TSA

Just a rant …

Last week, I took a plane in ONT (CA) and, arrived at the X/Ray machine, I emptied my pockets into a bin and put it on the belt (including boarding pass), took my laptop out, the usual. The TSA agent at the metal detector portal asked me to step through, which I did. No alarm went off, as you’d expect with no metal on you. She then asked to see my baording pass (that I already showed at the previous control). I, of course, couldn’t hand it to her, as it was in the bin. I told her that, and she told me that she’d take it for me.

She didn’t take that boarding pass, but the empty that contained the other ones for subsequent flights (as mentioned, I just had taken it out beforehand for the previous control).

Now, this bright security agent told me I didn’t have a valid one, as none was originating from ONT (the next leg was SLC – ATL). So, obviously, I was meant to teleport to Salt Lake City, and the fact that the 2 luggage tags on the slip showed ONT-SLC didn’t matter.

I could see that as a security measure, so I didn’t argue. But it gets better. I told her (I had to do it 3 times) that the pass was still in the bin, and finally said “I’ll get it”, and stepped forward. To which she shouted to me to step back, at the other side of the metal detector, she managed to find my boarding pass in the bin, then rechecked if metal still hadn’t materializend on me.

So now, I am really starting to wonder if the TSA purposedly hires idiots.
Some of them are ok, but I encountered many which barely speak english, who seem to enjoy making people’s life miserable, or are just stupid.