What are TSA like

Spacedog

I have heard some terrible stories about TSA over the years and how badly hey treat people entering and leaving the USA. I'll be travelling there from Dublin for the first time next summer, what can i treatment expect from US customs?

sleepyescapade

When entering, they may ask you a few questions around the nature of your visit. They may ask to see proof of a return journey back to Dublin/onwards from the U.S. They may ask to see proof of your visa waiver confirmation.

Never had any problems with them when leaving. You just pass through normal screening, remove shoes, etc.

BuffyBot

Megglz wrote: »

When entering, they may ask you a few questions around the nature of your visit. They may ask to see proof of a return journey back to Dublin/onwards from the U.S. They may ask to see proof of your visa waiver confirmation.

That's Immigration - not the TSA.

OP - who exactly do you mean? The TSA are the security folks that check your ID/boarding pass/scan your belongings/put you through the metal detectors etc at US airports.

Immigration - those who do the above.

Customs - those who check for contraband/stuff being imported as your leaving the baggage hall (although for flights pre-clearing in Dublin, this is combined with Immigration.

If you mean the first set, Ive never had an issue with them and don't find them much worse than security staff at any airport tbh.

Spacedog

That don't sound too bad. I'm referring to the people who strip search you and grope people who are uncomfortable going through the leukemia inducing nude photography box after making them wait in line for an hour. There are many horror stories on the internet and videos on youtube of distressed passengers being treated badly.

Basically the theme is for people to do as their told, follow the security theater show, or they mill make your life a misery and keep you held up until you miss your flight. (there is a video of a woman who was kept for 2 hours because she didn't want her bottled breast milk irradiated in a machine, which she is entitled to under TSA regulations, basically she missed her flight for being a smartarse and questioning her betters).

stargazer 68

Spacedog wrote: »

That don't sound too bad. I'm referring to the people who strip search you and grope people who are uncomfortable going through the leukemia inducing nude photography box after making them wait in line for an hour. There are many horror stories on the internet and videos on youtube of distressed passengers being treated badly.

QUOTE]

OP suggest you stop looking at the internet!! :rolleyes:

BuffyBot

Indeed.

silja

Yes, a lot of that is scare mongering. The machines do not give you leukemia, but if you chose not to go through it, the pat down is no more intrusive than what I have gotten at Irish airports when I inadvertently set off the beeping machines.

kmart6

Unless your going to be trying to hide something you shouldn't have anything to worry about!

Manic Moran

They're like security at most any other airport. They'll make you jump through a few extra hoops like take off your shoes, but unless you get the odd guy who's on a power trip, which you can find at any airport in the world, they're pretty reasonable. They just aren't allowed any huge flexibility in their regs, but they'll always try to give you options within the regs.

NTM

JohnMearsheimer

The TSA are fine. Some of them I've dealt with haven't been what you would call overly friendly but you're not standing in the security line to make friends so who cares.

You're more likely to get a hard time from US immigration officials. I've always got a grilling from them in Shannon and Dublin but the 2 times I crossed into the US from Canada was a much more pleasant experience.

MadsL

Fly through Dublin, that way you clear TSA before hitting the US Much better...

Killer Wench

I've dealt with TSA on power trips and I have also been searched by members of the ATF while taking a train ride. The porter on the train said that that was the first time in 30 years that he had ever witnessed someone get stopped to be searched.

SHOVELLER

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/tsa-insanity-201112

rockonollie

you'll find that the common trait in the horror stories is......they were all people that refused to go through the scanner, or expected special treatment, or didn't give themselves enough time and then complained about being held up with the TSA

The are professionals and have to treat everyone the same, if they decide that they aren't going to ask little old ladies to go through the screening, the next think you'll see is a little old lady smuggling stuff onto a plane.

There won't be any problems if you follow instuctions......they aren't trying to perv on you or single you out in anyway.....they are doing a job that keeps us all safe.

Killer Wench

rockonollie wrote: »

you'll find that the common trait in the horror stories is......they were all people that refused to go through the scanner, or expected special treatment, or didn't give themselves enough time and then complained about being held up with the TSA

The are professionals and have to treat everyone the same, if they decide that they aren't going to ask little old ladies to go through the screening, the next think you'll see is a little old lady smuggling stuff onto a plane.

There won't be any problems if you follow instuctions......they aren't trying to perv on you or single you out in anyway.....they are doing a job that keeps us all safe.

Naw, I don't buy this.

When I flew out to Seattle, I was waiting in line to get screened. As I was bending to take my shoes off, I heard one of the TSA agents say to this man:

"Sir, do I know you? Do we know each other?"

Man is visibly confused and responds that he doesn't. She responds with: "Then why do you keep staring at me like that. Quit looking at me and pay attention to the line". Of course, she was the one making announcements about which line to go to so it isn't as if there wasn't a reason to be looking at her but there was no reason to call him out like that.

rockonollie

Killer Wench wrote: »

Naw, I don't buy this.

When I flew out to Seattle, I was waiting in line to get screened. As I was bending to take my shoes off, I heard one of the TSA agents say to this man:

"Sir, do I know you? Do we know each other?"

Man is visibly confused and responds that he doesn't. She responds with: "Then why do you keep staring at me like that. Quit looking at me and pay attention to the line". Of course, she was the one making announcements about which line to go to so it isn't as if there wasn't a reason to be looking at her but there was no reason to call him out like that.

Don't you know it's rude to stare