diverrick
Contributor
My wife and I suddenly found ourselves with a week or so off, so we quickly (2 days prior) booked a flight down to Cocoview for a week of diving. We had to fly through El Salvador due to flights being full through Houston. although when we arrived at SFO in the required "three hour" time frame, Our flight was a TACA flight but the first leg to LAX was a United partnership flight. We attempted electronically checked our checked baggage as usual, but nobody came to take our bags.. We asked for asistance after waiting for about 10 mins, and we were moved to another kiosk off to the side, where a Supervisor manually checked our bags for us. Then we got into the line for security, but we found ourselves pulled out of the security line at the place where they check your tickets, and passports, separated, an sequestered in another separate line that wasn't moving at all, and separate from each other. we were asked to not talk to each other during this time. We were the taken different directions and ran through a airblowing machine, which I guess smells you??? I figure I smelled like beer, my wife like perfume LOL.
Then we were moved (were escorted) on to a TOTAL wiping down of everything, tested and thouroughly searched for explosives and who knows what else. This included us and our baggage. They seemed very interested in my wifes underwire bra.... I told her she should not wear a bra next time,, as a joke. TSA didn;t like us talking to each other, that was clear.. They removed ALL of our stuff. All the while we were asked to remain seated and be quiet. We were about to miss our flight as a result of all this delay. This thing all took a long time!! on top of the long security line we had waited in and the baggage snafu we had at check in. When we asked if this extra security was a result of our short booking to flight timeline, they told us no, but it seemed everyone else who also had this treatment had either very short booking times, or were of foreign descent (if you know what I mean) from what we saw, and from what others in line told us. When we arrived at CCV, our checked baggage was not there.. I figure this was more of this insane activity they prompted on us. Is this a commom practice for short booking a flight to lead to such rigorous inspections??? And TSA folks denied any of this.... but our tickets were marked somehow, so when we got to the security check point, we were pulled out of line specifically. and stood there for a half hour in a separate line that was not moving at all, with no explanation, "just please stand there sir" was all the would say. No explanations at all. They claimed it was "all normal stuff" I worked for a major airline, and flew ALOT, and never had I heard or exeprienced such treatment in the past. Heck, I was allowed to fly up front with the pilots, that was my security clearance back then. Now they treat me like a terrrorist threat for booking a trip late?????
Then we were moved (were escorted) on to a TOTAL wiping down of everything, tested and thouroughly searched for explosives and who knows what else. This included us and our baggage. They seemed very interested in my wifes underwire bra.... I told her she should not wear a bra next time,, as a joke. TSA didn;t like us talking to each other, that was clear.. They removed ALL of our stuff. All the while we were asked to remain seated and be quiet. We were about to miss our flight as a result of all this delay. This thing all took a long time!! on top of the long security line we had waited in and the baggage snafu we had at check in. When we asked if this extra security was a result of our short booking to flight timeline, they told us no, but it seemed everyone else who also had this treatment had either very short booking times, or were of foreign descent (if you know what I mean) from what we saw, and from what others in line told us. When we arrived at CCV, our checked baggage was not there.. I figure this was more of this insane activity they prompted on us. Is this a commom practice for short booking a flight to lead to such rigorous inspections??? And TSA folks denied any of this.... but our tickets were marked somehow, so when we got to the security check point, we were pulled out of line specifically. and stood there for a half hour in a separate line that was not moving at all, with no explanation, "just please stand there sir" was all the would say. No explanations at all. They claimed it was "all normal stuff" I worked for a major airline, and flew ALOT, and never had I heard or exeprienced such treatment in the past. Heck, I was allowed to fly up front with the pilots, that was my security clearance back then. Now they treat me like a terrrorist threat for booking a trip late?????