2023 TSA Security

Security procedures are intentionally randomized to be unpredictable. Even with pre-check I always pay attention to what they are telling me to do and ask if I need clarification.

SSSS is always triggered by something — that doesn’t mean it is logical, or based in fact, but some thing in your traveler profile triggers the extra screening.

Yes, every security check at every airport around the world is different. Every security check at every airport in the US is different. And every time we fly out of the same airport we have a different experience. We are over 75 and have TSA pre-check (which is only good in the US), and the rules change all the time. I just follow whatever the signs and/or the security agents tell me to do and cross my fingers that I'm actually doing it correctly. Inevitably I'm doing something wrong LOL.

Yup, security is going to vary even on the TSA line. All one can ask is you look in front of you to see what is expected and then when it is your turn, be prepared and have everything done so you can go through security as quickly as possible so the people behind you can do the same. 🙂

You're not alone. For some reason, I always get flagged for a hand inspection at my home airport, and they always swab my bags for residue or whatever. I've never been able to figure out why they would flag someone my age for "enhanced screening"?

My experience is just like what others mention - everywhere is different. Even with pre-check at the same airport, a light jacket is fine to leave on one time, but same jacket next time through must be removed.

I have noticed that I get "flagged" more frequently when the crowds are lower. I landed international arrival in Cairns, Australia once where for some reason I was pulled aside at immigration and tested for explosive powder residue on my hands. Few people, my flight was the only one arriving. I then walked to the domestic area and had to go through security again. I was quite early, few travelers around. Again, pulled aside and tested for powder.

My carry-on bags have been opened and hand examined in Singapore, Berlin, and a month ago in Norway when I was quite early for flights. Each time I was told it was an "additional random" search unrelated to the X-ray images. I surmise that the security personnel are getting their "random number quota" completed before it gets busy.

One time, in Frankfurt, again with few travelers, I made a few comments of a friendly nature to the passenger in front of me in the security line. I was pulled aside for special attention directly. My guess is that starting a pleasant conversation is not normal behavior and I was flagged.

I think you can't win. Next time, I think I will try a Zombie stare.

I just wanted add a note about a recent security screening I had. I was pulled aside for a “pat down” (often happens- I must be one sinister looking Grandma). When the agent asked if she could search I replied “you do whatever you need to do. I know you are just doing your job and I appreciate you doing it.” Both she and her fellow agent paused and thanked me profusely. They had taken so much verbal abuse over the course of the day that having someone say a kind word meant a lot. The power of a few kind words can be amazing.

So, no matter how they screen, what they ask for, remember to say a kind word or two. That is one thing that should never change.

TSA is such security theatre at this point, it's ridiculous. All it does is provide a false sense of security with a huge amount of inconvenience and hassle to passengers along with, I might add, classifying people into those who can afford to jump the queue and those who cannot. It's ridiculous. The amount of categorisation Americans are willing to put up with so long as you have money is so anti-democratic, and yet Americans are not only so used to it they expect that money means they ought to have privilege. sigh

As noted, it's pretty random. Just ask what to do and then do what you're told and don't think about it.

There is definitely tension in some airports about Clear, I think it's quite rude when someone is shoved in front of me after I've been standing in line (and yes this happens quite often), I think there have also been recent cases where people who went through the Clear check ended up having naughty things on their person.

Also as noted, just try to be friendly and go along that does seem to be appreciated. I mentioned recently that some airports now have a new type of X ray machine that makes things even more complicated because they want you to do and not do things that other machines don't require. Read and follow label directions.

Agree with the others, just go with the flow. It's the path of least resistance! I've been pulled aside for random "frisking" many times and have no idea why. Would be nice if it was done by Ryan Reynolds or Chris Pine, but we can't always have what we want. 😜 I just tell them "do what you gotta do" and hang out with them for a bit. I've found that the nicer you are, the less painful the process will be!

