Swedegeek's Blog

Posting from Billings, MT as we’re here for my wife’s high school reunion. This trip out of Lansing is very much welcome. Better yet, with my reunion next weekend, we get another vacation only 3 days after this one!

Since we flew out to MT (get to drive 650 miles to MN next week), we had the joy of going through security at the Lansing airport yesterday afternoon. Everything was fine, until my carry-on bag needed to be scanned again. Odd. Then, they needed to search my bag. Even more odd. The TSA employee went right to my side pocket and dug down to the bottom. He pulled a pocket knife out of my bag. It was the smallest swiss army model you can get… tiny blade, file, toothpick, tweezers, that’s it. I hadn’t seen that thing in over a year. Oops! Dialogue then went like so:

“Is this your pocket knife, sir?”
“Yep.”
“You know you can’t have this in carry-on luggage?”
“Yep.”
“Do you have any checked luggage, sir?”
“Nope.”
“Would you like to check this bag, sir?”
“Nope.”
“Would you like to bring the knife back out to your car, sir?”
“Nope.”
“Would you like me to confiscate the knife?”
“Yep.”

That was the end of my pocket knife, or at least my possession of it. The TSA employee walked off and deposited it in some metal bin in the wall to join its contraband cousins confiscated from countless other unwitting passengers. I know the TSA is just doing its job, and I’m thankful for the additional security, but I was still amused for some reason. The guy just seemed so full of himself for thwarting any dubious plans I may have had for the little pocket knife that I didn’t even realize I had with me. Good job pulling something out of a bag that a machine told you was there!

I guess this isn’t really much of a rant, but my point is I think the TSA could use some interpersonal skills training so they at least act like they’re a little more understanding when it’s obvious people have unintentionally violated one of their policies.