Innocent "ME" a Security risk at the airport!!

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 3:52 pm

I got marked as a security threat - so add me to the National Watch list......the guy who bought my ticket is muslim....a doctor...from Pakistan......(1 strike against me) .......My driver's license expired on July 22 - and I forgot about it and didn't bring my passport (2 strikes against me) They sent me to this special line in security. And then what did I do? I got my 3rd strike - I was so stressed out by this time that I forgot to take off my shoes. They yelled at me and put me in a cubicle until my name was called. They then felt my feet and then put the wand over them - then I had to stand up and got a really good search by this woman who decided she had to feel every inch of my body. I think she was enjoying it. Finally, I got through and was allowed on the plane.

They punched a hole in the middle of my ticket and wrote SSSS in big letters across it for everyone in the airport to know that I had been marked as a security threat. It was quite the experience!

Then before getting on the plane I was pulled aside and asked why I look so tired. I was like - BECAUSE I'm SLEEPY - it's a flight at night - and I'm usually getting ready to go to bed now. DUH!!!!

So......I do not look forward to flying home on Sunday....

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:02 pm

Let me know if you need a scan of a passport for your return trip. I've got a bunch. Laughing

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:10 pm

Are you sure someone here hasn't sent you on safari?

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:15 pm

Is it Karma for what we are putting Ed through?

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 3551

"Innocent", Eliza? Wink

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:30 pm

Eliza_Doolittle wrote:

(...) I think she was enjoying it. (...)

It's common knowledge that the majority of female security personnel are lesbian. Confused

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:32 pm

I've heard US airport security can be a bit heavy handed. We'd better get the campaign started for the Eater One. Wink

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 5:23 pm

Eliza, I feel some of your pain.

Security at our nation's airports is a joke. A bunch of mugu lead by old mugum.

Exactly one year ago to the day I had a Zippo lighter confiscated in Kansas City. I explain that according to TSA and FARs, smoking supplies are allowed and that the lighter has been allowed through a whole bunch of airports all over the world. Lets think about it. I'm on a unintended stop on a return flight; my red custom Boy Scout lighter must have been allowed all along the line. The supervisor backs up the screener. I asked if I could just pull out the packing. Not allowed. I ended up taking out the spring, follower, flint and wick and breaking the case in half. The lady was actually saddened. I now carry a print out of the TSA website that says that Zippos are allowed on flights in an attempt to protect the engraved brass lighter the military boy gave me as a replacement.

I am not sure if the reading thing will help me though. Last spring I was at the American Airline's counter attempting to get a pass through security to see my military son and four of his buddies off at the gate. After they told me it was not allowed by law, I pulled out a print out of the TSA website that said it was allowed. Ultimately it never happened. I ended up going as far up the supervision path that American had at one of their busiest airports. I am still going back and forth on that one with American's customer disservice email center in New Delhi. My only recourse was to post the email traffic from the disservice center to a military family's list serve with 14 thousand members. Needless to say, no one flies American in my extended family.

I am a pilot and when I am pilot in command, I always carry what the Boy Scouts call the 10 essentials. I include a 12 gauge flare gun as a signaling device and a 9mm. When I am PIC, no one asks for any ID.

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 5:58 pm

When returning from my trip in June, I went through DTW, and thinking it would be hell because I'm Iranian by descent, I booked my tickets to have myself in transit for 4 hours thinking that it would be a while until they send me through. However, getting through security was so smooth that it made Toronto airport look like Fort Knox. I died of boredom in Detroit's airport! Took me less than 10 minutes to go through DHS.

However, I feel for you Eliza and I do know how stressful it can be. I had some trouble in Moscow 4 years ago when going to Tehran. They did a thorough body search of me because I forgot to take my watch off when going through the detector. In the end, they confiscated a pen I was carrying Shocked

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:00 pm

Well, I also had some prescription medication in the bag. Since I am only here for a couple days, I just put it in a ziplock bag. They didn't notice the pills. I was thinking - OH SHIT - they are going to find those and I'm going to be in further shit for not having the actual prescription bottle with my name on it. They didn't even notice those!

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:05 pm

Wow. I've been flying all around Europe with my Swiss Army Knife for years. It was eventually confiscated at an Egyptian airport, but that was probably only because the guard wanted it as a gift for his son or something. And he did say "thank you very much". Smile

Then I go onto the intarnets where people tell about how they were strip-searched lesb-pr0n style and marked 'terrist' for forgetting to take their shoes off.

To quote a hippie stripper from St. Louis who's a good friend of mine - "faaar out!"

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:11 pm

Eliza_Doolittle wrote:

... I do not look forward to flying home on Sunday. ...

But please start a thread about it. The suspense is killing me.

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:04 pm

Benjamin Franklin once said: "A nation that trades liberty for security, deserves neither and will lose both.".

This "National Security" is a joke. It took 2+ Hrs to get through the border from Canada into Washington. There were people selling ice cream in the middle of the road to the stopped traffic!

You must understand that the "terrorist threat" is Muslim, so I cannot blame them for being careful, but that is no excuse for treating the innocent how they do. Putting SSSS on your plane ticket? What is this, the Schutzstaffel!? Once you go through security, you're supposed to be "cleared", so I don't know what these guys think they are accomplishing! They must think you're going to pull a plastic hand grenade out of your ass...

Moderator Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 14513

@ED I was SSSSSSed as they say once. The fact that I booked at the last minute was the red flag. I actually had the TSA people laughing about the SSSSS thing by the end of the screening after they had searched me and my bags up and done. I actually was kind of dreading the return trip, fearing another SSSSSS put on my boarding informaiton.

