The biggest airport security surprise I got was last year, travelling
from Calgary to Dallas.
I stuff everything I wanted into my jacket, I want on the plane,
and I want off. No fighting for space to put carry on and such.
Anyways, I get to security, put my keys and coins into the little
dish they give you, and put my jacket onto the x-ray belt.
As I step through the detector, I notice that someone has picked up
my dish, and a couple of others are pointing at me. So now I'm wondering
what's wrong?
So the wand-lady clears me and I go to retrieve my jacket and dish...
which seems to be held hostage for the moment. "Is this your keys
and stuff?" Yeah, it's house/car keys and some money. "This is
yours?" Yes, it's mine. What's the problem?
"Come over here please." ??? Ok, follow him over, and as I do
2 other security come out of nowhere. Now what?!? It's keys...????
"We need to do a physical search, so if you could put your hands
up [on the wall] we can do that."
Now they caught me on a bad day. I went to work early, no lunch, left
late, and was tired, hungry, and very cranky. So I asked why? Why
over a few keys was I going through this??
"You have put your hands up on the wall, and let us search you."
??? Why? I don't understand, and I don't want to be treated like
a criminal with my hands up on a wall.
Now a couple more security guys show up. And now I'm tired, hungry,
cranky and scared. Really scared. After all, over some keys, they
are sending 5 guys to search me?? Did someone at work do something
stupid to my keys to play a joke?? [Aw crap. I'm going to have to
kill someone for this, aren't I?]
Ok, why am I being searched? I have no problem with it, as long as
you tell me why. The one security guy who is going to do the
search looks over at someone, who nods, so he says, "As of <date>
by request of the Dept of Homeland Security from the USA, all
passengers travelling WITHOUT carry-on must be physically
searched."
??? I must have looked confused, so he added, "Look, we really
don't want to upset you or cause you trouble, but we have to,
it's the rules." Ok, fine, but instead of up against the wall, how
about I hold my arms out and you do a serach that way?
They relented and we all went on our way, me still cranky
about it all...and airport sandwiches suck to boot.
The puzzling thing is that the less you carry, the more likelyhood
you are going to be searched?! How warped is that?
Then there was the time just after 9/11 where I was 1cm of
search from being tossed into jail...and didn't even know it.
I get all the fun in airports.
ers