Be careful with your carry on items.

[tarponnut]

I have to fly soon:( hope reading this thread isn't going to jinx me.

[Sam McMichael]

Have you noticed that common sense is not so common these days?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

If you have something in your carry on that is not allowed through the security check point. They do not have the right to confiscate it... period.

i mistakenly had a hand full of tools in my carry on that i had forgotten about. When they pulled my bag apart and said they would have to confiscate these items, i went balistic and asked for a supervisor. they can prevent you going into the secure portion of the airport with those kind of things, but they have no right to confiscate them..... but it depends on what the items are too.

You have the right to take your Items back and put them in your checked baggage if you have time...or pay the fee to check in your carry on.

In my case those were my fathers tools, and he had just passed away.I was pissed &  i wasn't backing down for nothing.... i got them back and checked in my bag.

It seems to me that all of these restrictions are more about 'we the people' and not so much about made up reasons for why the restrictions were placed on us. I smell an elephant in the room, he may be hard to spot, but he is here.

[FubarFred]

Twice flying from Fla to MD with no carry on bag, due to emergencies at home, I was told to go behind the curtain and remove my prosthetic leg. Both times with shorts on... screw them and their jobs. I'll not fly again. And I don't care how many times anyone has flown and not been hassled, if you're an ass at your job you need to get another. Your bad day has nothing to do with me.

[Roadkill]

I work with TSA daily.  They are students and people trying to make ends meet.  Some are jerks.  I do not think they get bonus points, as I watch them bring back items and dump them in a barrel, no paper or words exchanged with the supetbisor.  Read the rules, double check your stuff, pack your patience and arrive early.  Our system is one of the most up to date systems and it screens quickly with fewer pat downs.  They just started a new priority line for trusted people, do not know much about it. I do have widen the terminal hall on Monday to accomodate this new thing.  There is theft.  It is dealt with quickly.  Our place has self mailers.  You can drop an item in an envelope and mail it to yourself.  Politely ask for a super.  One thi ng most don't know is the agents get tested often, somehow.  They have to err on the side of caution for our xecurity and their jobs.  There are jerks i. Every profession.  IMO

[Keith Zimmerman]

Why dont they tell u that u can mail this stuff to urself if its available??  Hmmm.   Makes them bigger jerks if they dont give you the option to do that.

[beendare]

A couple of years ago I was returning from a Co archery hunt with 50# of boned out elk meat in my daypack. [cheaper than checking it]

FWIW, it creates a bit of a stir with their machines as it shows up as a big black hole- and they sure don't like that. Of course they took me aside, called a supervisor [trying to find a regulation to keep it off the plane] They made me open the game bag and plastic bag to have a look- and then all was fine.

[mj seratt]

I seem to recall that Dennis Kamstra, in TBM, a few years ago, addressed this specifically with regard to Leatherman tools. He suggested having a padded envelope, with sufficient postage already in place, and addressed to yourself.  You could just mail it yourself and be done with it.

[Hit-or-Miss]

Unfortunatly, too many people are into the "Power & Control" mode of decision making, pertaining to their employment. No common sense, just ego & "Because I said so" responses. I guess they never learned the Golden Rule in Kindergarden.
This is why I chose to DRIVE across the Country to hunt, instead of fly. Yes, it's tiring & exspensive, but if I drive close to the speed limit and mind my own buisness, I have no issues. It's my vehicle. I can stop WHEN I want, WHERE I want, or roll down my window and enjoy a cigar as I drive. If I don't like the looks of an area, I just keep driving. And no idiots hassle me about my equipment.

[ishiwannabe]

Honestly, I thought most of the people here were a little better than most of what I have been reading in this post.
The TSA, like any job, has good and bad employees. Ever has a bad experience with...well lets say a cop? Ever had a good one? Exactly.
They do not keep anything...everything they do is on video. They are tested virtually all year just to keep their job. They get attitude ALL DAY from the genereal public.
Am I saying they are all decent to people? No. But to see a free for all on people that basically safeguard the airways...well, it disappoints me. Greatly.

[FubarFred]

Be disappointed all you want. Greatly. That's your prerogative, if you think less of me for stating an opinion maybe you should just read the posts about hearts and flowers. Folks telling about their experiences is not a 'free for all'. It's telling about the things that have happened to them, that's all.

