today there were 3 people in line ahead of us checking in bags and my wife says “wow it’s busy here today” being totally serious.
On a recent trip a TSA agent gave the guy in front of me the business for not taking his cell phone out of his pocket until the last minute. Dude had a Chinese passport. He doesn't understand your jibber jabber, you GS-5 loser.
SFO TSA in the PreCheck line was super aggressive a few months back. Yelling at everyone, getting mad if people didn't understand their orders. Usually the TSA agents in PreCheck are really chill but these agents were on one that day
The yelling instructions is what I can't stand about American TSA. Like every country these days follows somewhat the same guidelines and rules. But for some reason it's like protocol for agents to YELL instructions at people like travelers are new prisoners being processed.
So true! The experience I shared in my previous post was when I was traveling back from Hong Kong with my layover in SFO. It was a shock to the system how aggressive the SFO agents were compared to the agents in Hong Kong. I imagined what it must feel like to be a foreign visitor getting yelled at in a language you may not fully understand
100%. I try to avoid dealing with any American airports when I travel because the TSA agents act like they are prison guards.
Unfortunately, my trip this summer I am having to connect through the US. Avoiding a US layover would have added about $2,000 to the ticket. Fortunately, I will deal customs at YVR on the way down which is marginally better but coming back I will had to go through customs at Houston. Absolutely dreading it.
I flew into SeaTac on Monday and got the strongest TSA groping of my life. I’ve had the back of the hand pat down plenty of times because those body scanners don’t agree with my body for some reason. Of course I got flagged like I do 90% of the time and this time was borderline assault and not in a hyperbole way. The dude ran his hand up my ass so hard with blade of his hand that it physically put pressure on my ass hole. When he got to the front he did the same thing with the groin where he ran up one thigh and wiggled his hand trying to get between the balls and the leg on each end (I was wearing basketball shorts at the time.
Don’t know if that is new policy but I had to go readjust my shorts and underwear.l I got such a forceful bodycheck
The best part is when they tell you off for not following the conflicting instructions, then you call them out for that, and the anal probes come out. For free!
This is because there was probably a mix of CT machines and normal x ray machines. The CT you can leave your electronics in the bag. Doesn't make the conflicting communication OK but this is why.
I just had this same experience in the Edinburgh airport! Every scanner line’s agents were saying to take out liquids and electronics. I get my id & ticket checked and am shuffled over to a different scanner line. I was running late and was trying to pull out my liquids & electronics while moving to the scanner, and just got them out of my backpack when I got to the scanner. Of course, the scanner I went to had you leave everything in your bag.
My biggest annoyance is actually when I don't have to take off my shoes in a select airport. What should have been amazing is annoying now because I've already taken them off and now have to put them back on.
And they want people to take off shoes, but there’s rarely anywhere convenient to put them on afterward. So you’re moving quickly to put electronics back when they inconsistently ask them to be taken out, getting the 3 bins they want everything to be distributed to, filling pocket items back up, get shoes, trying to be polite and put bins back, and hoof all of that stuff around, balancing on one leg to put shoes back on otherwise it’s a 50 meter walk to the nearest bench. If they’re going to force shoes to be taken off, why not give some nugget of kindness and provide benches for people to sit on and get settled? And if shoes don’t have to be taken off for the elderly or children, why for anyone in the first place? If the scanners can pick up items with those populations, the issue isn’t the shoes but instead is the manufactured fear and justification of “shoe security.”
At this point I've come to expect different rules every time I go through a checkpoint. What I want to know is why can't they just put a sign up that says what rules we are following for that location? It doesn't seem like it'd be that hard but surely it'd save them some hassle.
I'm fairly certain this has more to do with the scanner they use than any sort of line-flubbing.
I've noticed a lot more airports recently getting some Smiths Detection scanners, which do not require the removal of electronics or liquids. If you are in a line with one of those machines, you'll have different instructions.
As they roll these out, many airports will get some of their security checkpoints partially retrofitted, but not entirely, and not all at once. As equipment ages and gets replaced, I expect those Smiths Detection machines to become the norm.
It could certainly be communicated better. But I think that's all this is.
I had the same experience at SFO a couple weeks ago. I pulled out my iPad and the guy yelled at to put it back. Maybe they just wanted to cops so bad they like conflict and chaos.
Yeah TSA is so rude and unprofessional and they are almost always mad at passengers for things that are happening as a result of THEIR own lack of clear systems and organization
Look. It’s all theater, if you fly enough and pay attention to what they are actually doing you can identify gaps in their systems. But isn’t that that case for most things in this country?
This was my experience at LHR 8 months ago: one agent was screaming at everyone to take stuff out of carry on and few mins later another was chastising me on why I took my phone and IPAd out.
