My experience of the TSA on my first visit to America since 1996

Hi everyone, this is just a simple rant on my experience of my trip last week to Las Vegas for my good friends Bachelor party. I had previously lived in LA for 6 months in 1996 when I was a youngster and had loved my time in the States, the people where great, the food, the nightlife etc I love America, or should I say I did love America. We flew from Glasgow Airport to Newark to get a connection to sin city and upon landing in Newark I noticed straight away the difference from European Airports. I am a keen ATS info sponge so was well aware of the TSA and their rep so I had well warned the younger members of my group not to joke around or say anything out of turn with these cretins as they would ruin there day big time.

Going through the arrivals floors the atmosphere was terrible, people seemed to feel the authoritarian attitude of these goons and it was just a #ty way to get reacquainted with one of my favorite places on earth. We waited for half an hour for each individual person to get through border control and when it was my turn I was greeted with a stony faced "Carlos" growling from behind a booth and announcing "PASSPORT" no welcome or hello, he then shouted and barked instructions at me to put my fingers in to be scanned and repeatedly shook his head saying wrong finger etc. I said to him "We it would help if you gave me clear instructions instead of acting like a huffy child. Probably my first mistake, he asked me to repeat what I said, which I did then he let me pass. I knew I had made a mistake however I hate being treated like a child by a glorified security guard.

Low and behold when it came to go through security the scanner went off and I was put in a plexiglass box, a fat black woman shouted to another pale faced goon "Guy in the box" I got hand swap and full pat down and treated like a piece of #. At the end I told the guy "Your kid must be proud" he just ignored me and I went through.

We all got a taste of this and when I got back to Glasgow I looked at the American tourists being welcomed to my country with a happy smile and a bit of chit chat. Long and short of this is none of us are keen to go back to the states. Between the way visitors are treated at the airports and the prices in the states we have rearranged another trip next year to go to Thailand instead of New York.

I believe that Americans need to speak up to their congressman about this, your country is becoming a police state and the way people are being treated at the airports must be costing your country hundreds of millions in lost tourism income. I still do have a soft spot in my heart for the states, but I won’t be rushing back.

P.s Before anyone comes on and says I either brought the treatment on myself or I am soft for letting them turn me off going back to the States put it this way I was prepared for their treatment and my temper still nearly broke big-time. What about people that aren’t prepared for this. And second why should I pay a fortune to go on a trip somewhere to be treated like a criminal. I would like your thought.

The stories I've heard about these situations at airports in the US is enough to put me off going. I very much doubt I'd be able to hold my tongue if treated like that, now if they started on my kids I know for a fact I would end up getting arrested because I would not hold back. There is no reason that they can't treat people with respect, they are utter scum.

I'm with you. Always wanted to go to the US, but no more.
None of my friends or workmates want to go.
One group at work changed plans from US to a pacific island.

The US inbound tourism figures and stats would be good to look at.

reply to post by On the level


I agree whole heatedly. When my family was going back and forth between Canada and the US when I was younger, you rarely dealt with a jerk at customs, they were the exception to the rule. A fundamental shift has happened and now laws are being used to harass innocent travelers while in no way enhancing security.

As a visitor to the US, don't feel that you are being singled out, you aren't, every single American is being treated this way, or will in time, as these tactics move away from the border and get used at sporting events, school plays, before entering certain districts in cities.

The police state has already been born, all the elements are in place and the grip is slowly being tightened.

If you toss a frog into a pot of boiling water, it jumps out.
If you place a from in a pot of water and slow raise the temperature to boiling, it will sit there and get cooked.

Its a shame as is a cracking country, Vegas was the usual mix of fun and debauchary but I just cant find the motivation to go back with things being as they are. I spent around $6000 on a 5 night trip, that was on top of the flights, rooms etc. There was 11 of us and we where going to do the same next year. So thats roughly $300 to $400,000 off the economy and local hotels bars etc because of the TSA storm troopers. The impact must be incredible.

reply to post by Hawkwind.


I was thinking about this very thing yesterday. The TSA thing seems almost like a deliberate attempt to sabotage the American tourism industry, because unless someone has to go there for family or business reasons, why on earth would anyone want their holiday to begin or end in such a degrading manner? Even if I were able to subject myself to this horror, I sure as heck would not want my children or the children of anyone else to be subjected to this gross indignity. And grandparents? To me this becomes demented and pure evil in concept and I cannot fathom it. I've seen the videos and that was enough for me.

I might add, we like to travel outside this country to south America, but no longer will even consider it. Much easier to avoid airlines as much as possible and remain alone and invisible. I know of other Americans also that are putting off traveling as well due to our tsa goons.

reply to post by On the level


How interesting. I've never had a problem with TSA, I've had many friends that have been treated poorly, though. Hopefully I don't jinx myself.

I've never been patted down or asked to go through the new scanners although I did have one lady gripe cause I didn't take my laptop out of my carry-on bag once. She just rolled her eyes at me like "O come on!"