Happy T-Day, TSA Day that is.

Happy T-Day, TSA Day that is. Lots of comments online about retailers making employees work on Thanksgiving Day. Well, that is both good and bad. But in the meanwhile what about about all the TSA’s 45,000+ security officers, inspectors, air marshals and managers that either are obligated or rotate holidays working to make your flying experience safe? I know of one supervisor at JFK who is working both tomorrow and Christmas. He is not thrilled about it but takes his job seriously and regards his duty as important to travelers through the airport.

There is a lot of TSA bashing. I am not going to defend the handful of workers that may be rude or arrogant. This happens in every workplace in daily across the nation. But, most #tsar workers are just doing their jobs. I work JFK regularly and observe security operations. The fault, I hate to say, lies more with passengers than with the TSA personnel.

I see more people totally annoyed by a variety of things having nothing to do with security; cancelled or delayed flights, bad car traffic, long security lines, pushing travelers and unruly children. Many seem to take it out on the TSA agent on hand. Agents are the ones that have to remind you of what to do before entering the scanner area. They have to remind you to take off your shoes, they have to take away liquids that are more than 3.4 ozs*. This is the tipping point for many, who are angry, frustrated or feel imposed upon.

Perhaps if these travelers knew the rules for what is allowed to bring when flying, didn’t feel entitled; weren’t pushy and impatient they would be more relaxed and appreciate these small inconveniences. If flyers took the time to read up on the rules of travelling through security there would be a lot less negative interactions. More at issue are the people arriving late, don't know where they are going, have too many carry-ons and pack prohibited liquids in carry-ons. When challenged they get nasty and begin to have attitudes. 

Sure, agents are an easy target for frustration. Many flyers consider them an obstacle to their rush to the gates. Remember, TSA/Homeland Security are there to make sure that the person that may be standing next to you, is not trying to sneak something dangerous into the terminal. You know how many handguns, knives and other dangerous items were seized over the past years that were intercepted by TSA? This year this security found over 1300 guns. Other passengers continue to try sneaking prohibited items onboard, hiding them in their shoes or using hollowed-out books. All we need is just ONE to create havoc in one of these terminals. Just one.

So, just maybe we should give a little T-Day thanks to these people this year when we exit the scanner and let them know we appreciate their work.

TSA travel info: http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information
* The 3-1-1 Rule refers to the Transportation Security Administration's rule for how much liquid travelers can take on an airplane in their carry-on bags. It does not prohibit you from putting larger sizes of liquids in your checked baggage.
3-1-1 refers to:
- Each liquid you want to carry on must be in 3.4 ounce (or less) container. That's the "3"
- The containers must be in 1 clear quart-sized plastic bag. That's a "1"
- Each passenger is allowed only 1 bag. That's the second "1"

The clear plastic bag limits the total amount of liquid you can take to what fits in the bag

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