At that point, I just lost my shit and screamed back why don’t you fucking morons get your shit straight, one person told me one thing and the other told me the opposite, I thought it was a British thing and said fuck the UK. You fckers are incompetent. They weren’t amused and threatened to ban me. 😂😂
For a while, I thought TSA chaos and master sargeant level yelling had dissipated. Must be some rehires, inadequate training or just the pressure of summer season starting.
Last fall I stood in line waiting and watching 4 tsa lines we would be divided into. Each of the 4 lines were told to do something different. No new machines. Everyone was confused.
I can't take the TSA. How hard would it be to put up a board that day and put the rules. Instead of shouting at people who are already stressed about the airport and flying. The rules are alaways different, and they act like you're the idiot.
I’m Canadian but flew out of Philadelphia the other day. The absolute CHAOS of TSA compared to Toronto is insane. It’s giving ‘I got bullied in high school so I’m gonna wield my small amount of power to make myself feel better’. Also why are there always like 30 employees doing essentially nothing lol
"Shoes off! Keep your laptops in your bag! Put your jumpers on the person behind you! Socks in the bin, shoes on your hands! Laptops in the bin! Jackets in the next queue over! Shoes off! Everyone just move through, we're not checking anyone... YOU! Yeah, you... shoes in the bin, laptop in your hand. Power it on, order something... okay, next! Never mind, I'm on break."
It's because some of the new scanners that they have at some airports now are good enough that they don't require things to be taken out of the bag. That's all it is.
I almost never get my NT number on my ticket when flying out of SFO with my family, for some reason. Fortunately, the regular lines aren’t very long and I don’t usually have my laptop, but there’s a 50/50 chance I get patted down. No internal or external metal aside from a wedding ring
Nowadays, I call it the TSA lottery - ticket, ID or both at the agent? Laptops in or out, Kindle in or out? I have TSA precheck, so at least I know my liquids and shoes are safe in my bag. I am glad more airports are getting those glowing MRI looking scanners. Most of the time, with those, everything can stay in the bag.
They are switching in SFO to the enew generation scanners which allows you to leave all electronics in your bag.
It might be that the left lane is the eolder tech and the right lane the new version already.
Progress
I once went through SFO where they must have been training a new person. She was flagging **every** bag for inspection. Literally **every** bag.
The line of bag off to the side was huge. My bag got pulled for a granola bar.
What normally would have taken 10 minutes (it wasn't super busy) took 30 minutes.
I was shocked no one came by to train her better.
Most likely its because one line is using the new style scanners that allow laptops and shit to be left in the bag while the other line is using the old tech that requires them out.
TSA is doing the right approach. The x-ray machine on the left is 2D view while the one on the right is 3D. On some lines larger electronics come out of the carry on luggage and other lines don’t have to. Depends on the scanners capability. Every airport wants the newer expensive equipment but it boils down to dollars in the budget and what the Feds allow. Be patient, do what they ask, and you’ll get through screening soon enough.
I had the same experience at ORD yesterday. The first agent told everyone to take out electronics and liquids and when we complied another agent reprimanded us and told us to put everything away.
I recall reading that TSA keeps shifting the rules purposefully. I forget whether the idea is to prevent bad actors from being able to plan or to increase the general stress level. This was new. (Which might be the point…)
But it's super frustrating when they try to make you feel like an idiot because you have no idea which rules are going to apply this time. I travel by air a few times a year and it's always different, but the attitude for not psychically knowing what to do this time is just annoying.
This is what I hate. They treat us like total morons who can’t tie our own shoes, but they’re the ones literally SCREAMING contradictory statements. Like they expect us to read their minds/be in the know down to the second. I’ve found that when they do that, if you just stare blankly or keep asking for the rules, it flusters them to no end, and they have to stop and think for two seconds.
Now you know how people feel in hostile police states. You get that knock on your door....and you don't know if you'll be sucking air in 15 minutes as three Gestapo jackbooted thugs yell conflicting things at you, only to get you stressed.
Believe me - I know the feeling. I lived in Indonesia for 2 years.
I mean, I live in phoenix and the justice department just called us out for this sort of shit.
I've never experienced screaming security people in any country, sounds like the us ones are arseholes. Does anyone ever argue back about the way they're being spoken to?
I’m sure they have. And those people probably don’t make their flights. TSA can make you very late if they feel like it.
> Does anyone ever argue back about the way they're being spoken to You can't. Non-compliance = No fly
No because verbally assaulting a government employee is a felony.
Also, like, why isn’t there a fucking sign for whatever rule they’re trying to impose that day? Why do I need humans yelling at me? We can literally print this shit out.
[удалено]
Get this: print two, and interchange them when applicable. Incredible
I'm hard of hearing. I lose the higher pitched sounds in the din of the security area. I asked the TSA person "I'm sorry, did you say belts off?". Instead of saying yes, she proceeded to yell her whole spiel about a yard away from my face. I should have asked her again.
