As we’ve already seen from the hug-happy 4-year-old, the 7-year-old on crutches, and the baby who caused the evacuation of an entire airport terminal, terror threats are getting younger and younger. The latest: An 18-month-old little girl who somehow allegedly ended up on a no-fly list. [More]
TSA
Teenager Says TSA Screeners Are Responsible For Breaking $10K Insulin Pump
By 5.9.12
Sure, there are a lot of things the Transportation Security Administration does right. Catching gun parts in stuffed animals? Great job! But one diabetic Colorado teen is upset with the agency, blaming TSA screeners for breaking the $10,000 insulin pump she needs to survive. [More]
Man Tells TSA He Has No Idea How Gun Parts Got In His Son's Stuffed Animals
By 5.9.12
It’s unfortunate when gun parts show up when you least expect them. Say, in your son’s stuffed toy while going through security at an airport. A man traveling with his four-year-old told officials at T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island that he didn’t know how handgun parts ended up in his kid’s three stuffed animals. [More]
Congressman Claims TSA's Pat-Down Was Aggressive & Strayed Into Uncomfortable Territory
By 5.7.12
Senator Rand Paul isn’t the only politician who’s upset with the Transportation Security Administration. Congressman Quico Conseco claims the TSA was overly aggressive while patting him down, and that he didn’t appreciate where he says the agent’s hands went while searching him in San Antonio. [More]
The TSA Brags About Scooting 1 Million Passengers Through PreCheck Screening
By 5.7.12
The Transportation Security Administration trumpeted last week that it had screened a whole one million passengers through its brand new accelerated screening program, PreCheck. But although that seems like a high number, it’s really just the very tip of a large, slow-moving iceberg. [More]
Fight Discriminatory TSA Profiling With Your Smartphone
By 5.1.12
It’s hard to find any travelers with nice things to say about the Transportation Safety Administration, but members of the Sikh faith really have a grievance. They claim that they’re singled out for secondary screening at airport security to an extent that’s discriminatory, and frequently ordered to allow inspections or removal of their turbans. So they’re fighting back in 21st century fashion: with a smartphone app. [More]
Newark Airport Terminal Evacuated Over Unchecked Baby
By 4.27.12
The week of little children posing a threat to the travelers of the world concludes with this story about how officials evacuated and temporarily shut down an entire terminal at Newark International Airport because a baby didn’t receive a second screening. [More]
TSA Allows Airports To Hire People Without Finishing Background Check
By 4.26.12
While the TSA dare not let a hug-friendly 4-year-old go by without a pat-down, the agency is apparently just fine with allowing airports to hire new employees who haven’t gone through a complete background check yet. [More]
TSA Agents Accused Of Taking Bribes To Let Drugs Through LAX Checkpoints
By 4.25.12
While the TSA blog loves to brag about all the weapons the agency’s screeners have taken off travelers, this news probably won’t be posted with pride on the kitchenette bulletin board at TSA HQ. [More]
Report: TSA Has No Idea How To Screen A 7-Year-Old With Cerebral Palsy
By 4.25.12
The tiny (potential) terrorists of the world continue to wreak havoc at airport security checkpoints. We already brought you the story of the 4-year-old who dared to hug her grandmother in view of TSA screeners, and now comes the tale of a 7-year-old girl with cerebral palsy whose crutches and leg braces reportedly confounded security personnel at JFK Airport. [More]
4-Year-Old Gets TSA Pat-Down Following Hug From Grandma
By 4.23.12
Kids today. They say and do the darndest things, even under the watchful eye of the Transportation Security Administration. So who knows what happens when your 4-year-old daughter gives grandma a hug at the airport security checkpoint. In addition to that peck on the cheek, a deadly weapon may have been exchanged. [More]
Nudity Is Always A Fun Way To Protest The TSA
By 4.18.12 — Updated: 5.18.17
Perhaps the man who stripped naked at the Portland International Airport security checkpoint last night just figured he was saving the TSA the step of having to pat him down for concealed items? [More]
TSA Testing Screening Machines So You Don't Have To Deal With Agents
By 4.16.12
Who needs a person with a pen and a black light to say a boarding pass and identification passes muster? The Transportation Security Administration is testing a system that would screen those materials with a machine, instead of a visual check from an agent. [More]
Boston TSA Agent Nabbed During Child Pornography Crackdown
By 4.13.12
The Transportation Security Administration keeps getting hit with scandal after scandal — from thieving agents to employees with ridiculous demands, or those who leave creepy notes in passengers’ bags. And now, in an even ickier development, a TSA agent who worked at Boston’s Logan International Airport has been nabbed as part of a sweeping child pornography crackdown. [More]
TSA Takes Its Sweet Time Considering My Claim, Rejects It When Don't Reply Immediately
By 4.12.12
Consumerist reader P.L. has a bone to pick with the Transportation Security Administration. Seems they’re of the belief that they can take six months to decide whether or not it’s their fault his video camera went missing from his luggage, but when P.L. takes a few weeks to answer their questions — well, that’s just not acceptable. [More]
American Airlines Staffer Refuses To Let Me Fly Twice In One Day
By 4.5.12
We’ve posted numerous stories in recent years about airline staffers booting passengers from flights or having them detained after the plane lands for reasons that seem pretty petty. And here’s the story of a Consumerist reader who says he wasn’t even allowed on his plane because an American Airlines employee had issues with both of his passports, even though the TSA had no problems. [More]
Putting A Knife In A Jar Of Mayo Probably Won't Fool The TSA
By 4.4.12
We’ve done our fair share of criticizing the Transportation Security Administration for confiscating silly things like cupcakes, subjecting fliers to ridiculous ordeals and workers who steal from passengers, but when it comes to trying to sneak weapons past security at John F. Kennedy Airport in a jar full of another banned item? Yeah, they’ll probably get ya. [More]
Sorry, Sir, But You Can't Take Fireworks On A Cross-Country Flight
By 3.29.12
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]
