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I dislike the sense of judgment from TSA officials when I don’t correctly predict which items they do/don’t want me to put in the tray. It’s not my fault that d

I dislike the sense of judgment from TSA officials when I don’t correctly predict which items they do/don’t want me to put in the tray. It’s not my fault that different airports seem to have completely different rules for the same items.

SanjayMehta 2mo ago
[flagged]
zhivota 2mo ago
Even different lines in the same security area can have different rules. If you travel a lot you start to recognize which machines require laptops out of bags and which don't, for instance. It is really anxiety inducing overall though. Not to mention the ritual of getting partly undressed before the stupid thing then trying to put everything back on and in pockets on the other side.
- zamadatix 2mo ago
  Does anyone happen to know which ones are fine with 2 laptops per bag and which ones aren't?
nucleardog 2mo ago
I've often thought that having a standardized checklist on a big board in the security line would be a big help. Laptops: In/Out Liquids: In/Out Shoes: On/Off Etc Because yeah, it's really annoying getting treated like I'm the dummy by some agent that's only ever known this airport's rules... because this airport has rules entirely different than every other one I've flown through in this decade. Recently had to fly with some splints and crutches and stuff and that was a whole extra set of fun difference in airport rules. First one really wanted to rub their explosives swab on my finger that was held together by exposed metal pins and had exposed subcutaneous tissue. They were a bit put off when I asked for alternate options.
- genghisjahn 2mo ago
  Does in/out mean in the tray or out of the bag?
  - Insanity 2mo ago
    Easy fix: - Laptop: In Tray / In bag - Shoes: Wear / Remove I’m sure we can come up with clear wording for such a sign lol.
    - euroderf 2mo ago
      In polyglot Europe, all this stuff should be in pictograms... but isn't.
      - seb1204 2mo ago
        Reading here the x-ray machine model or type might be a true technical reason why there are seemingly always different rules. Even same airport, different terminal canbe different due to different build year and machines. What I don't understand is why people simply don't pay attention? By the time it's my turn I have seen the 3-10 people in front of me go through the motions, so I naturally preempt and prepare based on what I have observed. Not a guarantee for no issues but a solid step to not mess up completely.
    - jonhohle 2mo ago
      - Belt/Watch: leave in unless it has enough metal to trip the metal detector, then take off but we’ll yell at you for holding up the line/losing your pants. Also: here’s a list of things we are constitutionally not allowed to require, but if you choose to opt out you have a random 1:1 chance of being selected for an invasive “enhanced” screening. Also: here’s where you can pay your bribe^H^H^H^H*Hfee to be prescreened so the whole process is easier for you unless we decide we you should be on the list that we randomly select for “enhanced” screening. Then your children get to watch a large man put his hands all over your body in ways that they’ve been told to never let a stranger touch you. And if you speak up, we’ll do it you your minor children too.
xetera 2mo ago
I've experienced this at non-US airports where the x-ray at the entrance asks for different things to be in the tray than the x-rays before boarding. It's impossible to keep track of what goes where.
cmiles8 2mo ago
Even at the same airport they can’t seem to get it right amongst themselves. Recently had one TSA person yelling at me to keep something in my bag and then the next person down the line yelling at me for having it in my bag. When I pointed to the other agent and said “your friend over there told me to do the opposite, that’s why it’s in there!” they just sort of scowled at me. I just smiled and went about my day, but yes the TSA is often just a total dumpster fire. Some folks are very nice but too many of their folks have a giant chip on their shoulder about something.
- Swizec 2mo ago
  > When I pointed to the other agent and said “your friend over there told me to do the opposite, that’s why it’s in there!” they just sort of scowled at me. Recent fun experience in Amsterdam: security line was moving veeeery slowly. Almost every bag got flagged for inspection. As I’m waiting for my bag to get checked, I see two agents briefly mutter in each others ears. One of them walks up to the lady manning the xray machine, taps her on the shoulder, says something in her ear and they swap places. He goes on xray machine, she start checking bags. Almost every bag after that passed the xray test. Line started moving quickly
  - lifestyleguru 2mo ago
    My personal positive experience in English speaking country (but not US or UK obviously) was the staff said that passengers don't need to take out stuff from hand luggage for security scanning because they have "the new kind of machines" although the machines didn't look exactly new.
    - BenjiWiebe 2mo ago
      Perhaps it's newer software, better at flagging and identifying things?
      - lifestyleguru 2mo ago
        Seriously though they likely profiled the shit out of everyone and the system said that there are no terrorists or drug dealers in the bunch.
lesinski 2mo ago
One time, a TSA official told me "never take off your watch in an airport unless you want to lose it" -- which is how I learned that you can wear your watch through the metal detector just fine, which I've now done dozens of times. Until a few weeks ago when a another TSA official berated me for thinking I could walk through a metal detector wearing a watch...
- basisword 2mo ago
