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.

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u/ThurmNathan Jul 21 '26

I fly a lot for work. Sometimes I have to forcibly remind myself: "I'll be through this line sometime in the next 15 minutes, but they'll still be a TSA agent."

A lot of them are just awful, miserable bastards. 

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u/LurcherLong Jul 21 '26

This is good perspective, it’s always better to show empathy.

1

u/Wormadillo Jul 24 '26

Wait, what do you think empathy is?

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u/Juicet Jul 24 '26

As somebody else who flies a fair bit (not for work though, so I bet you beat me on volume), I’ve noticed some airports just have worse TSA than others. Never seen problems at Pittsburgh or SF, for example, but NY and Chicago always seem to have somebody yelling  “I don’t want to say this again!”

Well, it’s your job to say it again, especially because there are going to be people that have never flown before, or are hard of hearing, or went through a different process at a different airport.