TSA Fun #1

The TSA recently relaxed the ban on liquids in carry-on baggage (as of September 26) to allow passengers to bring travel toothpaste, shampoo, and other essentials.

However, when I flew to Indiana for a cousin’s wedding last weekend, the original no liquids rule was still in place. Whenever possible, I avoid checking luggage; I have had too many lost bags to trust the airlines at this point. The hotel would have shampoo, and I could obtain hair gel and toothpaste easily enough, but I still wanted to make my point–if only for self-gratification. I put all of my belongings in a carry-on, and checked the following bag with my restricted, terror-inducing liquids:

The conversation at the ticketing counter went something like this:

Agent: Please put your bag on the scale.
Me: Sure.
Agent: Uhh…ten pounds? Are you sure that’s right?
Me: Yeah…mostly I just wanted to transport the bag.

The last part is also true, as my brother is currently using the suitcase. No need to go any further than that with the agent either. I have no quarrel with ticket agents in this area. It’s all the TSA. I later learned that my travel-sized deodorant was cleared for my carry-on, so the suitcase should only have contained my dangerous hair gel. In any case, I carried the bag to the TSA screening machine and walked to my gate. I was hoping that the extra-light nearly empty suitcase would be too suspicious to pass up and I would find a third item upon claiming my bag (an “inspected by the TSA” notice). But my bag arrived without any such signs of search. But then again, I suppose the screening machine would have noticed exactly two dangerously-looking items that posed no threat.

Will there be a TSA Fun #2? There would have been one if the liquids ban had not been relaxed. But the TSA is not known for it’s customer-friendly attitude, so I would not be surprised if one of their new policies prompts some more experimentation.