Issues at MCO security

[Mikamarii]

Sorry if this is the wrong place. Mods feel free to move it.

ok quick preamble before my question.

as Canadians one of the great joys of travelling south is all the wonderful treats and snacks the US has to offer. We’ve done trips just to peruse target for new treats/cereals/chocolate bars/etc. On our most recent trip we also did a cruise in addition to WDW. My wife always does a chocolate bar exchange via the Facebook groups where we exchange Canada only snacks for stuff we can’t get here. We usually end up leaving with quite a haul! In addition to that we buy some stuff (churro cinnamon toast crunch this time) and bring some snacks for our kids (5 and 7) on the plane. Lastly to save space we take what we can in boxes out of boxes for packing ease. So everything is pretty much loose but neatly organized . We usually leave with a carry on loaded with goodies haha. We put it all in carry on due to the weight.

We have done this many times and never had an issue. The odd time we have had our bag pulled over for extra screening and a shocked stare!

so now to Tuesday night. we are in line waiting to go through security. It’s busy as usual. They are making announcements that all snacks (chips, chocolate, candies, etc) need to come out of your bag. A little nervous we get to the bins and ask the man “We have a suitcase full of snacks. Do we need to empty it?”. He asks to see it so we show him. His answer was yup empty it. “Everything?” “Yes every snack needs to come out.” So we grab a couple extra bins and begin emptying it all From carry ons and backpacks. When we think we are good he comes back and says “ it all needs to be flat...get more bins”. So we grab more bins so nothing is stacked on each other. We ended up using maybe 12 bins in total for all our stuff (jackets, electronics, etc). Of course we are holding up the line for several minutes and embarrassed as to what has happened as we display our hidden shame for all to see. Then after we have to pack it all back up. The whole experience was rather unpleasant. I was trying to keep my wife from losing it (airport was no place for that!) as she was tired and frustrated and just wanted to get home (her grandma had passed away that morning). Plus trying to keep our kids corralled while we unpacked.

so now my question. Is this something new? (Emptying all you have) Again we’ve had our bag checked before but never to this extent. If this is the new norm it will definitely change our shopping habits as we don’t want to go through that again. Or was this the exception vs the norm?

just to be clear I’m not complaining about enhanced security or thoroughness. I’m not questioning their need/right/duty to check everything. I get they have a job and are required to keep the line moving. It just seemed absurd to have us unpack all our belongings right there in front of 100s of people. Rather Pull us aside and do what you need to do.

are we wrong to be miffed by this? Thoughts?

 

[Turksmom]

It is the new norm. It has actually been in place for a couple of years. My aunt forgot she had hard candies in her bag in November and I was worried they were going to haul her off to an undisclosed location!

 

[lorenae]

Yep, all food must be taken out and kept separate through security.
If you can’t put it in checked bags, make sure it’s easy to get out and put in the bins.
I think this started a couple of years ago, when they started asking me if I had any food in my bags while going through security.

 

[KPeterso]

I have seen and heard about that for about 2 years ago. There are stories of people with huge bags full of candy from MNSSHP having to empty all the candy out and TSA going through it one piece at a time. I think you are better off packing that in a checked bag and putting dirty clothes in your carry on.

 

[Mamabun]

They do intentionally switch up what they ask to be pulled out or left in. I travel a lot, and I never assume what I'll have to pull out, even at my home airport. Personally, I'm always prepared to pull out the following: liquids bag, big electronics (ipad, laptop), small electronics (phone, chargers, etc.), any food and anything with metal (belts, etc.). Additionally, I listen every time so that I know what they want today. I will say that before 2019 I rarely had to pullout food/snacks, and it's become a lot more common in the past year.

 

[Mikamarii]

That’s interesting thanks for the responses. our last three trips (Hawaii Jan 18, Florida sep 18 and Mexico Feb 2019) we weren’t asked to do this. It’s good to know it’s an expectation so we can plan accordingly. We were always prepared for electronics and liquids but never food. I wonder what prompted the change.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Just another officious TSA twerp on a power trip. There is no rule requiring that snacks be separated, and obviously a nice Canadian family with two kids on their way home poses zero risk of anything, but that job unfortunately attracts a lot of people whose major satisfaction in life comes from inconveniencing people unnecessarily.

 

[GoofyCoaster]

We have to pull our snack bag out EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. It’s been that way for several years and at multiple airports, not just MCO.