A very disturbing thing happened on my flight to Nassau,so much for Homeland Security

[Cantw8]

This past weekend I flew from Philadelphia to Nassau. I was traveling with my sister, mother, aunt and friend. We went through security, immigration and customs between Phila, Miami and Nassau. While in the limo that was taking us to the Atlantis Resort, my sister reached into a inner zippered part of her pocketbook looking for something and pulled out 5 boxcutters!! She uses them frequently at work and had thrown them in there to bring home. We were all mortified, can you imagine what could have happened to us if they had been discovered? 5 boxcutters, 5 of us???

Needless to say I was furious with my sister over her stupidity even though she did not do this intentionally, ***!!! Now I am thinking of contacting Phila security or someone to report this, my only concern is what if anything could happen to my sister (not that she wouldn't deserve a nice fat fine or worse). What do you think? In light of the new terrorist attack threats, I feel I need to tell someone about this....who???

 

[EsmeraldaX]

My gut reaction is to tell you to report it, but honestly, it probably won't do much except get your sister in a lot of trouble.

 

[Christine]

Gee, it's amazing that different airports can be so different in their level of security. My parents were just on the Disney cruise last week and they had a time of it getting through security. My daughter was stopped because she had flip flops on where the straps light up. When she passed through the security check and alarm went off. They x-rayed her flip flops and saw the battery in each shoe with wires leading up to the straps so that they could light up. They didn't like those at all. Then they had to thoroughly examine my son's nebulizer. Opened all the compartments. They also detected to metal cylinders in my dad's carry-on. They made him open it all up to find out that he had two rolls of quarters with. I can't imagine they would have made it through with five box cutters. I'd call someone too.

 

[gina2000]

I think we all have to accept the fact that no security is failproof no matter what the cost and just keep on living.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Yeah this federalized screener thing is really working out. The TSA is such a laugh. The President was right in not wanting to do this. Luckily airports will now be able to hire its own screeners with federal oversight. Hopefully the days of the TSA are numbered.

 

[Cantw8]

good point, Gina. I think what bothers me the most is while in the security line at Phila, my mother and I were watching the woman who was monitoring the xray machine. She had her elbow on top of the machine and her head resting on her hand. She looked bored to death and frequently turned her head behind her to speak to her co-workers while items were going through the machine.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I would let them know. It may help, might not, but it may. Obviously a breach, however, I am confident your sister is not at any risk, certainly not after the fact.

http://www.tsa.gov/public/contactus

 

[Kallison]

That is unbelievable. We always get searched in Philly, but I never feel safe. They told me several times my hot curlers looked like rows of razor blades. They found scissors last time. The guys asked me if I had any and I didn't understand him, I said NO I don't think so and he pulled them out of my coupon envelope. DH started yelling at me a bit -- You had SCissors!! The guy was so funny he goes - Dude they were with her coupons, don't yell at her she was trying to save you money, she didn't know.

 

[SC Minnie]

What surprises me is the different levels at different airports. When we flew to LA in June to FL in April we checked our bags in CLT with the skycap- he tagged them and said have a nice trip. On the return trip from FL the same thing. We checked our bags at the counter this time and no problem. We had the zip tag locks so I know there weren't opened. When we were flying back home from LA the TSA at the skycap was opening every single bag that was being checked not carried on. At LAX my carry on bags weren't examined as closely as our checked luggage was. Go figure.

 

[Magix]

Flying home from Portland, OR recently, I was in line to get to the metal detectors and there were security guards there who were supposed to be checking tickets before letting anyone through to the detectors. This is the only point at Portland Airport that tickets are checked. I watched the lady guarding our line keep escorting people from our line, who should have been in the faster line that was only for short hop shuttle airlines, over to the proper line, leaving our line unattended for a matter of a minute or two each time. When I finally got up to the front of the line, she was off escorting someone over to the other line again and I thought "wow, I could just walk right through here and no one would ever know it." No sooner had I thought that, than the guy behind me (half of a couple who reeked of alcohol) walked right past me and into the line for screening. When the guard came back, I told her what had happened and pointed the man out to her (I'll be danged if I was gonna die in an airplane because this woman didn't do her job). She called him back and it was obvious this guy didn't even have a ticket. He gave some lame excuse like he was meeting his kids at the gate (but he'd been drinking! Who was gonna drive them home?!?). The guard actually thanked me for doing her job. Ugh!! People who are given the responsibility of doing a fairly important security check really shouldn't concern themselves with whether someone is in the fastest line or not. Let them wait in the long line, if they want to, just DO YOUR JOB!!! I shouldn't have to do it.