hey hey, I'm on a list
 

so I buy my sw one way ticket online last night but it won't let me print a boarding pass. hmmm....odd. I've done one way before. get to the airport and rint at the kiosk. 4 s's on the bottom of my pass. go through I'd check and she looks at me, then the pass, then takes out the neon yellow pen and draws on my pass.

go through x ray and they say, "hold right here." hey hey, time for a search. take me to secondary and go through my bag. I warn them that I use that bag to carry firearms and ammo to the range so it might swab positive.

comew back negative and I'm on my way. only white guy getting searched. maybe I'm on the list now. super. guess i'll find out monday when I head to shanghai...

You better hope they let you back in.

I'd always been afraid they'd 'sniff' me and detect something. I used to reload cartridges in my livingroom, and spilled small amounts of black powder and smokeless and probably have some on my shoes from time to time.

Never had a problem tho. About to go to DC in a few weeks. I don't think I'll have a problem. I have been tagged for searching a few times.

Been there done that more than one. The last time was a flight from San Fran and I was the only one pulled aside, white, 40 and waeting a suit. I had carried a large suitcase full of files which I left with someone else in SF. On the way back all the suitcase contained was a pair of shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops. The expression on their face was great when they looked into a 99% empty suitcase.

I think it is just random selection by the computer.

If not you can always fly to Mexico City and walk back in....

from oakland? it isn't *that* bad of a town...or is it ???

oh, u mean china. well, if they don't let me back in the us i'll end up learning the language a lot quicker...

guy next to me in line to board got searched too. we both bought our tiks online last night. seems if you buy one way the night before you get flagged...

I got the S’s at the bottom of a ticket once myself. I asked them what triggered it, and they wouldn’t or couldn’t say. Don’t want the terrorists to know what triggers a search now, do we! I wasn’t flying one way. They asked if I had made any changes to my flight. I had: I called the airline the day before my return trip to get a slightly earlier flight. Why this would trigger a search, I don’t know. Doesn’t seem like terrorist behavior to me. People make these kinds of changes all the time. I think it is somewhat random, and I don’t think it puts you on a list.

The search was no big deal. They pulled me aside and gave me a thorough wanding. I had to remove my shoes, which they wanded. They swabbed my carry on. The guy was very polite. The whole thing only took a couple minutes.

I flew out of LAX going to Boston last March and got the full check out from my bags being searched to everything on me. They make you take off your belt, fold the lip of your pants forward, untuck your shirt etc. For some reason, I kept tripping the metal detector and the only thing they found on me was a foil gum wrapper stuck in the bottom of my shirt that the hand wand didn't pick up. Who knows if that triggered the machine but if it did, the machines are quite sensitive. Even though I went through all this, I am quite glad because at least I have some reassurances that system in place is working.

It's because of the one-way ticket, purchased close to departure. Pretty sophisticated screening process. At least if a zealot buys a round trip ticket, the airline gets to keep the money from the unused half ;)

You un-American SOB, you're giving away secrets to the terrorists. Edit you comments at once!

;) LOL

Not true. I got searched and it was not a one way ticket, nor was it purchased close to departure.

In the last year I bought two one-way tickets a few days before depature. I was searched both times. Never searched before or after.

Some strong words of advice: Don't go through east side Oakland past nightfall. It's one of the worst places you can be because of crime. If you ever need a lift while you're up here, PM me. I'm just across the hill from Oakland/Berkely.

My wife went through this for over a year. All of a sudden she was unable to print her boarding passes at home for SW. Somehow, she ended up on TSA's name match list so she had to be go through extra security/checks each time. Fortunately, if you have a round trip ticket you can get the return flight cleared at the same time

With the recent updates in the TSA system, she is no longer on the list.

Hmmm, the subversive notstatic under the gov's watchful eye. We can all sleep better at night. :)

My first trip into and out of Tel-Aviv was pretty similar, Noah. After I had my passport stamped a few times from my subsequent visits, the screening was easier. But it was always very, very professional.

It would never work here - some BHL would claim it infringed their civil liberties to have to possably look in the same direction as someone who was trying to save their life!

84porsche, my brother had declared guns in his check luggage, he went back with them when they went through it. The managed to spot the air pistol, and completely, COMPLETELY missed a disasembled .45 pistol. They where too busy giving poo over the folding scissors in a medical kit, and a fold out frying pan. Ouchies.

My brother(different brother) once thought it would be easier to wear his trench coat then carry it, he was wondering why every security check point stopped him, I politely pointed out it would be better to carry the coat. :D

The one time I had my carry on gone through, the guy started reading the book titles in my laptop case, shut it, and handed it back.

I am suggesting that one-way tickets purchased close to departure is what triggered the extra security screen.

There are certainly many other reasons why one get screened - name similarity to someone on the TSA list, etc. These were not precluded in my statement.