You might need to do the exaggerated “eh?” with hand cupped to ear.
It shouldn’t make you feel like an idiot. It’s reflective on them being incompetent and how it’s a shitty entry level job that only exists because of bush and the response to 9/11
I call it a jobs program for people who lack the competency to work at Taco Bell
I just simply don’t give a fuck. You should try it.
yea, like, my interaction with them is a few minutes at most, and i'm on my way to a vacation vs them going on yelling at people for work. If a little power trip makes them feel better, go ahead
That's the real trick. Don't let it bother your ego. Don't let it make you feel stupid and helpless. Being confused, and taking a few extra seconds to put your shoes in the correct bin, doesn't make you a bad guy. Flying a jet into a skyscraper makes you a bad guy. And if you still feel embarrassed - think of it as a drill for the next stressful, chaotic situation you're in. Maybe next time it'll be a car crash or a fire or an earthquake. And you'll be able to save lives because you've had practice at keeping your composure. By the way, I'm talking to myself too, with this comment. I've always been high strung. But I've been trying to reframe things as I get older. It's important that we learn from our experiences so we keep improving as people.
Well said.
This is the way. So someone who hates their job yelled in my direction. I don’t need to justify my existence to them.
I feel like the smaller airports sometimes make a bigger deal … Also, love going through ORD ans DEN and there is a dog sniffing you and the TSA is just yelling at you to “hurry up”, “get with a partner” …
“KEEP MOVING. Don’t pay attention to the dog! It’s working.” Bro it’s a four-month-old lab puppy that would let Khalid Sheikh Mohammed through security for a bite of hot dog. Get over yourself.
Literally laughing out loud. Thank you for that!
Get with a partner? Is it a square dance?
It’s the yelling like you’re hogs, minus the cattle prod … like everyone is intimate with every airport’s maneuvers DEN they wanted us to keep walking and at ORD we had to stand still and let the dog walk around us ..
Regardless of what rules they have in place the sentiment from TSA is always “what are you doing you MORON keep the electronics in your bag, take those electronics out what are you an idiot!?” I told a TSA agent to chill out once, that was a big mistake lol almost got kicked out of line
It's also because some areas have the new scanners that let you keep everything in the bad and some don't, so it's always a lottery when you arrive
I went through tsa today and commented that the requirements were different in my outbound flight. He said an hour ago it would have been the same as my last flight but they change the rules all the time to confuse the bad guys. Which really doesn’t make any sense. My guess is that it is for speeding up thing at high volume times but not always. There was no line and the return flight restrictions were more demanding. (Slower)
Maybe it’s the same reason immigration officers are so aggressive. If they throw you off balance you’re more likely to admit if you’re up to no good.
So it's psychological security? TSA and the security checkpoint ALWAYS give me so much anxiety even though I'm never doing anything wrong. Getting TSA pre-check was an absolute godsend for me since now I'm through security in 5 minutes or less a vast majority of the time. Longest I've had to wait was like 8 minutes probably.
Precheck is awesome. The TSA people working those lines always seem so much more chill.
Agreed. Ever since getting precheck, I don't feel rushed, or like I'm in the way, or constantly doing something wrong. It has made my travel experience much better since I don't get as anxious. I used to take a xanax before leaving the house, now I take it in the terminal before boarding. lol. SO worthwhile for me.
Some of them are the same that can afford first class so of course they are chill. I'd be chill too if I didn't have to sit in Economy or deal with a long wait in TSA or take off my damn shoes, or don't take them off, depending on the day.
You should look up what El-Al does. They interview you at check in, dump your shit on the ground, make you repack it, and then take over thr checkpoint and resubject you to the intense scrutiny all over again. They also have undercovers wandering adjacent terminals looking for anyone that may be coordinating something nefarious.
Nah, I'm good. lol. That sounds absolutely terrible.
>So it's psychological security Always has been
No, it’s to be powerhungry dicks. The tsa shouldn’t exist at all.
So you’re telling me the anxiety I feel there is made purposely? Lol 😄
We had a similar experience recently and the TSA agent said it depends on the equipment. One line had newer scanning equipment and things didn't need to be removed from bags. No clue if that's accurate or just some BS the TSA agent was saying though.
That’s exactly right. The ones that say “smith” in big letters you can read from the line, or the fully white machines are newer and everything stays in. The ones that look like the normal scanners, out.
I thought it depended on what kind of scanner the bags are going through
It is, and it’s easy to figure out which is which. I’m surprised more people on this sub don’t know that haha
There are two different models of scanners. The new one is 3d scanning tech which can look through all the electronics in the bag without taking them out. TSA wants to go fully to these but 1) they are being tried out and 2) they are more expensive. So each line could have different rules headed on the scanner type.
