If you fly a lot, the TSA is a necessary evil but one where, if you go through it often enough, you know what’s expected of you. That goes a long way in making sure you’re prepared for what you’ll have to take out/off, put in a bin, etc.
That’s usually not the case for people who don’t fly very often. Believe it or not, there are still people who don’t know what clothes they should try to avoid wearing through the scanners, or the rule about having powder in their carry-on, or even that they have to empty their pockets before getting scanned.
With so many things you have to do “right” at the TSA security checkpoint, you’d think there’d be signs somewhere to tell you what to do. Sure, there’s plenty of instruction on TSA’s website, but when you’re at the airport, in the muck of it all, you’re not going to remember if you have to take food out of your bag and if so, which ones to remove.
This brings us to the question that someone asked on Reddit a couple of weeks ago:
Why no signs with clear instructions?
The user, alex4cali, said they were always confused why there’s nothing at the security checkpoint with comprehensive instructions of what to keep in/out of the bag and on the person. They suggested it was especially important since the rules seem to change so often. So they’d love to see a sign like:
- Shoes: keep on
- Belt: take off
- Jacket: take off
- Laptop/Tablet: keep in bag
- Small liquids: keep in bag
They said it would make life so much easier if they knew what they needed to do before they go to the front of the queue and then got yelled at by the TSA officers behind the bins.
The responses
I should mention that alex4cali posted their question in Reddit’s TSA subreddit, which is a place where TSA officers can answer questions about working as TSA officers, and where passengers can ask about going through the checkpoint, or other general information questions about the TSA. The group is run well; the moderators claim to be TSA officers (again, this is Reddit, where people are anonymous, but the responses that are given appear to be from those who know what they’re talking about) and questions or answers that are inappropriate are removed quickly.
Anyway, the replies to “Why no signs with clear instructions?” seemed to go into a handful of directions:
The problems with reading instructions
This is the type of reason that was brought up most often.
- Several respondents said there are indeed signs at their airport (or, if they’re travelers, they’ve seen signs), “but no one reads them,” as they’re talking to their travel companions or looking at their phones.
- Even if someone reads the instructions, they may not process/understand them (“Put your coat in the bin and tuck the sleeves in” Some may put their coat in the bin but if the sleeves are still flopping outside the bin, the machine could grab the sleeve and it’ll get stuck).
- You can read the instructions but after standing on line for 45 minutes, you may not remember everything once you get up to the scanners.
- We live in a global society where not every person passing through an airport in the U.S. can read English. And there’s only so much you can put on a sign as pictures.
Differences
- Each airport is very different from all the others. Airports tend to have different lanes (PreCheck vs. regular, and then potentially CLEAR thrown in there, too) and different tech/scanners. So the rules for one lane may be different from the lane next to it, or 3 lanes down.
- More than one TSA officer suggested that what needs to be done can also change depending on the time of day, or the procedure may be different from airport to airport.
Things change quickly
- The TSA doesn’t want anything to become routine. That’s how bad actors figure out ways to get around the rules. So they change procedures on a frequent basis – sometimes hour by hour – and signs wouldn’t be able to keep up.
- A few people did mention that these changes happen on the “regular” line more often than the PreCheck line. Which would make sense – people who have PreCheck have already been vetted behind the scenes, and are believed to be relatively trustworthy. The regular line could have “anyone” on it, so they want to make things more challenging for someone who could be a potential threat.
What we’ve noticed
As some of the TSAOs have said, there are indeed signs at airports, and there have been for some time. Here are some of them, from various eras:
But just because the signs with instructions are there doesn’t mean people notice them. Or can read them. Or, because of reasons, follow them. Or, indeed, remember what the sign said, when you’ve been in a queue for 30 minutes and are trying to get you, your stuff and your kids through the queue in one piece and it really IS quite a bit to know, if you don’t travel very often..
Or maybe you just don’t have time to scan each QR code to “learn more” while you’re in a moving queue (yeah, that was a pilot program [back in 2011] that got pulled really fast. Did the person who thought of that one even THINK about the logistics of the idea???).
So although the idea of signs is a good one, it looks as if the TSA will likely stick with verbal instructions from TSA officers for most of their communication at the security checkpoint.
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3 comments
This situation is absolutely nuts. I am dreading flying more and more and going through security is the #1 reason. As a senior, it takes me time to react to changes in what I think are the requirements of TSA screeners–and I usually do not find out until agents are yelling what to do when we are at the x-ray point–as a result, I have forgotten to pick up items after the screening numerous times because they have been organized differently at the last moment. Greyhound is suddenly looking much more attractive.
Change is hard. I’m sure Greyhound will appreciate the extra business, though.
It’s less about the intent/purpose of the changes and more about the attitudes many TSAOs have towards passengers when they don’t appear to be following the changes. Basically, don’t yell at me for expecting to do & adhering to the same thing I was told to do at the last checkpoint, which apparently contradicts your orders.