Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
another charming TSA story
Omer Petti, 95, and Madge Woodward, 85, both of Bloomfield Township, expect their artificial limbs to set off alarms in airport checkpoints, but say their treatment at the San Diego airport was humiliating. (Marney Rich Keenan / The Detroit News)
Seniors get the TSA runaround, lose $300
- Marney Rich Keenan
Omer Petti and Madge Woodward expected the alarms to go off at the airport security's metal detector when they were flying home to Detroit after visiting family recently near San Diego.
After all, Petti, who is 95 years old, has two artificial knees and Woodward, at 85, has had her hip replaced. But they sure didn't expect to be subjected to accusations, extreme pat-downs, and most importantly, to be missing $300 in cash.
"Can you imagine an 85-year-old lady and 95-year-old retired Air Force Major in wheelchairs being treated like terrorists?" Petti asked recently sitting in the kitchen of the Bloomfield Township home he shares with Woodward.
On March 29 Petti and Woodward arrived at the San Diego International airport at 10 a.m. for a flight scheduled to leave at 11:36 a.m. As usual, Petti and Woodward removed their shoes, jackets and sweaters and put these along with their other belongings ? belt buckles, carry on bags, purse and jewelry, including Petti's money clip ? into a total of four rubber bins.
Petti says a security officer asked him to remove Kleenex and $300 in folded bills that he had in his pocket and send it through the detector. "I hesitated and said: 'You really want me to put my bills in there?' " Petti said. The officer said yes, so Petti put the cash into a fifth bin. Then he and Woodward proceeded through the metal detector.
After both set off alarms, they were patted down. Then, a security officer did a litmus test on Petti's clothing, which tested positive for nitrates. Petti explained that he carries nitroglycerin pills for his heart. Nonetheless, Petti was taken to a private room for yet another pat-down by a different officer while the same security officer emptied their carry-on bags and rifled through every item.
"When I was patted down, I've never before been touched in every part of my body before," Woodward said.
As the search went on, the couple ? both widowed who met a few years ago at a bridge game and fell in love ? became increasingly concerned about missing their flight.
Finally, they were released and told to retrieve their belongings. But only four bins were handed over to them. When Petti inquired about his $300, a senior security official was called over. Petti says this officer insinuated that they were mistaken about the missing cash, instructing the two to take off their shoes again, check their pockets again. "When I told him we were going to miss our flight he asked me if I was objecting or refusing his request." Petti says. "I said: 'No, I'd do anything I was asked, I would just like to know where my $300 went.' "
Finally, Petti says the officer promised they would check their video cameras to see what happened to the fifth bin and he would advise the Transportation Security Administration manager in Detroit so that they could briefed when they arrived. Then came the mad dash for the plane. "The wheel chair attendant literally ran the two of us by himself with both wheel chairs down to the gate, endangering us and anybody who got in our way," says Petti.
"I think I was scammed," Petti says. "I would like my money back, but money doesn't pay for all the stress and humiliation."
In the weeks since, Petti has filed a police report with the San Diego Harbor Police. He's written a lengthy letter addressed to the airport federal security director in San Diego and he's copied politicians: local and national, including President Obama. And he is in the process of filling out a four-page "Tort Claim Package" as required by the TSA.
Nobody, he says, is giving him a straight answer. "The police said they went and reviewed the videotapes but they were too blurry," Petti says. Petti's son Bill, who is helping his father, doubts that. "You can bet if my father were a terrorist, those videos would not be too blurry."
For their part, the San Diego Harbor Police declined to comment on Petti's case. Jim Fostenos, a spokesman in the TSA's Office of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs said only: "They are looking into the case in San Diego. That's all I have for you."
Says Bill Petti: "The bottom line is my dad's money went missing. Someone in the TSA or the next passenger took it. Either way, treating a 95-year-old like that is inexcusable."
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120418/OPINION03/204180345#ixzz1sy1alEMd
I am the 99%.
Re: another charming TSA story
Your tax dollars at work!
The TSA is the most persuasive argument out there for small government conservatism. What a colossal waste of taxpayer money.
Good for this couple for being so proactive about their complaints! I love that they copied President Obama as well.
DS1 born June 2008 | m/c at 9w March 2011 | DS2 born April 2012
I don't think an hour and a half before your flight is unreasonably late to arrive at the airport.
That's it. We are going to get to the airport 3 hours before we take off, and we'll all be wearing our bathing suits.
This is NOT making me feel OK about flying this Saturday.
It totally depends I promise you. I have had nothing but easy, quick experiences with my kids while flying and we fly about once every other month. I read these stories and I'm always a bit skeptical to be honest. I agree the TSA has a bad rap and does some crappy things, but I bet it's a passenger that took that money rather than an agent. And why on earth wouldn't you have $300 tucked into your wallet, kwim.
I've never had to empty my pockets of kleenex or anything, just don't have metal in there (ie change). But with kids the agents are always super helpful for us, and make it as easy as possible.
So having kids with you guarantees an easy-peasy TSA experience?
Obviously you missed the other TSA post.
Not at all, and I saw the other one about the 4 year old. Just trying to say that not all experience will end up horribly/trying to comfort soon to be flying parents.
I have had much worse experiences flying alone for work than with my kids, others have bad experiences with kids....I'm just saying it's going to vary by airport and even agent on duty. It does suck and there should be changes, but I wouldn't panic too much.
According to their own guidelines, they are not to separate you from at least line of sight on your belongings.
They have separated me, for a long time. I asked to at least see my stuff. They didn't comply. I asked again, nothing. After I was screened I went and spoke to 2 supervisors about how inappropriate that was. They did nothing but assure me they have security cameras.
Yeah, how's that working out? Someone sees a laptop, picks it up, they're either out the front door or on a flight to who knows where by the time we look at the apparently fuzzy tape.
As for the cash, I think the guy said he had a money clip, not a wallet, and that he put the clip on the tray b/c it's metal.
While I hate all the security theater and absolutely think all these searches are unconstitutional, I will say that I have never experienced or seen any misconduct on the part of TSA agents out of my airport. Most of my air travel is international, so I fly out of and into one airport for the most part, but it's quite large and I wonder if that is the difference. The TSA agents at my airport don't have time for shennannigans, they need to screen people quickly and move them on through. I would also imagine that our TSA agents are more highly trained as well given the location. It seems like a lot of these incidents happen at small to medium sized airports, where TSA agents have more time on their hands.