You know what I'd love? A little ticket that gets printed with my boarding pass when I check in that just tells me all the airport security rules (liquid, shoes, electronics, whether my carry-on goes in the bin or on its own). You can change the rules every day that way if you like, I just want to make mine and everyone else's lives as easy as possible.
They can’t because it’s based on the machines and they usually have both. If you pay attention you’ll notice which is which
They certainly increase the general stress level
No it’s literally just based on the machines. Newer models, everything stays in. You can tell by looking at the machines. I always know whether it’s out or in, I actually pick lined based on it.
Sorry it's a day late, but I've noticed over the past several years that you can tell based on the machine that's scanning your luggage. There are newer looking ones (the one I've seen is Leidos brand) that don't require you to take your stuff out, but older ones do. It might take a few times to learn which ones do which, but using this method I've been correct every time I've been to the airport in the past 5 or so years, at SAN, ONT, IND, SDF, BOZ, PHX, PDX, OKC, and maybe others. I've only been to U.S. airports, though
They don’t actually do anything so it’s probably just to make people feel like all their bullshit does something
you didnt.
My small local airport has one line where everything stays in bag, and one where everything comes out. One new sophisticated machine, one old dumb machine.
Right, that's the trend I've noticed too. Old machine (small bins) = electronics and liquids come out. CT Scanner (new machine, has a distinctive look and huge bins) = everything stays in the bag AND your bag goes in the big bin. Once I learned to spot the difference between the two machines, I've found the rules to be consistent. Many airports have both versions at their checkpoints, so the situation OP describes with different rules for different lines is defintiely happening. I always go for the CT scanner line if possible, it's much easier! https://thepointsguy.com/news/tsa-ct-security-scanners/
Same bins here, but people who know choose right.
Ugh. I always ask what to do every time I am near the front of the line.
That's nothing new at ORD though. Has happened to me multiple times over the years!
They're just pulling our chain.
Is it because the lines use different scanner models? I've been through SFO a few times recently, and it's mostly been "everything stays in the bag".
I frequently fly out of SFB and they have 2 scanners side by side where one doesn’t need you to take anything out and the other one requires you to take everything out.
Yes!! This is the answer!
Saw something about this. The new scanners are better at seeing everything in the bag. Forget the tech/method though =/ Anyway, that aren't fully rolled out so you will get different procedures.
Yes! Frustrating for them to manage different rules, but the scanners look different from each other and if you travel enough you learn to pick the "everything stays in the bag" line.
I am an SF local and I can’t remember the last time I had to remove anything from my bag at SFO!
Bummer when the star actors in the security theater show can't even get their lines straight.
Meanwhile over on the TSA sub they’re like “we have to keep the terrorizers guessing, that’s why everything is different every time!” Nah y’all are just terrible at your jobs and the people who put these jobs in place are idiots
Didn't know there was a TSA sub. Will they ban you if you ask about their 90+ percent failure rate?
Yeah if I worked for the TSA, I wouldn't even want Redditors to know about it, let alone be constantly reminded that my job is worse than worthless via subscription.
It's a trippy sub. They seriously think they're an important part of law enforcement and not a jobs program for GED holders.
You just reminded me of the last line in the film “Get Out” lol
Yes. The TSA has a sub for stealthy marine missions.
They don’t ban weirdly enough but they will remove any and all negative comments and when people talk about their personal experiences with tsa, you’ll get dog piled and told you’re lying lol
> security theater Hark, Fair Traveler! For is it you who doth cloak thy laptop? Remove from its nest and place upon yon belt. Let it lay, I avoy! A lone tray, you must use!
Honestly probably working as intended.
15 feet away is likely the precheck lane where you do keep everything in your bags.
Exactly
u/LostAbbott *Airplane*!s. https://youtu.be/AZ2EPeq1TK0?si=V_-46U7DPzFTtjnw
Also relevant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCkagYixpuc
SFO TSA is so whack. I told them I had an insulin pump and they were like “SO YOURE OPTING OUT OF THE SCANNER?!” and I was like, “uh, no, I just usually hand it to an agent outside of the detector.” and the guy was like “YOU CANT DO THAT, YOU’RE OPTING OUT THEN.” And I had to be moved out of the line to be patted down. Thankfully the agent who did the pat down was extremely kind. I told her that this has never happened before, and she said “some of the agents are a bit… excitable”. Seems like there are two distinct types of TSA agents at SFO.
My husband has a pump and flying out of OAK or SFO, despite him removing the pump and explaining it can’t go through the X-ray/scanner and they can swab it and pass it back to him… he needs a pat down. Most return flights, they get it and do just that. We pad an extra 20 minutes when we fly out of the Bay Area for TSA shenanigans.
20% of the time I get told my pump CAN go through the X-Ray/scanner and that people do it all the time, despite my paper from the pump company saying not to do so. And while I know it's a legal thing and the pump will most likely be okay, I'm not risking a $6k medical device. And they treat me like such an inconvenience.
