Posted by (+18725) 12 years ago
I am extremely upset right now, but I will save my diatribe after the main message....
Tonight I received a phone call from my extremely upset 75 year old mother, who was attempting to fly from Miles City to Denver today. She had arrived at the airport over an hour before the scheduled departure time, before the TSA-contracted security personnel arrived.
She had presented her card to the contracted personnel that stated that she had a pacemaker installed (the result of a stroke a month ago), which of course sets off the metal detector. Although she is an elderly woman and is clearly no threat to anyone, the contracted rent-a-cops decided that she needed the full pat down. Given the options, she chose the private search in the tiny MC Airport bathroom.
After going through the humiliation of having all her private regions thoroughly handled by the contracted Transportation Security Administration hourly waged employees, they told her that she had failed their screening, and was not allowed to board the plane.
What next?
The TSA contractors did not know, for they were unable to contact their supervisor.
So, they called the sheriff's office. A deputy came and took her home. He didn't have a clue what to do next, never have encountering such a situation.
When asked to rebook a flight, mom was told the only one she can get on leaves at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow. So, she has to be at the airport tomorrow at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow, and there is no guarantee that she will pass through security again, event though she possessed all the required paper work.
I will now post this, and move to a reply to begin my diatribe.
Tonight I received a phone call from my extremely upset 75 year old mother, who was attempting to fly from Miles City to Denver today. She had arrived at the airport over an hour before the scheduled departure time, before the TSA-contracted security personnel arrived.
She had presented her card to the contracted personnel that stated that she had a pacemaker installed (the result of a stroke a month ago), which of course sets off the metal detector. Although she is an elderly woman and is clearly no threat to anyone, the contracted rent-a-cops decided that she needed the full pat down. Given the options, she chose the private search in the tiny MC Airport bathroom.
After going through the humiliation of having all her private regions thoroughly handled by the contracted Transportation Security Administration hourly waged employees, they told her that she had failed their screening, and was not allowed to board the plane.
What next?
The TSA contractors did not know, for they were unable to contact their supervisor.
So, they called the sheriff's office. A deputy came and took her home. He didn't have a clue what to do next, never have encountering such a situation.
When asked to rebook a flight, mom was told the only one she can get on leaves at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow. So, she has to be at the airport tomorrow at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow, and there is no guarantee that she will pass through security again, event though she possessed all the required paper work.
I will now post this, and move to a reply to begin my diatribe.