Every single time I go through the machine with the footprints and where you put your hands over your head I get a pat down. My joints light that machine up. I am always asked if it is painful to be touched, apologized to about being touched and usually asked if I want to move to a more private location. I tell them I am not shy or sensitive and to go about their business. I always thank them for doing their job. Afterall, it isn't their fault.

Last week there was a gentleman lecturing and semi threatening us by saying..."Don't stop moving, if I see you standing still I will pull you out and take you to the back of the line".

My poor DH forgot that he was given a "free" credit card shaped tool that you carry in your wallet. That got us some attention. He had not ever used it and forgot he even had it. He won't have to worry about it again as it was confiscated.

I agree it is mostly theater. But at this point it is what we have.
My biggest issue with TSA in general (no matter if we are talking regular or PreCheck) is that TSA is horrible at letting those in line know what the requirements are today. And they seam to try to use either shortcuts or slang or they are just bad at pronunciation.
I am sure that they have bad days and get tired of explaining to everyone but in the PreCheck line you often are not in it that long so you may not have heard the announcement.

They should put up a bit sign that they can update. Then you can look at it and do whatever it says,

But I thought the known traveler was supposed to avoid most this stuff.

There are random checks built into the TSA PreCheck program. At most airports, the metal detector randomly beeps when people walk through it, and those people usually get their electronics/bags wiped down for explosive residue.

SSSS is always triggered by something — that doesn’t mean it is
logical, or based in fact, but some thing in your traveler profile
triggers the extra screening.

Ehhh... not exactly. There are both targeted and random components to Secondary Security Screening Selection (SSSS). Certain countries of origin for travelers trigger it. Travel to certain countries can trigger it. Being on a list of some sort can trigger it. But there is a random component, too.

Just ask what to do and then do what you're told and don't think about it.

So when the TSA agent says "you have a corkscrew so that means I can do a strip search" I should do what I am told! NO!!!!
Sorry but when they play "let's make up a rule" I smile, I look at them and say "please call your supervisor" No matter what they say next I continue to be nice and request a supervisor. I do not raise my voice, I do not engage in any arguments etc.... I just don't put up with the game. Generally, they will try to move me along with "well THIS TIME I will let you get away with it" Gee... thanks you are going to let me do something that's clearly within the rules???? LOL! No, I just smile back and say "please call your supervisor" Next response "you will miss your plane" My response "Please call your supervisor"

I know what is allowed, and I don't allow them to play games with me. No, my new candle is not "banned". No, you don't get to take my food, you may LOOK at it but just because you are hungry does not give you the right to it. (idiot tried to tell me that candy bars were now banned LOL!)

I started this approach shortly after the theatre started when I watched an agent scream at a woman in a wheelchair to "GET UP AND WALK YOU LAZY WITCH" (Change the W) Several of us saw this and demanded to see a supervisor. He tried to tell us this was one of his best agents which had us all rather angry. I will say that I flew out of that airport weekly for several months after that and never saw the jerk working the checkpoint again!

It's all theater. Are we safer now that pre 9-11? SURE. But it is because of real law enforcement not the security theatre. (And if you don't believe me, just think about the "liquid ban" Hmmm... anyone who works for an airline or airport can bring in ANY amount of liquids they want but you and I are "dangerous" After all none of the original liquid bomb plotters worked for an airport did they? LOL!

"my biggest issue with TSA in general (no matter if we are talking regular or PreCheck) is that TSA is horrible at letting those in line know what the requirements are today."

YES, YES YES!

When I went to Paris earlier in the year, I flew out of Montreal, so no pre check and I haven't flown out of Canada since the 70s, so it's another world.

But the Canadian Security agents were SOOOO nice. They diligently xrayed my backpack and then had to swab it, etc., and actually explained WHAT they were doing! Never had that experience in the US!

