The ORIGINAL 1000+ Posts Club

[Penthesilea]

They all go through the x-ray machine.    And we see every bottle of water and soda too.     Those of course get flagged.      "Sir/Madam you can't take the drink inside.    I can walk you to the exit where you can drink it in the airport lobby and re-enter security again.  Or you can take it out to your car, give it to a loved one in the lobby who came to drop it off, you can mail it home to yourself, or you can voluntarily surrender it here."        THUD as it goes into the trash barrel.

  I think I would laugh my a$$ off if the TSA employee would talk to me like that.

[injest]

what about puppies? Do they go thru the Xray machine? 

[Penthesilea]

what about puppies? Do they go thru the Xray machine? 

As long as they don't pee  All liquids are forbidden 

[Ellemeno]

Well,  this may not be such a bad thing.  Airline food  (in coach at least ) wasn't very good or plentiful before.    If it keeps the price of the ticket lower, then I don't mind paying for my food.     And you get to choose what you want.    I think it was worse when I didn't like the food and had to pay for it anyways.

But I hear stories from older friends who used to fly of real meals.   China and silverware too.      And that was in all classes!    The one time I flew Firstclass to England, they brought out a menu and wine cart just after take off.    I was shocked.   A 5 course dinner, wine and desserts.  Cloth table clothes and napkins!       Heated towelettes after the meal service.     I told the flight attendant that there should be a locked door between here and coach.   Because if the rest of the plane saw this there would be a revolution!   LOL.

I remember all these things in coach, except for the table cloths and exclusive wine cart.  And I remember when I even thought the food was good.

[Ellemeno]

We get a lot of people coming thru Security now with lunches.   Which is fine.  They all go through the x-ray machine.    And we see every bottle of water and soda too.     Those of course get flagged.      "Sir/Madam you can't take the drink inside.    I can walk you to the exit where you can drink it in the airport lobby and re-enter security again.  Or you can take it out to your car, give it to a loved one in the lobby who came to drop it off, you can mail it home to yourself, or you can voluntarily surrender it here."        THUD as it goes into the trash barrel.

So bring your food, just wait until you get past   Security before you buy your beverage in one of the Airport shops.  

I've never been offered an escort to go deal with it.  I can't picture that with the long lines we have here.  The beauty of a smaller airport.  There was no line when I was in Richmond last week, and the TSA officer even thanked me for my cooperation as he took my applesauce cups. 

Another change (in my experience) - here in Seattle, I carefully did what I thought was right, put all the right things in the gray trays on the conveyor belt.  Folded up the stroller an put it up there too.  Waited to get waved through the detector.  As I was waiting, the TSA officer all of a sudden said to me, "Those things aren't going to push themselves through."  Confused at first, I suddenly realized that he was berating me for not pushing my own stuff on the conveyor belt into the Xray tunnel.  I quickly did it, but was very surprised.  I had always gotten the sense that doing THAT is what would have gotten me a talking to every other time I have travelled. 

Are travellers supposed to push their stuff through the Xray conveyor belt now, David?

[MaineWriter]

I remember all these things in coach, except for the table cloths and exclusive wine cart.  And I remember when I even thought the food was good.

I remember when we used to get dressed up to fly on a plane....

L

[belbbmfan]

I remember a flight to Malaga, Spain where i was allowed to go visit the cockpit and have a chat with the captain. Not much chance of that happening these days...

And about 40 min before landing, the flight attendant came back and told me the captain had asked if i wanted to be in the cockpit for the landing. I didn't need to think twice about that. I was a magical experience, we had clear skies and could see the Atlas mountain in Morocco on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea.

That crew really made my day.

[MaineWriter]

I still do.   Not a suit and tie, but a nice shirt and maybe a pair of Dockers for pants.   Plus I wear my Suit jacket and then ask for the flight attendant to hang it up for me.    This way it doesn't get wrinkled in my gament bag.

I cringe at the people who fly wearing sweat pants and t-shirts.   

I don't wear sweatpants and t-shirts, but I don't wear hose and heels, either!

And you must have a charm I don't have, David, to get a flight attendant to hang up a jacket, outside of first class. That has never happened to me!

L

[opinionista]

Yup.  Everyone loved us after 9-11.   Now we are Bushes Anti Freedom Police, violating peoples rights.  Until another plane goes down.  Then we will be loved again.

In my case it is because most TSA officers I have encountered aren't nice. Just because your job is to check our belongings doesn't mean you can't give a smile! Some people think that in order to convey seriousness they need to be rude or mean. I think that's wrong. It is possible to be nice and serious at the same time. Same thing happens with the people who work at customs. They're even worse. They're so serious sometimes that they spook travellers. I have to say however, in my last trip to New York, the custom's officer who checked my passport was actually very nice. I can't say the same for the TSA officers stationed at the gate where I took my next plane 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Hoo boy, David, I would not want your job. It just seems like you guys can't win. And I'll be holidays are murder. That's why to go to the barbecue I didn't put myself on the first flight out in the morning or on an afternoon flight.