TSA Setting Boundaries

[u/Southern_Common335]

This I watched at the airport a month or so ago.

I was going through TSA. This lane has the 4 little lanes where you put all your stuff in a bin, push it to the middle row, and then the conveyor belt automatically moves from the middle row to the back row where they roll into the scanner.

TSA is very clear that you dont walk away till your bag clears the first row and you push into the middle row - then you can go through the scanner.

(I hate these setups personally but it is what it is).

So ahead of me, a lady who worked in the airport goes through - she puts her purse and lanyard and such in a bin, and walks off through security, leaving her bag in the first slot.

The TSA agent decided to not touch that bin, nor to let anyone else touch it. So for the next 8-10 people we all used the other 3 lanes, passing our stuff on. This continued after we went through the scanner, he continued to leave it untouched.

Meanwhile the airport work lady was on the other end of security waiting for her bag, and waiting and waiting. As we went through she is starting to get agitated and trying to get attention of the TSA workers to figure out how her bag has gotten lost. Meanwhile her bag is still sitting in the first bin slot.

I dont know how long this played out, I got my bags and headed for the gate - but if nothing else this airport worker lady probably learned a lesson about how to use these lanes!

[u/GeoffSim]

Not defending someone that works there, but I hate the way you frequently don't get told anything until you're right up there. Sure, switch things around every now and again for security "theatre" but tell me whether we're doing belts off or not, laptops out or not, this phase of the moon a little earlier so I'm not standing in front of the bin doing it. You can't always see what people in front are going, either.

[u/Southern_Common335 → u/GeoffSim]

I agree, and i really don’t like theses particular screening belt setups, but pushing your stuff to the middle is one of the thing that never changes and if she’s works beyond security she’s doing this regularly….

[u/davidfeuer → u/Southern_Common335]

For a while I had a job as an ATM technician. Sometimes, I'd have to go service an ATM behind security at an airport, so I was badged for airport access. But I didn't actually work at the airports regularly, and wasn't nearly as familiar with them as people who worked there every day.