5 ms·

I didn't get a warning, but I did have my bag opened, all my belongings thrown out on the ground, and was delayed for 30-45 minutes... All this because I had a

I didn't get a warning, but I did have my bag opened, all my belongings thrown out on the ground, and was delayed for 30-45 minutes... All this because I had a box of poptarts that apparently looked like a bomb.

stephengillie 11y ago
It may be an unpopular opinion to express, but these "horror stories of TSA incompetence" are somewhat entertaining to those who cannot afford to fly. It's like that "Cops" TV show, on location in the airports of America, with the men and women of law enforcement - the TSA in this case. Your having LEOs violate your rights and go thru your belongings - for someone thinking your box is a bomb - is no different than a cop stopping a driver for thinking the driver's Coke can is a Budweiser and searching their car.
- spinlock 11y ago
  This is why I can't support high speed rail enough. You get from downtown nyc to Washington dc without having your human rights violated. And its faster too.
  - nitrogen 11y ago
    IIRC the TSA occasionally sets up airport style security checkpoints at train exits. A search of HN should show some examples.
    - mikemac 11y ago
      Boston police (or transit police) does this randomly on the MBTA train system.
    - op00to 11y ago
      VIPR is what you're looking for: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visible_Intermodal_Prevention_and_Response_team https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visible_Intermodal_Prevention_... It's not exactly airport style - at least in NYC and Philly they swab you for explosives and check your ID. No X-Ray or nude-o-scope. You're free to not go through the checkpoint (but you won't board your train).
  - tlrobinson 11y ago
    What makes you think they wouldn't institute similar TSA-style [1] security on a shiny new high-profile high speed rail? 1. Or literally the TSA: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us/tsa-expands-duties-beyond-airport-security.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us/tsa-expands-duties-beyo...
    - jdavis703 11y ago
      Right, Spain already does this. And I've during high-profile events I've seen TSA patrolling the main subway stations in Washington, DC.
      - wutbrodo 11y ago
        I've been travelling all around Spain for the last month and I wouldn't characterize the Renfe/AVE security as anywhere near the TSAs. You basically just put your bags through a machine and get waved through, and I've yet to wait in much of a line.
        mpeg 11y ago
        Yeah, same thing for the Eurostar, it's a much saner security and check-in process. As much as I love flying, I always take the train from London to Paris or between Madrid and Barcelona.
      - ojm 11y ago
        I nearly lost a pocketknife when my suitcase was x-rayed at a Spanish train station. Our small satchel bags and bodies did not get x-rayed, but the large suitcases did. I forgot I had a pocketknife in there (as it's fine usually for airport security as a check in bag). Somehow, when my suitcase got scanned, they mixed up the order and the person behind me got stopped for having a knife. By that time, I was making a quick getaway to the platform as I didn't want to lose the knife. I could have just had a knife (and bomb?) in my satchel bag, so was pretty confused by the whole x-ray suitcases only situation.
    - monksy 11y ago
  - santaclaus 11y ago
    Ehhh, I once had the contents of my backpack dumped all over a train station floor by the NYPD while leaving the LIRR.
- revelation 11y ago
  The harassment quota on TSA security checks is 100%. Meanwhile, I've never been stopped driving once. (Also, of course, there is a semblance of due process with traffic stops)
- centizen 11y ago
  I don't think that's an unpopular opinion at all - even for those who fly regularly. So much so, there are already several different COPS style 'reality' shows depicting controversial airport security encounters, at least one in the USA.
- chx 11y ago
  > Your having LEOs violate your rights and go thru your belongings the TSA smurfs are NOT an LEO! They are roughly the equivalent of desk clerks dressing in clothing designed to confuse people about this. They neither have the rights nor the competence of an LEO.
dawnerd 11y ago
Thats funny. I had an unopened box of amazon aa batteries which really looked like a bomb on the x-ray (got to see it when they were inspecting). We both laughed about it when the lady saw what it was. I could tell he was really nervous though. Took me all of 5 minutes to resolve. Guess some tsa agents are just not very good at their job.
- pavel_lishin 11y ago
  > Guess some tsa agents are just not very good at their job. Probably depends on the metric you're using to evaluate that.
  - lilott8 11y ago
    Nope, it doesn't. Even using their own metrics they are abject failures: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-tsa-airport-security-charade-20150608-story.html http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-tsa-a... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/01/tsa-fails-95-percent-tests-homeland-security_n_7485558.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/01/tsa-fails-95-percen...
- tombrossman 11y ago
  I flew from Atlanta a while back with a bunch of Trader Joe's 'Pound Plus' chocolate bars and a ten pound (!) Ghirardelli chocolate bar in my carry-on which got quite a reaction. The poor girl doing the screening seemed to think an explosion was imminent and was visibly distressed, quickly leaving her post and grabbing a supervisor. For those that don't know, big chocolate bars are organic material and look like explosives and I've seen this happen before - I was waiting to see the reaction. The supervisor and the girl came back and I laughed and said 'clearly you have spotted my giant chocolate bar', and volunteered all the standard answers (yes I packed this myself, it's been with me the whole time, etc) and they calmed down. I was worried they were going to want to open the package which was a gift and I didn't want them all riled up. We all learned something that day, they learned that big ten-pound chocolate bars are a real thing and I learned that terrorists can probably carry bombs on board as long as they are sealed in a Ghirardelli box. TSA didn't even bother with the swabs or sniffer dog. Bottom line is that TSA agents have no skin in the game, if they miss dangerous items it's the passengers who suffer the loss, not the agents standing safely at their posts on the ground at the airport.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
uremog 11y ago
Last time I came back to the US, customs stopped me before leaving the airport because I had "undeclared food items". Yes, I had a bag of snack sized Oreos and nothing more.
- URSpider94 11y ago
  ... which is an undeclared food item. It's a simple question, and you answered it incorrectly.

