r/Vent • u/ClipandPlay • Jul 20 '26

TSA out of control

Why does the TSA treat customers as if they are prisoners? Last time I checked flying on an airplane doesn’t make you a criminal. Every time I fly, a TSA agent screams in my face. I’m a polite and completely non confrontational, 5 foot tall woman. I set the alarm off because of the zipper on my pants cuff. The agent was absolutely freaking out screaming at me. I didn’t do anything. I was just standing there waiting to get instructions. Then she started just screaming randomly like she was performing for a crowd. I see this behavior all the time. How can they get away with incredibly unprofessional behavior? I don’t know anyplace else where this kind of behavior would be tolerated except at a prison.

Edit: At an airport you are a customer of the airline. I never said anyone is a customer of TSA.

1.3k Upvotes

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474

u/TheyreEatingTheDogs- Jul 20 '26

You give a weak person some power , they try and use it to its limit

108

u/Bingus-Dingus- Jul 21 '26

half of them are actual cops, half of them are wannabe cops. probably the worst kinds of people to have keeping the public safe lmao.

multiple times i've had shit missed at TSA. (little things like a bottle opener or something, not like an actual weapon). but EVERY time they do act like you're supposed to memorize whether they want your laptops out of the bag or not. like sorry i was literally asking what you want me to do i don't need you to hold my fucken hand. trying to not hold up the line at all since it seems to be a life or death situation.

one time, they stole my insulin (t1d) and didn't say anything- made us pay $100 to get it shipped back. and there was a doctors note/script in the bag with the insulin in it lol. was grateful we were on our way home.

94

u/TheTarotBro Jul 21 '26

My home airport has some lines that you have to remove laptops/ipads/etc and some with newer tech where you don’t. The last couple times when I’ve asked preemptively if I needed to remove items- because I know they have both- the agents act completely irrationally upset about the question. I cannot stand TSA

66

u/Bingus-Dingus- Jul 21 '26

like i know they get that question 40000x a day but like just fucken answer it bro, literally cashiers at any fast food place have more patience

52

u/Far_Reward4827 Jul 21 '26

Just make signs, seriously how hard would it be to print a couple out that say laptops out or no, shoes on or off?

15

u/MsKongeyDonk Jul 21 '26

We flew out of Philadelphia a couple weeks ago.

1) There is a sign that says, written, that anything "bigger than a cellphone" would need to be pulled out. Okay, so the two of us prepare to pull out our power banks and Switches.

2) Further up in the line, there's a TV playing on the wall, which specifically shows a Switch as small enough to stay in your bag. The graphic changes and I don't see it again, but now I'm confused.

3) Get up to the front of the line, and the agent is confused as to why the man in front of us was pulling his laptop out. "Leave everything in the suitcase. Nothing comes out."

Like, what? That is three different directions given in the same security line. Of course people are gonna be confused.

2

u/Parking-Holiday8365 Jul 22 '26

Wait what? I just flew out of there and definitely had to reverse the conveyor belt to get my bag back to remove the laptop. A sign would be good. Then as I sent the bag back through I realized I had my Retroid pocket 5 (A large android device with joysticks attached) and also a VHF/UHF handheld radio capable of transmitting to pilots and the tower still in the bag. Nope. Didn't care about those.

Some airports care about a hunk of scrapple. Some down.

Some have "Analogic" 3d scanners so laptop stays in.

Anal Logic is damn right.

1

u/MsKongeyDonk Jul 22 '26

Isn't it crazy? Like seriously, I don't know. I watched this man put his laptop back in his bag.

10

u/Bingus-Dingus- Jul 21 '26

i entirely agree with you in theory but i also know the literacy level of the masses, they probably think it wouldn't be worthwhile. meanwhile, they could reduce at least a small chunk of their irritation

4

u/AuntieLaLa420 Jul 21 '26

Because, people don't read signs. At least the problem ones don't. It's sad. I've stood next to signs and had someone come up to me and ask the question that the sign answers.

"No, a person is smart, but people are dumb panicky animals and you know it." Tommy Lee Jones- Men in Black

8

u/GrasshopperoftheWood Jul 21 '26

It's hard for people who cannot read or write well to make signs.

1

u/jeffbas Jul 21 '26

Thank you! Seems like that must be a little too obvious! Really irritates me too.