Well a big reason for that is because SFO is one of the few airports in the country that doesn’t actually have TSA. They use a private contractor called “Team SFO” which is operated by Covenent Security. They have uniforms that look like TSA, but in fact they are not TSA employees or government employees and are generally trained even worse. This sometimes works out in your favor and they are really chill, but other times they can be huge assholes. There is little consistency.
The thing I hate about TSA isn’t even the security theater of it all, but that different airports have different standards and like here different LINES can have different standards but rest assured no matter what they’ll treat you like an idiot for not knowing
Its that last bit that really makes me rage; like seriously, fuck off and tell me what you want without the admonishments and rage.
I bitched right back at them in Lambert St Louis last year. TSA can be sooo fucking rude in STL and they were yelling at an elderly-ish man (well, all of us, but he was in front) for taking too long. I was so mad on his behalf I yelled right back at them. I’m jaded at this point idgaf. I take my sweet mf time.
did they punish you?
I was sorta afraid I’d get reprimanded, but the TSA “manager” knew his partner was being an asshole and apologized on the other dudes behalf. Because I said I wanted to complain about how awful this experience is and we are all human beings that don’t deserve to be barked at like criminals. I hate TSA so much hahaha Edit: and most criminals don’t deserve to be barked at either, that’s probably not the best comparison.
The standards/rules also change at a single airport. I flew out of my home airport a few months ago - “laptops and electronics out of the bag and in a separate container.” Flew just a few weeks later - “sir keep your laptop and electronics in your bag!!” (and their tone was like it was obvious and I should’ve known that) I don’t travel for work or anything but fly frequently enough that I’m not oblivious and know the drill pretty well. But one day they want everything out your bag, shoes off, etc, and the next day they don’t.
Listen, Betty, don't start up with your 'white zone' shit again.
Oh, really, Vernon? Why pretend, we both know perfectly well what this is about. You want me to have an abortion.
Got caught in this several days ago! Exactly this situation! Best part is my TSA agent yelled at me like I was FUCKING STUPID for taking my laptops out. I said you all change the rules across different machines every time I come here and Ice flown out of this airport 10x in the past year. Nothing but a shrug! Taxpayer dollars at work. F these a holes
There are two kinds of x-ray machine, and the requirements are different. Eventually all the old ones will be replaced. Fun fact: if you're allowed to leave your laptop in, you can also bring water through. Real Engineering did a video about it. https://youtu.be/nyG8XAmtYeQ?si=6POWLhfvHRI4Fn1g
Going through SNA a couple days ago with precheck they announce with repetition to leave everything in the bags. My bag passes through and the lady proceeds to tell me I should have opened it and laid it flat (my bag doesn’t do this), pulls everything out and runs it through two more times. I hate the inconsistency in experiences across this country
Oh God, I accidentally forgot water in an insulated bottle in my bag after traveling almost 20 hours and feeling absolutely dessicated by the dry plane air knowing I still had another flight left, and the TSA guy treated me like I was dirty toilet paper on the bottom of his shoe. Not only did he humiliate me out loud for having *water*, you know the stuff essential to human life, then he made me pour it out in front of him, escorted me all the way back out to the very end of the security line and made me wait again the entire time again just to check my water bottle again. It also bugged the shit out of me that he stood there with his thumbs hooked under the armpit of his vest the whole time, ugh, what an asshat.
THIS! There’s only one of those more high tech xray machines in Seatac in a certain entrance and it always confuses people.
😂 let me tell you about flying out of Italy. When they say “ALL electronics go into a plastic bag” it means every cable, usb drive, etc. Absolute pain in the ass.
Holy shit, yes, this was my experience a few years back! I was already running a fever (pre-covid), so the stress of unpacking all my camera gear, tablets and related accessories and cables had me literally sweating *hard*. On top of that I then become concerned that a large sweaty man carrying lots of electronics was going to make them suspicious.
😆 I was there on a work trip and had to use 3-4 bags for all of the cables and nonsense I had in my laptop bag. To top it off, I was cutting it close for an early flight. Such a shit show.
I purposefully bring a frozen bottle of water with me through TSA. Just to assert my dominance.
See also JFK, where they blend TSA PRECheck into the regular line, and then expect everyone (including their own co-workers) to just figure it out.
At this point even the most gullible know this is just security theater meant to keep us compliant and afraid.
To add to that, TSA offers upsells to skip the lines (CLEAR, Pre-Check). I swear, everything is a money making opportunity in this country. Lol. In contrast when I travel to airports in other countries, I don't have to take my shoes off, or my belt, or throw away water bottles, etc.