Never happened. Lots of worrying for nothing.

Getting screened kind is kind of inconvenient, but I can't imagine being a TSA screener. That has to be a fairly challenging job if you imagine all the insults and crap they must take from people on a daily basis.

419Eater is my life Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 365

Just let me know what airport it is. I'll get you through security with no problems at all.................after a quick body cavity search, that is! Wink

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 12:10 am

You brought this upon yourself when you impersonated a federal agent in those audio baits... Wink

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 1:02 am

Just remember: DO NOT TAKE OUT YOUR FRUSTRATION ON THE AIRLINE!

The lady behind the baggage check is not the one to blame. Airlines have no control over how the airport works. If you are polite to the airline you have a chance at getting reimbursed.

IMO, you should write or call the airport with your complaints. Even if you haven't been mistreated, a flood of hate mail could persuade the airport (and TSA) to clean up its act!

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 2:35 am

Quote:

You must understand that the "terrorist threat" is Muslim

Is it? Mentality like that is exactly why there are comments such a "the guy who bought my ticket is muslim....a doctor...from Pakistan......(1 strike against me) .."

As for the whining over airport security. Get over it. I was pulled aside by security for random reasons well before any of this crap and have breezed through since. Airports have alway had security check and if you can't handle that extra 15 minutes at the airport don't fly and spare us your whining about how mistreated you were.

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 3:26 am

@ rentacow

Absolutely -- do not take it out on the airline; they have no control over the airport's individual TSA staff.

SherlockHolmie worked for a major carrier, an "American" airline Rolling Eyes

, and had to occasionally work ticket-check duty at the TSA checkpoint. The "SSSS" marks for this airline were always pre-printed on the ticket before the passenger got to the gate, and was usually because a passenger had a one-way ticket, didn't check any bags or paid cash. (Can hear a supervisor now -- "It's Policy and Procedure!")

Important tip going through TSA with something you think won't pass: ask at the ticket counter *first*; they will probably tell you to advise checkpoint you're carrying it before you pass. TSA (at least at my airport) will scan it separately if they know in advance..never had one item confiscated from any passengers who did this.

For what it's worth, this doesn't only apply to passengers; once had a passenger leave a suitbag on a connecting flight, had only minutes to get it before the plane departed...forgot to take off my shoes too, and got wanded before they would let me get to my own gate Laughing

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 3:58 am

friday3 wrote:

Is it? Mentality like that is exactly why there are comments such a "the guy who bought my ticket is muslim....a doctor...from Pakistan......(1 strike against me) .."

What I mean is, we (the USA) are at war with Islamic extremists. Thus, the terrorists are Muslim. Since people don't walk around with "Not a terrorist." signs, the government can't be sure "The Muslim" isn't an "Islamic extremist" or not.

For the Record: Personally, I think the "Threat level" is a load of bull.

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 4:25 am

friday3 wrote:

..As for the whining over airport security. Get over it. I was pulled aside by security for random reasons well before any of this...

100% agree friday3. Airport security is what it is for our protection. I too have been flagged, body searched, cabin baggage searched, shoes off, belt off, lighters confiscated ... and all this much much earlier.

About the Muslim comment, the less said the better.

Also agree with Kleindofy ... can't wait for the return journey bulletin.

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 8:07 am

Zorro wrote:

100% agree friday3. Airport security is what it is for our protection. I too have been flagged, body searched, cabin baggage searched, shoes off, belt off, lighters confiscated ... and all this much much earlier.

The main argument for that, is, "It's not necessary. We are not in as great of danger as the gov. says we are in.". That is what I think, but you can take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:28 am

Let's try to stay away from politics, shall we? I would really really hate to lock this fascinating and insightful thread. The rules for politics are the same here on <strike>EK's</strike> ED's blog as on the rest of 419Eater.

edit: silly me!

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:42 am

rentacow, your point is well made but did you know that there have already been 3 hijackings this year ... ?

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 11:39 am

I have alot of family in the airline business. My sister was a BA stewardess for 17 years.
She had quite a serious incident in Manchester, many years ago. Some of you may kmnow what I'm talking about?
What used to really piss her off was that people thought she was there purely to serve them tea and coffee.
In actual fact, her training was in how to evacuate passengers safely, whatever the emergency. She was a highly trained proffessional in safety.

As I commented in a previous post, I told how on my last trip to the UK (Actually, I was heading back to NZ) at Heathrow, I was pulled out of line for a security check. I was, in all honesty, smuggling a crash helmet through!!
Long story short, I went to security at LHR and said "I have this crash helmet and a handbag. It says on the security board I can only have one item as handluggage and I don't want to put either in the hold, what can I do?"
After it had been agreed that the crash helmet would not fit into my handbag (I mean, it's a typical womans handbag, ie: It is like the Tardis) the guy X rayed it and said "Just put it under your jacket. "(I also had a full armour bike jacket) I was trying to smuggle it, as suggested, through.

Anyhoo, I was taken out of line and asked to go through one of those new, X ray type thingys. I covered my ninnies.

My point being.....Delay me for an hour. I don't care. Search me thoroughly. Make sure I am safe to travel on that aircraft.
It makes me happy.
And no. No sarcasm is implied.

On a side note...Please remember your aircrew could save your life.

Thankyou.

Lecture over!!

(Sorry Embarassed

)

Innocent "ME" a Security risk at the airport!!	View next topic View previous topic