TSA delays caused by passengers

And that advice goes for EVERY situation...not just TSA.

On another post I mentioned that I always have hand sanitizer in my purse and TSA has never stopped me. I never leave it in my purse on purpose. I just always forget it is there. I would like to think that not complying with TSA rules is usually accidental or because of ignorance.

I can say that my mom carrying the full size shower stuff in her bag was ignorance/forgetfulness on her part when she came with us to Italy from the UK. Not sure why she put them in the carry on instead of her checked - since they were in her checked bag on the way over to the UK from Canada I imagine (since they didn't get tossed in Halifax). I don't think she was paying attention when she was repacking. I would have told her for sure that they had to be checked had I known.

She also rarely travels - just flies over to visit my sister once a year, so she's not 'travel savvy'.

I'm not talking about accidents or ignorance. I'm talking about people who deliberately ignore the rules because in the past they didn't get caught, or a friend or relative got through without being stopped. Then, when they do get caught, they say (on this forum) that it doesn't matter much because they weren't delayed much.

I'm not saying that I agree with the rules; just that I don't like to be delayed by deliberate actions of others, and their boasting about it annoys me.

So far my liquid rule breaking has in no way delayed ANYONE! LOL!

I originally didn't set out to break the rule, but after a few weeks I realized I had been. It was about this time that some high ranking TSA official said "WE CAN SEE LIQUIDS" hmmm..

Sorry, but I am not changing my game now. If it hasn't delayed anyone in over 5 years I don't think you will be impacted.

Now if you are in line behind my partner good luck. Apparently 5'5" bald white men hit some profile because he gets a full search of his bags every time (and he is following all the rules.. it's actually hysterical, but we can't figure out what triggers it!)

Ruth- when have you been delayed? What airport did this happen at? When TSA finds an issue they will usually pull that individual aside to either another table or area to resolve the issue and the line keeps moving. I would think that a TSA issue would take more than a "few minutes". This is why it is best to get to the airport to allow plenty of time in case you are the one pulled aside!

I have never been delayed by a person who has boasted on this forum that they deliberately do not follow the TSA rules.

Carol, experience tells me that short, bald men never get the slack that attractive women do, just about anywhere in life.

They might pull one out of line for a "big offense" but I get delayed behind many smaller offenses or moments of unpreparedness, in the nature of:
go back - you have something in your pocket
go back - take off your belt
go back - which one of these is your bag?
etc.

Carol, have you been traveling with my husband?? He almost always gets pulled aside as well.

Laura- very true!

Flying Albuquerque to Los Angeles yesterday my wife had a jar of honey taken out of her bag on inspection. She didn't follow TSA rules. Completely spaced. Completely human. Get there two hours before a domestic and three before international. Time...a recent invention.

And, every single TSA employee we encountered was pleasant and professional, and doing a great job as far as I could tell.

Dave, then clearly you have never been to JFK!!! The TSA are real barkers there---yell and scream at folks all day long. Fun, fun!!

That's a really tough job at JFK. If they could whisper, I'm sure they'd prefer it.

Duke, I understand, and was only referring to ABQ. In L.A. it's certainly dialed up a bit, and in New York you've got all these folks, passengers and TSA agents alike, who fancy themselves tough New Yorker's (eye roll). Whatever.

For what it is worth, whether you choose to not follow the rules (deliberate) or you choose or fail not to look at the rules (ignorance), it is pretty much the same thing. Forgetting the odd small bottle of lotion or sanitizer is excusible, but even that you should weed out before a trip.

I have fewer problems with the people that have something in their carry-on, other than the agent running the bag through, backing up, running through, etc. It does not cause a great delay, they are taken off to the side and we all move through.

I have a greater pet peeve with the people that show up wearing a few pounds of metal, pockets full, then despite repeated shouted instructions to remove belts, shoes, excess jewelry/metal, empty pockets, etc...etc. still have to go through the detector about four time, then get pulled to the side for a pat down or bag check.

I used to think that TSA pre-check was an expedient option, but seems that they divert many of the older (yes I am old as well, so no comments) passengers who tend not to be frequent travellers there...so any gain in speed is lost.

Stan, try the TSA. They must really like short bald men.

I can't figure out what he does. And it's not just the TSA. They tore apart his carryon in Stockholm. They never find anything.

Bird realistically he does not slow anyone down. They just take him aside. Actually there have been lots of times when I wanted the TSA to just move on and open my bag. The stare at it forever and send it back through just seems to slow everything down. If you can't figure something out, just open it and look.

My big thing is I actually try to get in line with women. I find it amazing that the man with 5 "elite" flyer tags hanging from his bag does not realize ALL his pockets need to be empty.

Overhead a conversation in regular line parallel to the TSA Precheck line as we sped through. Woman in adjacent line apparently did not have a approved drivers license or passport. TSA agent had to call for a supervisor. We sped through our Precheck line and I didn't hear the outcome. If you want to speed up the process, have the correct documents and identification.

I got TSA Pre-check on my ticket for my most recent flight SEA-SBA and hubby did not. I have no idea how they choose me for pre-check (I am not old! LOL). The only thing I did not have to do is take my shoes off and went through a separate gate. No time saved because I waited for the hubby.

Our TSA PreCheck speed up the process. In addition to not removing shoes, we didn't need to pull out the 3-1-1 bag or our electronic devices. We could leave the laptop, tablet and phones in our carry on bag. I even walked through wearing a belt and watch.

I once had to fly home without my ID. I lost my wallet with my driver's license etc.. I did have a work ID but that was about it.

Yes, it will hold up the people behind you but I expect that anyone doing that is like me and probably didn't do it intentionally :) It was a huge amount of hassle. You can get on a domestic flight in the US without and ID but be prepared to be quizzed, searched and it helps to have someone to vouch for you. If you find yourself in this mess arrive at the airport early. (I got there 4 hours in advance :) )

Amazingly I find the rudest TSA agents are often at the smaller airports. It's as if they are determined to "prove" they are important by harassment. The one who was screaming at an elderly woman to "GET OUT OF THAT WHEELCHAIR" was in Nashville, TN (Several of us hung around to meet the supervisor after that scene)

TSA precheck is a wonderful time saver for me. I love it! There are still people in line ahead who wait until the last possible second to think about things in pockets, etc,, but that is life. These are the same people who wait for the last possible second to do about anything. This only becomes a problem for me if I have left things to the last possible moment and am worried about catching my flight. In the end, just get to the airport early enough and bring your patience with you. Everyone, including yourself, will enjoy your trip more.

Even with preCheck I am ready before I go through the boarding pass check point. Everything is off and in my back pack. All I need to do is toss the bag on the belt and walk. Drives me crazy when the man and woman in front don't even consider the situation until they are at the moment where they have to react.

Ms. EB, what I wrote is my harshest criticism. Yes, it could be a lot worse. My general impression of airports is pretty positive. I have never had the TSA problems you hear about on the TV all the time. Its not always perfect and there is always room for improvement, but its not something I dread.

This is why we give ourselves good 4 hours to arrive at the airport before departure. I raised a family and I have older parents and friends who don't travel often so I sympathize with their situation on just not knowing, and traveling is overwhelming for some. The title of this thread is kind of funny...who else would be "Delaying TSA" if not passengers? LOL ....I don't consider people "delay's" just normal processing of passengers through required controls. Some know the rules, others do not...but travel is so much fun and for me it starts as soon as I leave the front door, so maybe just an attitude adjustment is in order and an exercise in patience (I am the worst at patience, so working on that!).