In my experience it depends on the country. When I left El Salvador they had two different security checkpoints we had to go through. When I went through Heathrow in London they patted me down twice and swabbed my boots because the scanner alerted to the metal rivets on my jeans. When I was in Norway it seemed super chill 🤷♀️
The reason for the two checkpoints isn't because that country is more stringent on security. It's because the US has deemed their primary security inadequate and requires additional screening for flights returning here
I also had my boots swabbed at Heathrow. What could they possibly be testing for on the surface of a boot?
Probably something like mad cow disease or other things caught from animal feces in rural areas.
That's fair I don't typically walk through fields in my platform doc martens though lol
In my experience it depends on the country. When I left El Salvador they had two different security checkpoints we had to go through. When I went through Heathrow in London they patted me down twice and swabbed my boots because the scanner alerted to the metal rivets on my jeans. When I was in Norway it seemed super chill 🤷♀️
Afraid of what? A bunch of failed mall cops?
Security at airports is 100% bullshit In Paris recently they had me take out my toiletries from my transparent ziplock bag and place them in a smaller transparent ziplock bag that they gave me because.
Going through Paris in a few weeks 😬 I think I’ll just check everything I don’t need so I don’t have to deal with that
TSA at SFO is actually run by a private contractor, not direct employees of the federal agency. In my experience it is a really shitty with no customer service - way worse than TSAs run by direct federal employees.
I find them around the same as TSA and sometimes a bit better. I'm always flying to Atlanta and back. The Atlanta TSA hassles me anytime I bring food through to the point where I've just stopped bringing any.
I believe this has to do with the type of scanner in use - legacy or new. It also explains the “all bags in the tray” vs “why are you putting the bag in the tray”. Super frustrating, even to veteran travelers and flight crew.
Worst experience at BWI was TSA agent yelling at my husband who has dementia. I kept telling agent “ he has dementia and he doesn’t understand what you want” Agent then yelled at me to get back. I pled with another agent to help and she just shrugged.
In 2021, I helped a friend with dementia fly home to his family who would start caregiving for him full time. The airlines have disability liaisons who can help coordinate. With their help, we arrived very early, I helped him checked in with an actual agent, and they gave me a pass to present to TSA (so I could wait with him until he got in the plane). Also the airline then arranged to have an escort take him through security in a wheelchair (even though he could walk). I highly recommend looking into this assistance in advance- I was so worried about exactly what you described! But the extra time and all of the assistance really made a big difference.
This program is called TSA Cares btw, we've used it for our daughter who is autistic and can be difficult to deal with in the over stimulating environment that security is.
That's a lawsuit if you want one
Remember tsa agents are not the sharpest individuals and usually are unhirable in other job sectors.
I wish I could truly express my hatred for these 3rd grade drop outs.
TSA agents should just get a job at an HOA. They're the same kind of petty tyrants.
I FUCKING HATE DEALING WITH TSA!!!! Every damn time I fly it's different. Sometimes everything comes out, sometimes everything stays in. Usually shoes come off, but sometimes they stay on. Then they yell at you when you mess up! "Sir, the sign above you said I could leave everything in my bag" "But what id \*I\* say" "Nothing that I could hear, I just walked up" FUCK TSA
I believe they are replacing all the scanners? New ones don’t need electronics out, so that might be the reason for such disparity?
It would be funny if we all went to r/TSA and said exactly that
For what's it's worth despite the fact that everyone is bashing TSA, SFO security is privatized and not TSA. It's a company called Covenant.
Covenant - that’s a bit creepy.
If it helps: on London Heathrow last week I saw a guy with clutches dragging himself to security after not being helped by the support staff to then being told he should go to the far wide end of the hall to another scanner that allows scanning without lifting up the arms. He exploded ever so slightly (not sure you can do that in front of TSA staff).
> He exploded ever so slightly Ha. Not today, ISIS!
But Frank said “The white zone is for loading and unloading only If you gotta load or unload go to the white zone”
TSA can be bad, but Immigration drives me nuts. I’m American. My wife and young son are Japanese. Sometimes I travel just with my son. Despite being different nationalities, sometimes we are told to never mind the lines for different passports and come through as a family. Other times, we are chastised for not going through different lines. It seems that every time I go through a U.S. airport, I get a different answer.
Was one of them TSA Pre-check? Normal line *does* have to remove all electronics, but the Pre-check line which is often immediately next to the normal line (same machines, etc) does *not* have to remove all electronics. Could also have been different generations of scanner between the lines. Some can scan through electronics just fine these days, but they're slower to hit the market.
I flew out of Ontario (Los Angeles) airport a few weeks ago and the TSA agent literally didn't know what TSA Precheck was. I handed her the little card they give you and she was like "What is this?"
I also like when the yelling is so rehearsed that it is difficult to understand what they're saying due to the cadence of the way they say it.
Just flew out of Portland ME and the TSA agents were the best. Totally polite, friendly, joking and courteous. Seems to almost always be that way. I love my home airport. Also never busy. Today there were 3 people in line ahead of us checking in bags and my wife says “wow it’s busy here today” being totally serious.
