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TSA Confiscation Madness
Posted by MudslideMama on January 9, 2008
Picture this: Preparing for winter holiday season air travel. A security checkpoint line at the airport, as long as the eye can see. People looking forward to their Christmas vacations are busily unwrapping the gifts they plan to give, while others hush bored children and take off their shoes. A familiar scene, no doubt, played out over and over throughout the holiday travel season.For me, last year, the line was the first part of our vacation in Hawaii. No American Airlines frequent flier miles over this peak flying season (whenever we can take a family trip seems to be blackout days), so we booked cheap tickets (well, relatively cheap tickets) on Delta. And yes, those were my bored kids getting hushed. Thanks for reminding me.
But what’s this? The elderly woman ahead of me on line is upset, her voice raising angrily. It seems that the TSA has decided to ban snow globes in carry-on bags, so hers was confiscated. A gift, she explains, for grandchildren in Hawaii who have never seen snow. No matter; her snow globe is taken from her, and she bitterly passes through the metal detector. When it’s my turn, I ask the security dude why the TSA has decided to ban snow globes on airplanes, and he explained that terrorists could replace the water inside the globe with nitroglycerin. I glance at the elderly woman, who is unhappily recovering her Sudoku book and AARP magazine. Ladies and gentlemen, there it is: The face of terrorism! Go, TSA. Nice to know they’ve got the grannies-who-love-sudoku terrorist cell covered.
January 10, 2008 at
Checking out of a hotel once, I was given a gift of a nice vodka pair. It was too late to put it in my suitcase (which would have injured an innocent bystander should I have tried to open it), so I had to place it in my carryon. Yup, it was confiscated. I’m sure some nice TSA officer enjoyed a martini with top shelf vodka.
January 10, 2008 at
Something like that happened to me on a couple of press trips too! What’s the point of going to Northern Cali wine Country if you can’t take a couple bottles of the good stuff home to share? Oh well - the most important thing is probably not to say anything snarky to the TSA officer, unless you want the possibility of getting tasered added to the end of a vacation.
January 11, 2008 at
[...] I dig the little carry-on-approved containers and the fresh scent of the Purifying Cleansing Gel I tried tonight. I can’t wait [...]
March 18, 2008 at
[...] in travel friendly sizes of 1.7 ounce tubes - no need to see luxury products get confiscated by overeager TSA employees. I didn’t like that the 1.7 ounce tubes cost $24 (for SPF 30) and $27 (for SPF 40). At that [...]
May 5, 2008 at
[...] Put a TSA-approved lock on your checked luggage. These ensure that the TSA won’t have to cut open your lock if someone decides your suitcase needs a closer look. In fact, [...]