  I was told this about my passport and wallet once. Then the other day asked if I could keep a tissue in my pocket and was told to put it in the tray. I think it depends on the scanners (if you’re going through a metal sector it’s fine, if its one of the more fancy scanners they need everything off your person.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 2mo ago
  Proximity is the issue. If the watch or bracelet wrist is very physically close to the detector, it will set it off. You're supposed to the watch/bracelet, but you do have to hold your wrist close to your body. You kind of want to hold your hands in front of your body as if you're about to grab one of your wrists with your other hand. Watches and other jewelry are basically right at the cutoff of detection. They want to detect small knives but not earrings. This is all absolutely tribal airport knowledge. I had been traveling for work for years, taken hundreds of flights, but I only found this out when my partner tried to go through a metal detector with a semi-permanent bracelet that requires a small screwdriver to take off, and the TSA person mercifully told her exactly how to pose as she walked through the detector.
- triceratops 2mo ago
  I just put my watch, wallet, phone and other loose or pocket belongings in my backpack or jacket that's already going in the tray. No chance of losing anything.
- BobaFloutist 2mo ago
  My wife and I just habitually empty our hands and pockets into the bin. Most recent flight we took, she couldn't find her passport for the extra security check right before the gate. It took us about half an hour to get around to having the security open up the (now closed) bag scanner, which lo and behold, had somehow eaten her (securely places in the bin) passport. The tech was shaking his head, saying "See, this is why you don't put your passport loose in the bin" as if that's a normal thing everyone already knows specifically to avoid.
wlesieutre 2mo ago
I had a small local airport act like I was an idiot for not knowing they wanted all food items removed from carryon for scanning. Literally never heard of that.
patwork 2mo ago
I used to travel for work. 100ish flight segments a year all over the country, typically carrying two laptops - corporate and client. In one airport, I had a TSA agent yell at me that I'm not allowed to bring two laptops through precheck in my bag. That they had to go through separately. I complied but asked if that was this airport's policy because no other airport seemed to care. She swore up and down that this was national TSA policy and I should know better if I flew so much. When I look at the TSA's success rates in audits, I tend to agree with the claim that it is more a government jobs program than a security agency.
- 59percentmore 2mo ago
  And, to be clear, it's a crappy job. Get up ungodly early to travel to a work site in the middle of nowhere to shepherd thousands of jumpy/tired strangers* through arcane procedure (possibly in a language that they don't exactly have a firm grasp of) in the hopes of catching the one-in-a-million who has shown up specifically with the intent to kill you and as many other people as possible (or so your training says). All while gaining basically no transferrable skills. *Also, a significant portion of these strangers are headed to destinations and experiences you could never dream of affording or having the opportunity to access.
  - Ferret7446 1mo ago
    The workers do have a choice to not take it, so it's clearly not that crappy when weighed against the pay and job security (and free doohickies they "confiscate").
throwaway_7274 2mo ago
Isn’t this the point? To destabilize you, put you on your back foot, make you feel preemptively guilty and a little angry, to feel the presence of an Authority?
- wat10000 2mo ago
  The point is to be seen to be doing something, so that the nervous public sees that Something is being Done, and so that politicians can say they did all they could the next time there’s an attack. Anything they actually do is very much secondary.
  - ceejayoz 2mo ago
    And annoyingly, the real, meaningful things they do do aren't sexy. Reinforced cockpit doors are basically invisible, but they've also basically made hijackings impossible, especially when coupled with the fact that passengers will no longer assume the plane will safely land and negotiate.
wat10000 2mo ago
There’s a fundamental issue with people, which is that it’s difficult to treat masses of people as separate individuals. After the 20th time you ask someone to take out their laptop, there’s a part of you that’s screaming, “we’ve done this 20 times, you should know this by now!” Of course, “we” haven’t done this 20 times, only one side of the interaction has the repeated experience. But it’s natural to project that onto the other person, and get into a mode of, “I’ve told you before.” Obviously this can be overcome, I'm not sure TSA hires people with enough self awareness to even see the problem.
garbawarb 2mo ago
So many airports don't have a sign telling you what to take out for some reason.
nestes 2mo ago
This is one of my major pet peeves, and it extends well beyond TSA. Help desks, call centers, car rentals... Essentially, it's when someone expects you to be able to do their job. When you invariably don't, they treat you as if you're stupid.
burnte 2mo ago
TSA PreCheck means I don't have to worry about those rules. Completely worth it. I haven't taken off my shoes, belt, taken out my laptop or liquids in a decade.
- readthenotes1 2mo ago
  Except sometimes the TSA precheck and regular lines are the same and they give you this little placard that sometimes a guy behind the conveyor belt will agree means you don't need to take off your shoes and belt...
  - burnte 2mo ago
    Yep, sometimes life sucks. Doesn't change my point.
- inventor7777 2mo ago
  Until you get transferred and the TSA check magically vanishes before you can update it in their app.
  - burnte 2mo ago
    Yep, nothing is perfect, that doesn't change anything though.

SanjayMehta 2mo ago

[flagged]

zhivota 2mo ago

Even different lines in the same security area can have different rules. If you travel a lot you start to recognize which machines require laptops out of bags and which don't, for instance. It is really anxiety inducing overall though. Not to mention the ritual of getting partly undressed before the stupid thing then trying to put everything back on and in pockets on the other side.

zamadatix 2mo ago
Does anyone happen to know which ones are fine with 2 laptops per bag and which ones aren't?

nucleardog 2mo ago

I've often thought that having a standardized checklist on a big board in the security line would be a big help. Laptops: In/Out Liquids: In/Out Shoes: On/Off Etc Because yeah, it's really annoying getting treated like I'm the dummy by some agent that's only ever known this airport's rules... because this airport has rules entirely different than every other one I've flown through in this decade. Recently had to fly with some splints and crutches and stuff and that was a whole extra set of fun difference in airport rules. First one really wanted to rub their explosives swab on my finger that was held together by exposed metal pins and had exposed subcutaneous tissue. They were a bit put off when I asked for alternate options.

genghisjahn 2mo ago
Does in/out mean in the tray or out of the bag?
- Insanity 2mo ago
  Easy fix: - Laptop: In Tray / In bag - Shoes: Wear / Remove I’m sure we can come up with clear wording for such a sign lol.
  - euroderf 2mo ago
    In polyglot Europe, all this stuff should be in pictograms... but isn't.
    - seb1204 2mo ago
      Reading here the x-ray machine model or type might be a true technical reason why there are seemingly always different rules. Even same airport, different terminal canbe different due to different build year and machines. What I don't understand is why people simply don't pay attention? By the time it's my turn I have seen the 3-10 people in front of me go through the motions, so I naturally preempt and prepare based on what I have observed. Not a guarantee for no issues but a solid step to not mess up completely.
  - jonhohle 2mo ago
    - Belt/Watch: leave in unless it has enough metal to trip the metal detector, then take off but we’ll yell at you for holding up the line/losing your pants. Also: here’s a list of things we are constitutionally not allowed to require, but if you choose to opt out you have a random 1:1 chance of being selected for an invasive “enhanced” screening. Also: here’s where you can pay your bribe^H^H^H^H*Hfee to be prescreened so the whole process is easier for you unless we decide we you should be on the list that we randomly select for “enhanced” screening. Then your children get to watch a large man put his hands all over your body in ways that they’ve been told to never let a stranger touch you. And if you speak up, we’ll do it you your minor children too.

xetera 2mo ago

I've experienced this at non-US airports where the x-ray at the entrance asks for different things to be in the tray than the x-rays before boarding. It's impossible to keep track of what goes where.

cmiles8 2mo ago

Even at the same airport they can’t seem to get it right amongst themselves. Recently had one TSA person yelling at me to keep something in my bag and then the next person down the line yelling at me for having it in my bag. When I pointed to the other agent and said “your friend over there told me to do the opposite, that’s why it’s in there!” they just sort of scowled at me. I just smiled and went about my day, but yes the TSA is often just a total dumpster fire. Some folks are very nice but too many of their folks have a giant chip on their shoulder about something.