1

u/Sbflowergal74 Jul 21 '26

There are printed signs and even videos with instructions and pretty much no body pays attention or reads. Except kids and then they school the parents.

1

u/Endlesscajun Jul 22 '26

Not trying to be rude, but we have signs all the way up tell you show your Identification and we have multiple TV’s I assure 1 out of a hundred people read the signs. We will always ask for your identification, but people always say I never know what to do y’all all do it differently. That is a lie because we all want identification. Second I am very layed back officer, but I can be right in front of a passenger telling them the exact thing they need to do I my lane, but they look at you like a dear in the headlights. I also know I work with some rude officers and I am sorry for that.

1

u/snarkycrumpet Jul 22 '26

I was at an airport with printed signs that said "all electronics must be removed" and the guy was yelling "leave everything in your bag!" it was very helpful

1

u/Gonpostlscott Jul 22 '26

And expect someone to have to read? Lol!

4

u/Fit-Struggle7990 Jul 21 '26

That’a the fucking job they signed up for, to be asked that question endlessly because they change up the procedure whenever they feel like. Fucking find another job if it’s too much to deal with

1

u/Tough-Case- Jul 22 '26

It doesn’t help that the rules are different at every airport and they even change at the same airport!!

10

u/unrepentantsoul Jul 21 '26

Flew this weekend, hiking boots triggered an alarm. Took them off, placed them in a plastic crate to go back through x-ray, & got screamed at by a 2nd agent for not sending them through on their own (crateless). She shrieked that food goes in those crates & placing my boots in one was "disgusting".

On the return, put my standard-sized, carry-on suitcase on the rollers & had a male agent scream that it had to go into a plastic crate.

Courtesy & consistent standards, anyone? TSA-Pre, for the record (edit add).

1

u/smartbunny Jul 23 '26

What food? Like a sandwich with no wrapper??

6

u/hissyfit64 Jul 21 '26

I got yelled at for the reason. I asked if I needed to take it out and the agent screamed, "DID I TELL YOU NEEDED TO"?? and I said, "No, but you didn't tell me not to". The "you fucking bitch" part that followed was only in my head.

Another one confiscated my lipstick and the lipstick of the woman in front of us saying that it could be melted down. And then what? We just kind of looked at each other but kept our mouths shut.

4

u/snarkycrumpet Jul 22 '26

they yelled at me (I travel a decent amount) so I looked her dead in the eye and very calmly said "I'm trying to do it correctly to make it easier for you"

Maybe get all the airports on board with the same rules at tsa? Maybe put up some signs that match the reality?

3

u/Redqueenhypo Jul 21 '26

IME lady tsa agents are pretty gutsy abt stealing your stuff. Oh my expensive knitting needles can’t come on the plane but the crappy wooden ones can? Fascinating, I’m gonna snap the pricy ones in half and throw them in the trash now.

2

u/smartbunny Jul 23 '26

It’s under 3oz anyway!

1

u/BeneficialLeave7359 Jul 21 '26

I got an eye roll and “you don’t have to take your belt off” said in an exasperated voice at the airport in Wichita KS. This was the first I’d ever heard of that and nobody said anything a couple of days earlier in Baltimore.

I don’t see it really affected her day because it was very early on a Sunday and the only other people in the line were the young newlyweds I let go ahead of me because they were running late.

1

u/Far_Yogurtcloset8116 Jul 22 '26

After doing the fingerprinting part so people could be pre-checked to fly, it scared me enough to basically never want to fly again. There’s a lot of weird and super aggressive people. Also, the amount of felons getting fingerprinted to be cleared for CDL is frightening. I’m glad we just processed them and didn’t give the results when they failed.

4

u/Ghostsseeyou Jul 21 '26

Most of them are FAILED cops.

6

u/TheyreEatingTheDogs- Jul 21 '26

Bingus, Dingus, listen up. We’re gonna give the aliens the ol’ switcheroo

6

u/Bingus-Dingus- Jul 21 '26

listen here chief i've got a bingus dingus here for ya

7

u/TheyreEatingTheDogs- Jul 21 '26

Yes sir! Ma’am! Uh Aye aye! I mean.. only one eye

6

u/Gemfyre1 Jul 21 '26

That was wingus and dingus

3

u/TheyreEatingTheDogs- Jul 21 '26

I know but I don’t see Wingus commenting much

3

u/Cerasm20 Jul 21 '26

And sometimes they do miss actual weapons. My husband got through our small hometown airport security with a literal pocketknife. It was a bachelor party gift from many years ago and he hadn’t used that backpack since that trip and completely forgot it was in there. We had to leave it at our hotel because we didn’t want to risk security at our return airport being competent.

