As if the TSA security checkpoint isn’t slow enough… #rolleyes
There are all the people…SO. MANY. PEOPLE. Over 858 million in 2023 alone (and we’re averaging 10% higher than that in 2024). And some of them rarely travel so they’re not really sure of what to do, and that slows the queue down significantly. And then you’ve got the older people who might not understand AND who tend to do everything slower. And the young families with young kids, their strollers, and the toys they don’t want to put through the scanner. And it goes on and on.
It’s miserable.
So, if there’s one thing we don’t need at the TSA checkpoint, it’s a bunch of TikTokkers and Instagrammers who have figured out a new way to slow the line down. Because what’s the latest trend? “Airport tray aesthetics.”
Airport tray aesthetics
If you’re like me and want to get through the TSA area quickly, you do everything fast. You throw everything in your pockets into the front pocket of your carry-on bag. Everything that has to go in the tray gets put in as quickly as possible, so you can go through the scanner as soon as you can, wait for your stuff, gather it together, organize it on the benches they provide a few feet after the scanners, and continue on your way.
The new TikTok craze? Organize everything in your tray so it can be picture-perfect. In fact, they even TAKE a picture of it.
“Kicking off girls trip with some controlled chaos 🤭✨✈️” wrote Shop Pursue on TikTok.
@_shoppursue kicking off girls trip with some controlled chaos 🤭✨✈️ #airporttray #airportaesthetic #whatsinmybag #packing #pinterestaesthetic #airportstyle #phototutorial #airportdiaries #airportfashion #airportoutfit #ootd
“POV: you’re going through airport security – which tray are you 👀” writes dazhaneleah, who says she’s from Ibiza, Spain.
We should consider ourselves lucky
To the credit of the people in the video and photo above, they did the vast majority of their arranging on what looks like the benches AFTER the checkpoint. When TikTokking influencer Chelsea Hernandez posted a tutorial about taking TSA tray photos, she even specified that point. After going through TSA, the stylish and frequently traveling New Yorker more or less told viewers to gather their belongings and move away from the line. She wrote, “IMPORTANT: GET OUT OF THE WAY.”
But not everyone is so accommodating. Some think the best place to make their art statements and take their glamor shots is right after they’ve gotten their bins (while people are waiting for them to put the stuff through the scanners) or as soon as they’ve come out of the scanner (while others are waiting for their stuff to come out, too).
According to reports, the TSA is aware of this and ensures that the line moves along if the self-made paparazzi take too long.
Meanwhile, can I just say
Feature photo: oddharmonic // flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0
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