Swizec 2mo ago
> When I pointed to the other agent and said “your friend over there told me to do the opposite, that’s why it’s in there!” they just sort of scowled at me. Recent fun experience in Amsterdam: security line was moving veeeery slowly. Almost every bag got flagged for inspection. As I’m waiting for my bag to get checked, I see two agents briefly mutter in each others ears. One of them walks up to the lady manning the xray machine, taps her on the shoulder, says something in her ear and they swap places. He goes on xray machine, she start checking bags. Almost every bag after that passed the xray test. Line started moving quickly
- lifestyleguru 2mo ago
  My personal positive experience in English speaking country (but not US or UK obviously) was the staff said that passengers don't need to take out stuff from hand luggage for security scanning because they have "the new kind of machines" although the machines didn't look exactly new.
  - BenjiWiebe 2mo ago
    Perhaps it's newer software, better at flagging and identifying things?
    - lifestyleguru 2mo ago
      Seriously though they likely profiled the shit out of everyone and the system said that there are no terrorists or drug dealers in the bunch.

lesinski 2mo ago

One time, a TSA official told me "never take off your watch in an airport unless you want to lose it" -- which is how I learned that you can wear your watch through the metal detector just fine, which I've now done dozens of times. Until a few weeks ago when a another TSA official berated me for thinking I could walk through a metal detector wearing a watch...

basisword 2mo ago
I was told this about my passport and wallet once. Then the other day asked if I could keep a tissue in my pocket and was told to put it in the tray. I think it depends on the scanners (if you’re going through a metal sector it’s fine, if its one of the more fancy scanners they need everything off your person.
rrrrrrrrrrrryan 2mo ago
Proximity is the issue. If the watch or bracelet wrist is very physically close to the detector, it will set it off. You're supposed to the watch/bracelet, but you do have to hold your wrist close to your body. You kind of want to hold your hands in front of your body as if you're about to grab one of your wrists with your other hand. Watches and other jewelry are basically right at the cutoff of detection. They want to detect small knives but not earrings. This is all absolutely tribal airport knowledge. I had been traveling for work for years, taken hundreds of flights, but I only found this out when my partner tried to go through a metal detector with a semi-permanent bracelet that requires a small screwdriver to take off, and the TSA person mercifully told her exactly how to pose as she walked through the detector.
triceratops 2mo ago
I just put my watch, wallet, phone and other loose or pocket belongings in my backpack or jacket that's already going in the tray. No chance of losing anything.
BobaFloutist 2mo ago
My wife and I just habitually empty our hands and pockets into the bin. Most recent flight we took, she couldn't find her passport for the extra security check right before the gate. It took us about half an hour to get around to having the security open up the (now closed) bag scanner, which lo and behold, had somehow eaten her (securely places in the bin) passport. The tech was shaking his head, saying "See, this is why you don't put your passport loose in the bin" as if that's a normal thing everyone already knows specifically to avoid.