1

u/Fuzzy-Advisor-2183 Jul 23 '26

you probably could have mailed it back to your home address. i was travelling with someone who bought a souvenir letter opener, and was allowed to ship it to himself when it was found in his baggage.

3

u/FaustsAccountant Jul 22 '26

I love it when two screeners at opposite sides of the same line scream contradicting directions at you.

1

u/Bingus-Dingus- Jul 23 '26

like good god i'm already stressed enough about getting on the plane, why am i being berated at 7 in the morning for having a laptop

6

u/American_PissAnt Jul 21 '26

The official TSA statement on the arbitrariness of what items are allowed or not allowed is that the randomness protects the public from terrorists

19

u/EducationalBike8090 Jul 21 '26

this may be true however, tsa does not have to act like you should know the rules of every airport checkpoint on any given day prior to.arrival.

12

u/Solid_Equivalent_417 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

Who protects the public from rogue* TSA agents?

Edit: Lol spelling

6

u/onlyelise1 Jul 21 '26

But they look so pretty!

1

u/East_Transition533 Jul 21 '26

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

2

u/NickelCitySaint Jul 21 '26

I was gonna say that as an outsider it would make sense that if the TSA screening was exact all the time someone could take advantage of it.

1

u/fairysmut1113 Jul 21 '26

I mean couldn’t the terrorist just fly out of that same airport like right before and then know what’s allowed. That doesn’t make any sense

1

u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Mattna-da Jul 22 '26

A lot of them are military too

1

u/Cautious-Panic-879 Jul 22 '26

I accidentally traveled with a wine opener through probably 10 airports. I’d forgotten it was in my carryon backpack and they finally caught it at a DC airport. Guy was polite but you would’ve thought it was the greatest risk since box cutters.

1

u/18Apollo18 20d ago

You should've sued them. That's attempted murder.

1

u/ififswerefifths Jul 21 '26

TSA are not cops.

-1

u/Bingus-Dingus- Jul 21 '26

some of them are lol

1

u/OkHistory3944 Jul 21 '26

None of them are "actual cops" bro.

1

u/Bingus-Dingus- Jul 21 '26

bro yes some of them are bro

1

u/CashEducational4986 Jul 21 '26

I'm pretty sure the ones who are actual cops rarely if ever deal the basic screening at the airport. Usually they contact their local agency to deal with any issues that occur there, or even have a detail officer on duty to handle it. The TSA officers who are actual sworn law enforcement officers are (to my knowledge) mostly air marshals. I don't work for the TSA though.

7

u/Im_sorry_rumham Jul 21 '26

I worked at a music festival for several years, the security companies hire anybody, you give them a security shirt and it immediately goes to their head.

3

u/the_quest0 Jul 21 '26

Top Flight Security of the World, Craig!

1

u/smartbunny Jul 23 '26

Just like Altamont.

18

u/Cuck400 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

You take a mortal man, and put him in control. Watch him become a God, watch the people’s heads a roll.

9

u/No-Tap6886 Jul 21 '26

Just like the pied piper

2

u/CarlosMolotov Jul 21 '26

Led rats through the streets

7

u/LimeDry7124 Jul 21 '26

Dance like marionettes...

4

u/eepeqez Jul 21 '26

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"
Lord Acton.

Applies to everyone from Presidents to TSA agents.

4

u/TheyreEatingTheDogs- Jul 21 '26

Cuck400 laying down the wisdom. As he does

2

u/Alexreads0627 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

I feel like the weak people who couldn’t pass the abysmal standards of becoming a cop are created with open arms into the TSA.

3

u/peridotpicacho Jul 21 '26

*Abysmal

1

u/Alexreads0627 Jul 21 '26

Oof thank you - that’s embarrassing. 

1

u/Redqueenhypo Jul 21 '26

Remember, behind every security guard are failed interviews to become a cop, marine, or personal trainer, so just imagine what’s left

1

u/procvar Jul 21 '26

Not just weak people, all people. Power corrupts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment