Some TSA Agents Are Polite

Jeanne Marie Hoffman August 30, 2012 Flights 1 Comment

Chris Elliott highlighted some cases of TSA gone bad last week and gave tips on things you should never say. I do not agree with the process of transportation security, always opt out of scanners, and really dread the enhanced pat downs. But I have come across some really polite TSA agents recently.

I do not think most TSA agents want to be patting me down. I think a lot of the delays mentioned by Chris have to do with no one wanting to be the one to pat someone down. (I had two people arguing over who had to touch me before an early morning flight once).

But I have dealt with some really nice and polite agents recently.

I had a strapless dress on once and I was post-sun. The TSA agent looked really worried and warned me, I have to touch your sunburnt areas, but I will do as lightly as possible. Let me know if I am hurting you, and let me know if there’s other sunburnt areas I can’t see.

Another one let me know that once the back patdown is done, you are technically allowed to move your hands from being straight out. She suggested that when I get patted down, I grab my hair at that point so it doesn’t get stuck on an agents glove. (An agent had also warned me a while ago that I should hold onto the top of strapless dresses in case I get an over-zealous pat down).

I’ve also had a TSA agent get agitated at another one when I had to wait more than a few minutes for my pat down. “You can’t just leave her there! She’s got a plane to catch!”

I’ve had a few TSA agents also stop another agent from absentmindedly placing a bin on top of my laptop when carrying my stuff over. And when one was trying to figure out if my lipstick counted as a liquid, another agent grabbed a baggie, stuck it in, and said, well, it’s in a baggie so it doesn’t matter now, does it!

Yes, there are power-hungry TSA agents who do things like spill dead relative’s remains on the floor (and laugh) and we have to come up with strategies for dealing with going through security.

But I’m pretty sure there are many TSA agents who want to touch you even less than you want to be touched. And I’d like to thank the ones who help us out.