There are a lot of things at the airport that can cause stress. The prices of everything you can buy there. Long queues for virtually everything. Unwanted surprises like sudden gate changes, delays and cancellations.
TSA can be a source of stress for many people, especially those who don’t fly often. If you’re not super familiar with the process, it can be daunting. Even just knowing which queue to get in can be a challenge. Once in a “regular” queue, the wait can be long again. And then, once you get to the front of the line, you never know what the rules will be.
You get to the scanner, and sure, you always have to empty your pockets.
But sometimes your laptop and bag o’ liquids can be kept in your bag, and sometimes they have to come out.
Sometimes you have to take your shoes, jacket, and belt off, and sometimes you… don’t.
The inconsistency can be maddening
Enough people must have complained about it because last week the TSA addressed those inconsistencies on social media:
So it all depends on the X-ray systems they’re using.
And I totally understand that.
DHS has been upgrading the scanners for years (LOL – I almost wrote “decades.” It feels like decades, doesn’t it?). But they’re nowhere near done upgrading every single airport.
That means airports with more modern TSA equipment can make the procedure simpler, and that lets passengers leave their laptops and bag o’ liquids in their bags. Those that haven’t been upgraded yet? Nope – everything out, please and thank you (heads up – the TSA officers probably won’t say “please” or “thank you”).
But it becomes even more confusing because at some airports, SOME lanes may have the newer technology, but some don’t. So even if you went through that airport last week, if you went through a lane with “new” technology last week and one with “old” technology this week, your experience is going to be different.
So yeah, I get it.
TSA’s tone-deaf follow-up
What was a little tone deaf, though, was TSA’s follow-up on the next day:
So sure…you may only fly once a year, or have this absolutely legit reason to NOT get PreCheck, but yaaaas girl, make sure to plunk down $100+/- to have TSA PreCheck.
Really?
But even that isn’t consistent
And the thing is, even if you have PreCheck, it STILL isn’t consistent.
They MIGHT ask you for your boarding pass.
You may go through the scanner, and they tell you to take your belt off and go through it again. Or maybe not.
Same thing with your shoes.
I have a pair of pants with zippers on the pockets. Sometimes they have to “wand” my hips with the metal detector…sometimes not…and sometimes they may or may not have to do a pat down because of the zippers.
So yeah… the regular line is inconsistent, but get PreCheck so you can go on a different line that’s… inconsistent.
Got it.
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