stephengillie 11y ago

It may be an unpopular opinion to express, but these "horror stories of TSA incompetence" are somewhat entertaining to those who cannot afford to fly. It's like that "Cops" TV show, on location in the airports of America, with the men and women of law enforcement - the TSA in this case. Your having LEOs violate your rights and go thru your belongings - for someone thinking your box is a bomb - is no different than a cop stopping a driver for thinking the driver's Coke can is a Budweiser and searching their car.

spinlock 11y ago
This is why I can't support high speed rail enough. You get from downtown nyc to Washington dc without having your human rights violated. And its faster too.
- nitrogen 11y ago
  IIRC the TSA occasionally sets up airport style security checkpoints at train exits. A search of HN should show some examples.
  - mikemac 11y ago
    Boston police (or transit police) does this randomly on the MBTA train system.
  - op00to 11y ago
    VIPR is what you're looking for: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visible_Intermodal_Prevention_and_Response_team https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visible_Intermodal_Prevention_... It's not exactly airport style - at least in NYC and Philly they swab you for explosives and check your ID. No X-Ray or nude-o-scope. You're free to not go through the checkpoint (but you won't board your train).
- tlrobinson 11y ago
  What makes you think they wouldn't institute similar TSA-style [1] security on a shiny new high-profile high speed rail? 1. Or literally the TSA: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us/tsa-expands-duties-beyond-airport-security.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us/tsa-expands-duties-beyo...
  - jdavis703 11y ago
    Right, Spain already does this. And I've during high-profile events I've seen TSA patrolling the main subway stations in Washington, DC.
    - wutbrodo 11y ago
      I've been travelling all around Spain for the last month and I wouldn't characterize the Renfe/AVE security as anywhere near the TSAs. You basically just put your bags through a machine and get waved through, and I've yet to wait in much of a line.
      - mpeg 11y ago
        Yeah, same thing for the Eurostar, it's a much saner security and check-in process. As much as I love flying, I always take the train from London to Paris or between Madrid and Barcelona.
    - ojm 11y ago
      I nearly lost a pocketknife when my suitcase was x-rayed at a Spanish train station. Our small satchel bags and bodies did not get x-rayed, but the large suitcases did. I forgot I had a pocketknife in there (as it's fine usually for airport security as a check in bag). Somehow, when my suitcase got scanned, they mixed up the order and the person behind me got stopped for having a knife. By that time, I was making a quick getaway to the platform as I didn't want to lose the knife. I could have just had a knife (and bomb?) in my satchel bag, so was pretty confused by the whole x-ray suitcases only situation.
  - monksy 11y ago
- santaclaus 11y ago
  Ehhh, I once had the contents of my backpack dumped all over a train station floor by the NYPD while leaving the LIRR.
revelation 11y ago
The harassment quota on TSA security checks is 100%. Meanwhile, I've never been stopped driving once. (Also, of course, there is a semblance of due process with traffic stops)
centizen 11y ago
I don't think that's an unpopular opinion at all - even for those who fly regularly. So much so, there are already several different COPS style 'reality' shows depicting controversial airport security encounters, at least one in the USA.
chx 11y ago
> Your having LEOs violate your rights and go thru your belongings the TSA smurfs are NOT an LEO! They are roughly the equivalent of desk clerks dressing in clothing designed to confuse people about this. They neither have the rights nor the competence of an LEO.

dawnerd 11y ago

Thats funny. I had an unopened box of amazon aa batteries which really looked like a bomb on the x-ray (got to see it when they were inspecting). We both laughed about it when the lady saw what it was. I could tell he was really nervous though. Took me all of 5 minutes to resolve. Guess some tsa agents are just not very good at their job.

pavel_lishin 11y ago
> Guess some tsa agents are just not very good at their job. Probably depends on the metric you're using to evaluate that.
- lilott8 11y ago
  Nope, it doesn't. Even using their own metrics they are abject failures: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-tsa-airport-security-charade-20150608-story.html http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-tsa-a... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/01/tsa-fails-95-percent-tests-homeland-security_n_7485558.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/01/tsa-fails-95-percen...
tombrossman 11y ago
I flew from Atlanta a while back with a bunch of Trader Joe's 'Pound Plus' chocolate bars and a ten pound (!) Ghirardelli chocolate bar in my carry-on which got quite a reaction. The poor girl doing the screening seemed to think an explosion was imminent and was visibly distressed, quickly leaving her post and grabbing a supervisor. For those that don't know, big chocolate bars are organic material and look like explosives and I've seen this happen before - I was waiting to see the reaction. The supervisor and the girl came back and I laughed and said 'clearly you have spotted my giant chocolate bar', and volunteered all the standard answers (yes I packed this myself, it's been with me the whole time, etc) and they calmed down. I was worried they were going to want to open the package which was a gift and I didn't want them all riled up. We all learned something that day, they learned that big ten-pound chocolate bars are a real thing and I learned that terrorists can probably carry bombs on board as long as they are sealed in a Ghirardelli box. TSA didn't even bother with the swabs or sniffer dog. Bottom line is that TSA agents have no skin in the game, if they miss dangerous items it's the passengers who suffer the loss, not the agents standing safely at their posts on the ground at the airport.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

uremog 11y ago

Last time I came back to the US, customs stopped me before leaving the airport because I had "undeclared food items". Yes, I had a bag of snack sized Oreos and nothing more.

URSpider94 11y ago
... which is an undeclared food item. It's a simple question, and you answered it incorrectly.