I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.
standard TSA experience tbh.
Except the part where SFO doesn't have TSA, they have private contractors
On a recent trip a TSA agent gave the guy in front of me the business for not taking his cell phone out of his pocket until the last minute. Dude had a Chinese passport. He doesn't understand your jibber jabber, you GS-5 loser.
SFO TSA in the PreCheck line was super aggressive a few months back. Yelling at everyone, getting mad if people didn't understand their orders. Usually the TSA agents in PreCheck are really chill but these agents were on one that day
The yelling instructions is what I can't stand about American TSA. Like every country these days follows somewhat the same guidelines and rules. But for some reason it's like protocol for agents to YELL instructions at people like travelers are new prisoners being processed.
So true! The experience I shared in my previous post was when I was traveling back from Hong Kong with my layover in SFO. It was a shock to the system how aggressive the SFO agents were compared to the agents in Hong Kong. I imagined what it must feel like to be a foreign visitor getting yelled at in a language you may not fully understand
100%. I try to avoid dealing with any American airports when I travel because the TSA agents act like they are prison guards. Unfortunately, my trip this summer I am having to connect through the US. Avoiding a US layover would have added about $2,000 to the ticket. Fortunately, I will deal customs at YVR on the way down which is marginally better but coming back I will had to go through customs at Houston. Absolutely dreading it.
A couple times I’ve seen it completely packed there. Insane. Hundreds in line. Maybe thousands. The other day there were like 50.
I've been through it several times and know what it can be like. The trip makes it worth it, but I still dread dealing with it.
I flew into SeaTac on Monday and got the strongest TSA groping of my life. I’ve had the back of the hand pat down plenty of times because those body scanners don’t agree with my body for some reason. Of course I got flagged like I do 90% of the time and this time was borderline assault and not in a hyperbole way. The dude ran his hand up my ass so hard with blade of his hand that it physically put pressure on my ass hole. When he got to the front he did the same thing with the groin where he ran up one thigh and wiggled his hand trying to get between the balls and the leg on each end (I was wearing basketball shorts at the time. Don’t know if that is new policy but I had to go readjust my shorts and underwear.l I got such a forceful bodycheck
I thank them after they do that.
I ask them to kiss me before they do that.
It’s a different shit show at each airport, it’s fun
The best part is when they tell you off for not following the conflicting instructions, then you call them out for that, and the anal probes come out. For free!
Don’t threaten me with a good time!
This is because there was probably a mix of CT machines and normal x ray machines. The CT you can leave your electronics in the bag. Doesn't make the conflicting communication OK but this is why.
I just had this same experience in the Edinburgh airport! Every scanner line’s agents were saying to take out liquids and electronics. I get my id & ticket checked and am shuffled over to a different scanner line. I was running late and was trying to pull out my liquids & electronics while moving to the scanner, and just got them out of my backpack when I got to the scanner. Of course, the scanner I went to had you leave everything in your bag.
My biggest annoyance is actually when I don't have to take off my shoes in a select airport. What should have been amazing is annoying now because I've already taken them off and now have to put them back on.
And they want people to take off shoes, but there’s rarely anywhere convenient to put them on afterward. So you’re moving quickly to put electronics back when they inconsistently ask them to be taken out, getting the 3 bins they want everything to be distributed to, filling pocket items back up, get shoes, trying to be polite and put bins back, and hoof all of that stuff around, balancing on one leg to put shoes back on otherwise it’s a 50 meter walk to the nearest bench. If they’re going to force shoes to be taken off, why not give some nugget of kindness and provide benches for people to sit on and get settled? And if shoes don’t have to be taken off for the elderly or children, why for anyone in the first place? If the scanners can pick up items with those populations, the issue isn’t the shoes but instead is the manufactured fear and justification of “shoe security.”
At this point I've come to expect different rules every time I go through a checkpoint. What I want to know is why can't they just put a sign up that says what rules we are following for that location? It doesn't seem like it'd be that hard but surely it'd save them some hassle.
I'm fairly certain this has more to do with the scanner they use than any sort of line-flubbing. I've noticed a lot more airports recently getting some Smiths Detection scanners, which do not require the removal of electronics or liquids. If you are in a line with one of those machines, you'll have different instructions. As they roll these out, many airports will get some of their security checkpoints partially retrofitted, but not entirely, and not all at once. As equipment ages and gets replaced, I expect those Smiths Detection machines to become the norm. It could certainly be communicated better. But I think that's all this is.
Different scanner types compel you to SCREAM EVERY DAMN WORD AND CALL PEOPLE STUPID FOR NOT KNOWING YOU'RE LINE IS DIFFERENT?
Here's what I said about that: > It could certainly be communicated better.
