You know all those signs at the airport that say you can’t bring too many ounces of liquid or like, hazardous materials onboard? Fireworks and a water bottle filled with flash powder found in the backpack of a man flying out of Philadelphia would definitely count as the kind of explosive thing you aren’t supposed to have in your carry-on. [More]
transportation security administration
Story About TSA Taking Soldier's Nail Clippers Still Isn't True, Years Later
By 3.23.12
Once again making the rounds on Facebook and in the blogosphere is the story of Indiana National Guard troops traveling home from Afghanistan. In the tale, one soldier was forced by the Transportation Security Administration to yield a pair of nail clippers. Seemed odd, as those soldiers were allowed to carry unloaded guns onto the flight. “What in the what?!?” you might be yelling. [More]
TSA Agents Leave Post, Figure Metal Detector Can Monitor Itself
By 2.29.12
Some things are just fine if you leave them unattended for less than a minute. Like, an apple, or a cat, or even a hammer. But a metal detector at an airport security checkpoint? Nope, you shouldn’t leave that alone when people are walking through it. Tell that to the TSA agents at the Sacramento International Airport. [More]
Peanut Butter Disguise Can't Sneak Pot Past TSA
By 2.16.12
Many things go great with peanut butter, but marijuana isn’t one of them, at least when you’re going through airport security. A passenger allegedly tried to sneak marijuana aboard a flight from Oakland by packing it inside a peanut butter jar, but Transportation Security Administration workers spotted the ruse with an X-ray machine. The man was cited for drug possession and missed his flight. He said the pot was for medical use and he hid it because he didn’t have a medical marijuana card. [More]
Sorry You Need To Get Screened Before Your Flight, But The TSA Has No Females Working Right Now
By 2.10.12
A woman was trying to fly home to Colorado when she says she wasn’t allowed to board her flight because of her gender. Well, not just that she was a woman, but because there were no female Transportation Security Administration agents on duty when she was going through security. [More]
Keep Your Shoes On, Please: TSA Rolling Out Speedy Security Pre-Screening Program
By 2.8.12
Maybe you’ll be taking your shoes off, but instead of placing them in a bin on a conveyor belt, you’ll be sitting around at home on the computer before heading to the airport. A test program the Transportation Security Administration has been working on called the PreCheck, which will allow passengers to speed through security is now expanding to 28 more airports. [More]
TSA Employee Accused Of Lifting 8 iPads That Were Definitely Not His
By 2.1.12
A Transportation Security Administration worker at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport stands accused of theft, after cops say he was found with eight iPads he’d boosted from checked luggage. Looting bags has become too popular of a pastime these days, but luckily one owner used his device’s tracking system to locate the pilfered pad. [More]
Woman Claims Husband's Ashes Went Missing After TSA Made Her Move Them To Checked Baggage
By 1.23.12
A woman flying from Philadelphia to England to return her deceased husband’s ashes to his hometown says US Airways lost them somewhere along the way to her destination. That is what is called a major, major fail. [More]
Airline Passengers Emptied Their Pockets & Left $400K Worth Of Change Behind In 2010
By 1.12.12
Airport security areas are basically just one big change jar, as the Transportation Security Administration reports that passengers left behind around $400,000 in coins in 2010. Which means either we’re forgetting our nickels and dimes or consciously choosing to ditch those pennies instead of filling our pockets back up. [More]
TSA Proclaims That Once A Cupcake Is Inside A Jar, It's Not Okay To Carry On
By 1.11.12
The Transportation Security Administration wants you to know that it takes “cupcakegate” very seriously, which is why they’re reiterating why it was deemed not okay for a woman to take a cupcake through security in a jar, when carrying a regular, non-jarred up dessert with icing is fine. It’s the level of frosting, you see, and the 3-1-1 rule. [More]
TSA Agent Confiscates Cupcake On Grounds That Its Delicious Frosting Could Be Explosive
By 1.3.12
We’ve known desserts to be so tasty they’re downright dangerous, but one TSA agent in Las Vegas took that idea very literally, confiscating a cupcake for the possibility that its icing could be explosive. [More]
If You Want To Avoid TSA Screenings, Become A Pilot
By 8.11.11
Perhaps figuring that if you can’t trust pilots not to hijack their own flights, you may as well not let them fly in the first place, the Transportation Security Administration started allowing pilots to bypass security screenings Tuesday. Instead of being screened like everyone else, pilots show authorities their credentials. [More]
Current, Former Washington Redskins Make Goal Line Stand For TSA Worker Unionization
By 5.27.11
Transportation Security Administration workers have some unlikely allies in their struggle to organize: A pair of pro football players. Noting the need for labor solidarity across industries, one current and one retired Washington Redskin are speaking out in favor of the much-maligned airport security workers. [More]
TSA Withdraws Blogger Subpoenas, Offers New Computer
By 1.1.10
The new year is starting off pretty well for bloggers Chris Elliott and Steve Frischling, who had been targeted by the Transportation Security Administration after they posted the TSA’s bizarre Christmas Day Security Directive. Elliott reports that the agency has withdrawn its subpoena against him, and that Frischling, whose laptop was confiscated, is getting a new computer courtesy of Uncle Sam. [More]
TSA Targets Bloggers Who Exposed Draconian Policies
By 12.31.09
The Transportation Security Administration has discovered a major new threat, and is targeting it with all methods at its disposal. No, not terrorists. The agency is going after two bloggers, Steve Frischling and Chris Elliott, for exposing its whopper of a policy document, issued Christmas Day in the wake of that day’s failed terrorist attack.
American Airlines Says Some Customers Are More Equal Than Others
By 9.23.08
It’s true, you’re all going to the same place, but American Airlines has decided to debut new dedicated lanes available only to the “elite” members of the AAdvantage program, full-fare coach customers, AAirpass holders and passengers in business and first class. The lanes will direct these desirable individuals swiftly through the airport from check-in to boarding — including security.
Are You Skilled Enough For The TSA's "Black Diamond" Security Line?
By 6.24.08
Are you a good skier? Do you tackle the “black diamond” slopes without hesitation? Well, the TSA has a new challenge for you — the “black diamond” security line. In an effort to reduce the stress that travelers feel when families are holding up the security line — or when pushy frequent fliers try to cut in front of those families, the TSA has been testing a “self-select” program that allows fliers to choose which line they would feel most comfortable in.