[Mint]

I don't mind the TSA agents at all. It is the New York JFK baggage handlers that steal everything from you that makes my blood boil.

[Hit-or-Miss]

About 4 or 5 years ago, there was a boat load of TSA confiscated knifes for sale on the big auction site (and listed as such). The employee was later fired, it was in the paper. I'm sure there are decent TSA employees, but a few with attitudes and little or no common sense give the rest a bad name. Strip searching old ladies and babies, patting down toddlers, etc., seems to happen at airports on a regular basis, if you believe the media reports. I don't think it's fair to compare REAL LEO's to "TSA employees". Given the scope of legal / tactical / social training, required College education  and scope of authority & liability, to compare the two is insulting to LEO's.

[Kevin Dill]

Buncha whiners....    

Along with a number of other TG members, I was flying through Canada at 9 am on 9/11/2001. We got put down in Edmonton, AB and spent many days stranded there. You have no idea how tight the security was heading home when we got the chance. Every step of the way we encountered armed police in SWAT gear, the toughest airport screening ever devised, and border agents who were downright ugly in their attitude toward us. These were US Customs and Border Patrol people who were checking us (American travelers) trying to get home to our families. TSA folks are milktoast by comparison.

A year later I got caught with a fine knife gifted to me by my wife many years earlier. I was caught by security at (of all possible bad places) Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The knife was an oversight, and the catch was legit. I discussed it with TSA and an airport official. I left my name and address with the official, and explained the sentimental value of that knife. Two weeks later the knife arrived in a plain brown box with no return address. Yes...they returned it to me at their expense. I can spin around in my chair right now and see it in my display cabinet.

I was in the air on 9/11. I saw the fear in everyone's eyes. You won't hear me giving the TSA or airport security a hard time. Their job isn't to make life easier...it's to make your flight safer. I for one never have a problem remembering that.

[Lone Ranger]

my wife and I flew to Great falls montana a few years back- we went out of Orlando, and in to colorado where we exited the terminal and met with a friend for lunch (at the airport) we finished went back through security and on to great falls- stayed for 5 days, went back through security at great falls and there was a huge 55 gallon drum at the security tsa screning--  huge sign said please leave unused ammo here, place in bin, etc.... there must have been 400# of ammo in this thing! shot gun shells pistol ammo, big game centerfire stuff, etc...  we went back through security and made it back to orlando with out incident. when we got home I took my cary on back pack unzipped all the zippers and dumped it out. there were 6 rounds from my .45 colt in one of the outside pockets that went through security 3 seperate times at 3 different airports. they were not "hidden" as they were loose rounds in an outside pocket. they were not detected and that makes me wonder-

L.R.

[Burnsie]

I don't fly much, but when I do I know pretty much anything resembling any weapon is going to get scrutinized,  so I make sure when I pack nothing that even has a remote chance of being called a weapon is in the bag.  You know you're going through the scanners why temp the possible hassle.  All the examples of I "accidentally" forgot the bowie knife, the hacksaw, the...etc in my bag has me scratching my head - how do you do that if you know you're going to the airport.

[Igor]

I'm badged for several airports (in the port 5 or more days a week) and I have to go through the security line (under mostly the same security rules as travlers) and my experience has been most TSA employees like the rest of the working world has its good folks and some that need to improve their professional and social skills.....I've seen some of the stuff that people try to bring through the imaging machines and the crap others try to give the TSA front line folks that are just trying to do their jobs....so I'm probably a little more simpathetic toward them and what they are expected to do everyday and encourage you to give them a little grace while they try to complete a mostly thankless job....
><>>
Glenn

[njloco]

While I can only imagine your anxiety flying that day, everyone should try to remember one thing, if the various Gov't agncies had just done there jobs before and on 9-11, there wouldn't have been a 9-11, or a Patriot act, and nobody got fired for not doing their jobs.

So now they have to justify their jobs by checking, lets see, an 80+ year old guy, while his wife looks on, oh, and lets not for get the young couple with there infant ( yes I asked, 3 weeks old ), yes infant in the baby seat watching, are you kidding me, oh that's right, we can't profile. So now we have a  whole new Gov't agency to do the job that the Gov't should have done in the first place ( makes perfect sense, NOT ).

P.S. I'll drive from now on.

[William F. Adams]

The government that is strong enough to protect you from everything, is strong enough to take everything from you.