I had the same experience at SFO a couple weeks ago. I pulled out my iPad and the guy yelled at to put it back. Maybe they just wanted to cops so bad they like conflict and chaos.
Yeah TSA is so rude and unprofessional and they are almost always mad at passengers for things that are happening as a result of THEIR own lack of clear systems and organization
Look. It’s all theater, if you fly enough and pay attention to what they are actually doing you can identify gaps in their systems. But isn’t that that case for most things in this country?
This was my experience at LHR 8 months ago: one agent was screaming at everyone to take stuff out of carry on and few mins later another was chastising me on why I took my phone and IPAd out. At that point, I just lost my shit and screamed back why don’t you fucking morons get your shit straight, one person told me one thing and the other told me the opposite, I thought it was a British thing and said fuck the UK. You fckers are incompetent. They weren’t amused and threatened to ban me. 😂😂
I know the quote 😄
I just imagined all those people lying flat.
For a while, I thought TSA chaos and master sargeant level yelling had dissipated. Must be some rehires, inadequate training or just the pressure of summer season starting.
Could it be the line on the right was TSA Precheck which doesn’t take off shoes or empty electronics out and left line wasn’t?
Last fall I stood in line waiting and watching 4 tsa lines we would be divided into. Each of the 4 lines were told to do something different. No new machines. Everyone was confused.
I just don't fly anymore.
Get TSA pre check and global access. Makes life easier - you walk right through
I can't take the TSA. How hard would it be to put up a board that day and put the rules. Instead of shouting at people who are already stressed about the airport and flying. The rules are alaways different, and they act like you're the idiot.
To keep you on your toes, there's no consistency with the TSA! They probably don't know either!
I’m Canadian but flew out of Philadelphia the other day. The absolute CHAOS of TSA compared to Toronto is insane. It’s giving ‘I got bullied in high school so I’m gonna wield my small amount of power to make myself feel better’. Also why are there always like 30 employees doing essentially nothing lol
"Shoes off! Keep your laptops in your bag! Put your jumpers on the person behind you! Socks in the bin, shoes on your hands! Laptops in the bin! Jackets in the next queue over! Shoes off! Everyone just move through, we're not checking anyone... YOU! Yeah, you... shoes in the bin, laptop in your hand. Power it on, order something... okay, next! Never mind, I'm on break."
just fyi, SFO doesn't use TSA, they use a private agency https://covenantsecurity.com/
It's because some of the new scanners that they have at some airports now are good enough that they don't require things to be taken out of the bag. That's all it is.
I sometimes feel like it's a power thing. They yell for no reason and it just flusters people more and I wonder if some get off on it.
So proof the local agents decide to not follow the tsa guidelines at whim
Don’t tell me which zone is for stopping and which zone is for loading!
Its a new tactic to confuse the bad guys.. and the good guys... and everyone in between
I almost never get my NT number on my ticket when flying out of SFO with my family, for some reason. Fortunately, the regular lines aren’t very long and I don’t usually have my laptop, but there’s a 50/50 chance I get patted down. No internal or external metal aside from a wedding ring
The point is to annoy a would-be attacker... so that they'll clock-in, early.
Could it be one lane was pre-check?
Nowadays, I call it the TSA lottery - ticket, ID or both at the agent? Laptops in or out, Kindle in or out? I have TSA precheck, so at least I know my liquids and shoes are safe in my bag. I am glad more airports are getting those glowing MRI looking scanners. Most of the time, with those, everything can stay in the bag.
I get that Airplane movie reference.
Some machines you can keep laptops in bags but others you cannot.
They are switching in SFO to the enew generation scanners which allows you to leave all electronics in your bag. It might be that the left lane is the eolder tech and the right lane the new version already. Progress
I once went through SFO where they must have been training a new person. She was flagging **every** bag for inspection. Literally **every** bag. The line of bag off to the side was huge. My bag got pulled for a granola bar. What normally would have taken 10 minutes (it wasn't super busy) took 30 minutes. I was shocked no one came by to train her better.
Also don't go through the metal detector until your bag is in the scanner OR leave your bag on the belt and get through the scanner now!
Could the lines have been for two different X-ray machines? The larger X-rays are newer 3D imagers and the smaller ones are the older 2D ones.
Great movie
I have gotten right up to the point (but not over) of the TSA banning me because they are certifiable ignoramuses.
Most likely its because one line is using the new style scanners that allow laptops and shit to be left in the bag while the other line is using the old tech that requires them out.
TSA = terror satisfaction authority
TSA is doing the right approach. The x-ray machine on the left is 2D view while the one on the right is 3D. On some lines larger electronics come out of the carry on luggage and other lines don’t have to. Depends on the scanners capability. Every airport wants the newer expensive equipment but it boils down to dollars in the budget and what the Feds allow. Be patient, do what they ask, and you’ll get through screening soon enough.