4 ms·
Have you ever had an ACTUAL issue with a TSA agent, not simple search/bodyscans? Earlier this year I had a planned vacation and unfortunately lost (stolen wall
by mrjatx 13y ago
Have you ever had an ACTUAL issue with a TSA agent, not simple search/bodyscans?
Earlier this year I had a planned vacation and unfortunately lost (stolen wallet) my drivers license prior to the flight. I had enough time to goto my License office to request a temporary which here in Texas means you get a paper ID with your picture on it for 3-5 weeks until the new license arrives.
So I showed up with my paper ID and all I had to do was fly from Austin to Miami. I knew the paper ID would get scoffed at but assumed they were well trained in the various temporary/permanent IDs that states provide for emergencies. Ha! I decided to bring my birth certificate, social security card, and a utility bill (my passports expired, else that would have been logical) in the event that TSA had a problem with the paper ID. Figured I'd go prepared.
Well, lo and behold every single TSA agent outside of Texas not only grilled me about the paper ID, they didn't care at all about the fact that I also had the other items (birth cert, ss card, util bills). Because I had a temporary ID I was pulled out of every line, called a "No ID" (this became so frequent that I eventually wound up walking up to every agent and stating "Hi, I'm a no ID, here's my paperwork"), privately searched over and over and in two cases missed my flight that I'd arrived 2-4 hours early for. These were FTL to Austin flights that evidently only happen once or twice a day with the carrier I had my ticket through (Jetblue I think). I wound up in Miami an extra two days and basically lived at the airport at that point. I ALMOST missed my cruise completely, luckily the bulk of my issues were getting BACK home after it.
It took that much time for them to decide that I was who I said I am. I would get bounced from agent to agent, each who would personally search me, the one step below strip search search- not the pat on the back type. They'd offer to do a private search (meaning in the security room) but after mutiple searches in one-two hours I just said screw it, do it here in front of everyone and get it over with. Then I'd have to wait for a superior to come out and decide whether or not I was legally allowed to pass. The most amazing thing to me was that every single TSA agent seemed like they had NEVER, EVER dealt with a temporary ID before. Like I was this black plague that wasn't covered in their rule book at any point in time, or they were told that, my god, if somebody ever shows up with a temporary ID they are CLEARLY up to something.
Prior army, raised on Army bases all over the world, I've never felt like such a non-citizen in my life. I have the utmost sympathy for people who are systematically treated poorly by the TSA due to their attire/skin color.
I do absolutely everything I can to NOT fly nowadays. I also do not wait in line during Black Friday nor do I wait in line for a fast food restaurant. Those are pretty weak assumptions.
I went on a cruise and the Customs officers had absolutely no issue with my temporary license and documentation.