I used to always be singled out at TSA. As I always get to the airport with plenty of time, it was no big deal and it broke up the monotony to some extent. I found it interesting and enjoyed the young people fulfilling their jobs. They have always been respectful and pleasant. Once with my best friend from childhood, we being chatty all the way through the TSA line, we were both signaled out...because we were chatty and smiling and obviously having a nice time in the line? LOL. Anyway, it was when the naked scanners were new and we had to walk quite a way to the machine. Chatty, chatty with the woman escorting us. She either had a good time or got home and talked about the crazy old ladies she pulled out of line that day.

My point is that in the decades since they came to be, I have never had a rude TSA agent, and more often than not they have been receptive to my smiles and/or greetings. I have seen many rude customers. Just be nice and if not, well, it will be over quickly. For pat downs, It is a reason to have a bright colored purse or wheelie, or bright identifier so you can keep an eye on it on the conveyer until you have been released.

I will add that I have had many rude USA border control agents at re-entry to the US. However, just before Covid and last May, the person was extremely pleasant...almost like other countries' agents. That being said, once I was tired, having been up essentially all night, and crabbily, quietly, answered a question, after handing the agent my passport. His question was "are you a US citizen" and I said, slightly exasperated, "I just handed you my passport". So we can all be rude or sharp sometimes. He answered with a sad "I have to ask the question". Although...no one else has ever asked me. I suspect the more experienced the agent, the less harsh against the customers these experiences are... Sorry, I've digressed...

@Wray, I agree, I too have seen way more rude flyers than TSA agents. When I have seen a rude agent it never impacted my day. I am just grateful that I earn my paycheck a different way because it wouldn't be a pleasant job for me.

My mother, who was still flying at 89 (by that time weighing under 100 pounds and using a wheelchair), was pulled out of line every single time for 20+ years, but we know why. Like my husband, one of our two sons, and me, she was a smartaleck who couldn't always restrain herself from sharing a joke she just thought of. So, she made some joke about bombs when checking in for a flight, was not allowed to fly that day, and got a mark on her permanent record. Strangely, or not so strangely, my husband did the exact same thing 40+ years ago, but presumably because his joke was pre-September 11th and my mother's was post, he has not been flagged since then.

It is a standard practice in the security business to ask questions (even obvious ones) not to hear the answer, but to see how the person reacts. Do that a thousand times a day and you might get a bit irritable yourself.

Signage in security lines would certainly help. I was about to trash my soda in Stockholm when the airport employee who was changing out the trash bags told me I didn’t have to trash it. Then I saw about 6 bottles of soda/water on the floor at the start of the security area so pondered what to do. I left my soda in my backpack and my husband left his water in his. No issues with security.

Two Stories, I once was returning to the US from Canada by car with 5 people in the car including my father. I was driving. US boarder patrol asks each of us if we are US citizens.. until he gets to my father (who has not said a word where he could hear) he asks my father “where were you born”. my dad sighs and hand over his US passport. (this was pre 9-11 when they seldom asked for ID at the boarder and when a drivers license would do) It was so funny watching my dad. As he always seamed to have issues getting back into the US thus why he had his passport. My dad was born in Germany by was a citizen by the age of 22 or 23 thanks to a hitch in the Army spent mostly in Korea.

Second point about the theater, I have designed more then a few restaurants and stores in various US airports. But one time the owner of the restaurant block we were designing (typically restaurant owners own 3-10 restaurants scattered around the airport or a food court or a combination of the two) This owner was from over seas. Not sure if he had US citizenship but had been here over 20 years at this point. The Airport would not give me ID to get in and i needed the owner or his manager to get me cleared past security as i didn't have a valid ticket for that day (typically) So he would go to the employee security area and tell them to let me through and they would check me out and let me through. This went on for over a year while we designed these restaurants and then built them. Some weeks i was there multiple days. But i couldn't get an ID to be allowed in without the owner saying I had business there.
Then a couple years later the owner Fled the country just ahead of the arrest warrant for amongst other things.. smuggling. He was eligible to own businesses and to get them to let folks without tickets into the airport but I couldn't get an ID yo let me in. BTW at the time we were designing the restaurants I had already heard rumors that the owner was shady,

So i really question the security. But that is not the point of this topic. The point is that I was wondering if there is any rhyme or reason for how TSA works. I was hoping that they were a bit better about letting passengers know what they want them to do at other airports.