wlesieutre 2mo ago

I had a small local airport act like I was an idiot for not knowing they wanted all food items removed from carryon for scanning. Literally never heard of that.

patwork 2mo ago

I used to travel for work. 100ish flight segments a year all over the country, typically carrying two laptops - corporate and client. In one airport, I had a TSA agent yell at me that I'm not allowed to bring two laptops through precheck in my bag. That they had to go through separately. I complied but asked if that was this airport's policy because no other airport seemed to care. She swore up and down that this was national TSA policy and I should know better if I flew so much. When I look at the TSA's success rates in audits, I tend to agree with the claim that it is more a government jobs program than a security agency.

59percentmore 2mo ago
And, to be clear, it's a crappy job. Get up ungodly early to travel to a work site in the middle of nowhere to shepherd thousands of jumpy/tired strangers* through arcane procedure (possibly in a language that they don't exactly have a firm grasp of) in the hopes of catching the one-in-a-million who has shown up specifically with the intent to kill you and as many other people as possible (or so your training says). All while gaining basically no transferrable skills. *Also, a significant portion of these strangers are headed to destinations and experiences you could never dream of affording or having the opportunity to access.
- Ferret7446 1mo ago
  The workers do have a choice to not take it, so it's clearly not that crappy when weighed against the pay and job security (and free doohickies they "confiscate").

throwaway_7274 2mo ago

Isn’t this the point? To destabilize you, put you on your back foot, make you feel preemptively guilty and a little angry, to feel the presence of an Authority?

wat10000 2mo ago
The point is to be seen to be doing something, so that the nervous public sees that Something is being Done, and so that politicians can say they did all they could the next time there’s an attack. Anything they actually do is very much secondary.
- ceejayoz 2mo ago
  And annoyingly, the real, meaningful things they do do aren't sexy. Reinforced cockpit doors are basically invisible, but they've also basically made hijackings impossible, especially when coupled with the fact that passengers will no longer assume the plane will safely land and negotiate.

wat10000 2mo ago

There’s a fundamental issue with people, which is that it’s difficult to treat masses of people as separate individuals. After the 20th time you ask someone to take out their laptop, there’s a part of you that’s screaming, “we’ve done this 20 times, you should know this by now!” Of course, “we” haven’t done this 20 times, only one side of the interaction has the repeated experience. But it’s natural to project that onto the other person, and get into a mode of, “I’ve told you before.” Obviously this can be overcome, I'm not sure TSA hires people with enough self awareness to even see the problem.

garbawarb 2mo ago

So many airports don't have a sign telling you what to take out for some reason.

nestes 2mo ago

This is one of my major pet peeves, and it extends well beyond TSA. Help desks, call centers, car rentals... Essentially, it's when someone expects you to be able to do their job. When you invariably don't, they treat you as if you're stupid.

burnte 2mo ago

TSA PreCheck means I don't have to worry about those rules. Completely worth it. I haven't taken off my shoes, belt, taken out my laptop or liquids in a decade.

readthenotes1 2mo ago
Except sometimes the TSA precheck and regular lines are the same and they give you this little placard that sometimes a guy behind the conveyor belt will agree means you don't need to take off your shoes and belt...
- burnte 2mo ago
  Yep, sometimes life sucks. Doesn't change my point.
inventor7777 2mo ago
Until you get transferred and the TSA check magically vanishes before you can update it in their app.
- burnte 2mo ago
  Yep, nothing is perfect, that doesn't change anything though.