Hi Gang,
I have been on the road alot lately as the deadline for 100% baggage check is coming on December 31st.
Tips for traveling T-men and T-vixens. Pack any food substances on top!! The machine that is used for screening the baggage will find it and alert on it! Why because of it is mass and density. Also it’s nitrogen content. The TSA is recommending that you don’t travel with food, but if you must pack it on top. It makes it easier for the screeners and easier for you.
Check out the TSA website!!! They have a list of thing that you can pack for both inside the plane and carry-on.
The screeners I have worked with so far are hard working well meaning people. They are concerned with the safety of the flying public. A far change from the baggage checkers of old.
Happy Holidays and Safe Flying and as always.
Best of Luck.
I had a funny experience while coming back for the holidays. Flew into LAX, transferred to a domestic flight to go see my family. Of course, this necessitated another security check. So I put my bag on the conveyor, removed all metal items, including belt and shoes, and stepped through. Everything was fine…until the guy noticed my shirt.
“Hey” he said, frowing and starting to move toward me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I looked down and realized that I had a huge BIOTEST printed across the front of my shirt. “Uh, it’s a supplement company…?”
Well, I had some explaining to do. Apparently anything having to do with “bio~” is going to send up red flags. So if you’re travelling, it’d probably be better to wear either a Testosterone shirt or the new T-nation symbol… 
Char: I have a story regarding Biotest “stuff”:
My recent trip from PDX to Atlanta was my first time flying since 9/11. And it took place during the first week of airport security being handled by the Feds. I had a really positive experience, too (both here in PDX and in Atlanta).
While I had safely stored some creatine and protien powder in my check-in, I had put into my carry-on, some Grow! bars and a bottle of Methoxy. Plus, I was wearing my knee high Doc Martins. Upon reaching the security check point, I removed my belt (had metal on it, jacket (required), small bag and placed them in the tub and placed that along w/my carry on on the belt. The security gaurds instantly spotted my Docs, and pointed out that I may have to remove them, too. They all were sure there were steel toes - but nope, none. During the bag inspection, three guards not only commented on my excellent shopping skills(doesn't everyone know not all Docs come w/steel toes?), and asked if I "worked out". Oh, and the Grow! bars and Methoxy raised some eyebrows, too. Immediately the guards w/my bag started asking me questions on "bulking", "increasing bench lbs.", etc. I told them about T-mag, and as I was leaving, I could hear the two gaurds mumbling "www.t-mag.com". Funny. Same thing happened in Hartsfield (Atlanta), too.
And anyone notice you can now rent portable DVD players in the airports. Very handy for them long trips. I watched "Monsters, Inc" on the way home.
Let me apologize to Ko in advance. On winter break and the girlfriend is a few states away for a while.
Knee high Docs… droool…
It is good to hear that the ‘improvements’ in baggage and claims have been genuine improvements and that things seem to be working better than before. As a skeptic, I’m always pleased when I am wrong.
I have a question since we are on the topic of Airports. I fly ALOT, and I had never had a problem with the security, until now. I was thinking recently that I am not sure that this increase is such a good thing. I heard a saying once that goes like this “When given a choice, people will always sacrifice freedom for security”. It feels that this is what is happening. When I enter an airport, I feel like I am in a different country, where your freedom from unreasonable searches and seazuires are non existant. A Cop has to have Probable cause, a Search warrant, or Consent to search your stuff (I know I am one) but at an airport everybody and everything is free game…I;m not sure its good…What you think?
I agree with your concern over our lagging freedoms. I understand that precautions do need to be taken for public safety. As unPC as it is, I am for racial (and other) profiling. While it is possible that Granny or 6 year old Scotty is packing C4, the likelihood is that it would be a mid-twenties Middle Eastern male. The hardest thing to do is to be fair to the law abiding citizens and still catch the assholes. I certainly don’t have all the answers though.
I do like the idea of having EVERYONE pass through one of those sci-fi X-ray thingies like in Total Recall, where you can see a person’s bones and any metal type stuff they are carrying. Just herd folks onto one of those people movers inside of the giant X-ray dealie and have 50 screeners along the 100 foot machine viewing folks as they are moved through. Very simplistic and futuristic but about the only way to screen anyone/everyone fairly.
With 9/11, everyone was glad that airport security was tightened, even though it was a hassle. Now, security has been eased up a lot since then, especially for the holidays. But, if another attack or something bad happens, Americans will complain that security wasn’t tough enough. Yet, they are the ones that complain when they are searched or it takes a little longer to get through the airport. The saying goes, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” But it seems that Americans want it both ways, unless it affects them personally. I don’t care if it’s a hassle because security is tighter and more people are being searched. I’d rather know I’m safe rather than having someone slip through the cracks and be on the plane that I’m aboard.
Funny thing is, no organized terrorist cell is actually going to try the plane-into-a-building gig again. Maybe some yahoo will try a hijacking, but he probably won’t be smart enough to pull it off. In this case then, yes, increased airport security will help. But when we’re talking about an organized attack a la Bin Laden, we’ll never see it coming.
I fuckin’ hate the new security mesures. I’d rather take my chances with the terrorists any day then deal with some high school drop out probing my asshole everytime I want to travel. I hated the old security measures, I thought they were to intrusive. I will not give up my freedom for security. I rather die free than get hassled all the time. All the search and seizure crap, where’s my privacy? It’s rediculous that you “shouldn’t” pack food substances. Who the fuck are they to tell me what I should and should not pack…ARRRG! What happened to give me liberty or give me death.
And another thing, that homeland security bullshit is another thing to limit our freedoms and invade our privacy. Does anybody really think any of this will stop some terrorist who lives out his life studying and thinking of ways to kill us? I give it a resounding NO. Amemerica is full of soft, easy targets, They don't have to go to the airport to fuck us up.
Besides, the terroists entered those planes with nothing illegal. They just put on a good show and did something that has never been done before.
They can search me all they want. I’ll bring food, supplements and weird workout devices with me when I travel. I have nothing to hide, so it’s not a big deal. I draw the line when they decide that they want to take something of mine. At that point, my privacy and freedom has been taken away, and I’m going to go into a rage. So look all you want, ask questions, but don’t take something I own. It may be a violation of your rights to a degree, but as long as a certain line isn’t crossed, I don’t mind. It’s different when you do have something to hide. Or if they take something that belongs to you and is not a hazard to anyone.