4 ms·
Great read. And scary, and frustrating. What might be entirely coincidence, but I found interesting, was that this was a JetBlue flight from JFK. The one time
by rallison 6y ago
Great read. And scary, and frustrating.
What might be entirely coincidence, but I found interesting, was that this was a JetBlue flight from JFK. The one time I triggered the explosives detection machine was a JetBlue flight from JFK. I had almost nothing special - a carryon I've used many times before, with clothes and toiletries. I also had two small fossils I bought from the Evolution store in NYC, which the TSA agent seemed especially interested in retesting.
In my case though, I just had to deal with a thorough search of the carryon, confusion from other TSA agents (something like "oh, you searched the carryon? That wasn't necessary" from one agent to another) and listening to the main TSA agent wax poetic about how evolution is a lie and how climate change is a hoax.
- nucleardog 6y agoMeanwhile I’ve gone gun range to airport without a change of clothes between and neither my skin or clothing apparently triggered anything when they swabbed me... Not sure what specifically their explosives test is testing for, but when I realized what I’d done while waiting in the security line the scenario that played out in my head definitely included them picking up on a wackload of gunpowder residue.
- kweks 6y agoPyrotechnician here. I've walked off gigs with my hands black from powder, smelling of powder, with so much powder falling from my bags that the security guards laughed about how "dirty" my bag was, got swabbed and went through without issue. Likewise, I have had colleagues travel with 12" mortar shells in their baggage without any issue. I can only assume they're checking for deflagrating explosives (TATP, ampho, etc).
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 6y agoThis is tremendously ballsy, and hilarious.