eliza61
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
Thanks for the first hand account Eliza61.
I was surprised to read this, your experience differs from my experiences and the reports by purported TSA screeners on sites such as flyertalk. I have regularly been denied access to my carry-on until "cleared" by patdown and explosive trace swab. Only TSA screeners or persons who have been "cleared" are supposed to touch carry-ons that have been cleared. The rational for this is to prevent an uncleared person from depositing a "bad thing" into the carry-on.
Most TSA checkpoints have a glass enclosure where you have to wait for the pat down that keeps you separated from "cleared" people and materials (some wags refer to it as "the penalty box.") In this picture, you can see it to the left of the American flag,
here you can see it directly behind the WTMD and the TSA staffer.
It seems that TSA did not follow SOP in this regard.
Did they detain you while testing a swab used on the TSAer's gloves for traces of explosive?
Hey CPT.
I went through terminal F.
It may be that I what I carry was considered more of a large "purse" than a carry on. The picture of the nun is a very good representation except there wasn't that "box" there. Instead of the Nun right in front of her grey bin. I was to the right of it.
Also it was an early morning flight which like I mentioned, there were only 17 people there tops and we were pretty much all business folks. So there wasn't much cleared folks or stuff behind me. most people that I've "meet" on the PHl-Chicago and PHL-Boston dont have carryon especially the guys.
SOP. You are absolutely right in that there seems to be no consistent follow through. I don't fly again until the 15th of December (Phl-Boston_ but I'm willing to bet dollars to donughts that I could opt out again and it will be a totally different experience. This needs to be corrected pronto.