While I think the security is mostly a farce I can live with it and will do my best to comply but it would be nice if the were clear about what we have to do. I have seen folks yelled at for not taking off a belt and others for taking it off and in both cases the TSA agents had never said one way or the other about it while i was in line. So i think that a LOT of the TSA agents frustration is at least partially self induced. Passengers are not mind readers and we should mot have to play a game of charades and try ands figure out what TSA wants today by watching those ahead of us,

I got a TSA agent in Florida pissed because i asked what he wanted me to take of or leave on or take out of my bag as he has given no indications and i was the only person in the PreCheck lane. (regular looked like a line for a nee rollercoster at Busch Gardens)
I am not asking much but,, meet us half way!

BTW the SSSS is 100% pointless. A) you can pretty much guess when you get it the day before as you cant check in online so if you are doing something bad just dont show up. Then if you are dumb enough yo show up it is printed on you boarding pass so just dont try to clear security. So you have two chance to walk away. And if you really want to get passed it, Just have two of you as they will odds on only select 1 of you and while you play decoy the other guy can just get on the airplane. In my case I could have handed my dad my Carry on and took his they would never have cared. They even TOLD me to give him his carry on! And i had them both in my hands when i walked up to security! So utterly pointless.

There’s a common stereotype, whether true or false, that Brits are really class conscious. These various posts made me reflect on the issue of class and identity and I just realized that while American society purports to not dividing society by class, they indeed are doing so but lie about it or at least hide their heads in the sand.

Example? Look at all these ways one can buy one’s way to jump security queues. TSA pre-check, global entry, Clear, etc etc. It’s so much about if you have the economic means to buy your way in to jump ahead.

I much rather have the British style where they are honest and admit they are a class-based society rather than an American one where they deny it but in fact are a class-based society.

Pre-check costs $17/year. I didn't know $17 puts you in a "higher" class.

Global Entry is $20/year. I must be royalty.

Many credit cards offer reimbursement for TSA Precheck/Global Entry/Clear enrollment. I've never paid for precheck

Also, I found if I was a member of airline loyalty program, I would get TSAprecheck automatically. Then once my husband didn't. He was spoiled. We then obtained Global Entry.

@Frank. LOL.

I flew over twice this summer , ie 4 times total on United. The shoes had to come off in SFO but not in Frankfurt on the return. I don't have Pre-Check, the second flight over I did the carry-on option, nothing was checked in.

As I expected, on none of these 4 flights was I hit with the SSSS...never has happened, not going to either.

I take off the light jacket regardless, plus the belt. On the shoes I wait for their instructions.

Had the strangest experience in PDX this week. I have Precheck though GE. we get in line & I'm getting ready to pull out my liquids & they say everything stays in the bag. They asked to put my phone & pocket stuff in my bag. That was it. Go though a metal detector & bag gets scanned. I bet we were through in less than 4-5 minutes. Have the liquids rules changes? Is PDX using different updated technology? Or am I just "special"?

*Mom always said I was special

Mark McG

That was our recent experience at two domestic airports - it's the TSA-Pre benefit.

As I expected, on none of these 4 flights was I hit with the SSSS...never has happened, not going to either.

I used to think that too. After decades of flying for work and pleasure I got an SSSS in 2019. I haven't received it again after resuming flights post pandemic. I wonder how one can feel so certain it won't happen? What guarantees it won't happen? I'm quite certain it was just random for me in 2019 as it was just one out of hundreds of my Detroit/Delta flights over 3 decades - a 60-something lifelong Detroiter/Ford employee with absolutely nothing about me or my 2019 trip to trigger it.