So I'm at the Phoenix airport yesterday on my way home after an AWESOME forum and I'm going thru "security". Whenever possible I always ONLY do carry on. I pull my toiletry bag out of my suitcase and put it on the belt. Gotta make sure my deadly mix of hairgel, deodorant, toothpaste, cologne and shaving cream all fit into a 1-quart baggie, therefore making it physically impossible for me to get to it in-flight. Then I get a lecture from the woman about how I should pull the baggie OUT of the toiletry bag to save everyone time.
"umm... Ma'am... I can appreciate the rules you guys have going on here, but if time is important here, your lecture took a lot longer than the physical act of unzipping the bag and looking at the contents"
So then she asks me if I packed a snow globe in my suitcase to which my reply was "yes... I do this every time I travel home. I buy my son a snow globe from each of the cities I travel to all year long."
Bag check time. No telling what kind of threat I pose NOW.
So the guy rifles thru my very meticulously packed suitcase... which for me is like getting teeth pulled.
"sir... are you looking for anything other than my dangerous snow globe?"
"no... where is it?"
"that black plastic bag right in front with the paper wrapped around it to look like a present."
So of course he unwraps and pulls it out and says I can't take it with me cuz it's more than 3 ounces. NOT because I could have injected it with something... but simply cuz it's more than 3 ounces.
Well that's logical.
My options? Either go all the way back to check in and get my bag checked in... or go to the post office in the airport and mail it.
"all this for a $15 gift for my 4 year old son?... throw the god damned thing away" I told him.
Then I walked 20 feet to the gift store, saw the same exact snowglobe there, bought it, and put it in my suitcase.
Nice.
Upon my return to Austin I see an 80 year old man getting frisked right there in front of everyone COPS style.
"Are you friggen KIDDING ME?"... I shouted out to the guys... "SHAME ON YOU."
I'm probably on everyone's watch list now...
"umm... Ma'am... I can appreciate the rules you guys have going on here, but if time is important here, your lecture took a lot longer than the physical act of unzipping the bag and looking at the contents"
So then she asks me if I packed a snow globe in my suitcase to which my reply was "yes... I do this every time I travel home. I buy my son a snow globe from each of the cities I travel to all year long."
Bag check time. No telling what kind of threat I pose NOW.
So the guy rifles thru my very meticulously packed suitcase... which for me is like getting teeth pulled.
"sir... are you looking for anything other than my dangerous snow globe?"
"no... where is it?"
"that black plastic bag right in front with the paper wrapped around it to look like a present."
So of course he unwraps and pulls it out and says I can't take it with me cuz it's more than 3 ounces. NOT because I could have injected it with something... but simply cuz it's more than 3 ounces.
Well that's logical.
My options? Either go all the way back to check in and get my bag checked in... or go to the post office in the airport and mail it.
"all this for a $15 gift for my 4 year old son?... throw the god damned thing away" I told him.
Then I walked 20 feet to the gift store, saw the same exact snowglobe there, bought it, and put it in my suitcase.
Nice.
Upon my return to Austin I see an 80 year old man getting frisked right there in front of everyone COPS style.
"Are you friggen KIDDING ME?"... I shouted out to the guys... "SHAME ON YOU."
I'm probably on everyone's watch list now...
I havent flown since the mid 90's and genuinely cannot imagine doing so under such a climate.
AIM: GrouchyGfy
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