Have you ever had something confiscated by TSA at the airport that’s made you annoyed?
Well, in a Reddit thread, a fleet of travelers have been venting their frustrations about security checks by revealing some of the most ridiculous items they’ve been forced to part ways with and some of the more suspicious things that made it through.
One woman detailed how her husband flew a ‘few times’ with a large knife accidentally secreted in his carryon bag and ‘recently with a small one in his pocket.’
Meanwhile, when she went through the scanner with Pop Tarts they were confiscated and a ‘scent sachet thing like people use in drawers’ was cut open because the contents were ‘suspected explosives.’
In a Reddit thread, a fleet of travelers have been venting their frustrations about security checks by revealing some of the most ridiculous items they’ve been forced to part ways with and some of the more suspicious things that made it through (stock image)
One Redditor noted that it isn’t just TSA that has varying rules for America, and security checks are equally random all over the world.
They wrote: ‘My friend somehow got a folding knife through US customs, then China customs, and finally Japan customs… apparently international TSA is just as useless as the US ones. ‘
Knives aside, many travelers revealed in the thread that camera lenses often present a problem with security officers.
One commenter said: ‘We are photographers who travel a lot and 90 per cent of the time our camera bags get pulled and checked for gunpowder.
‘I’m so used to it by now that we get to the airport an extra 30 minutes on top of the two hours because this always happens.’
Another Redditor shared a similar story, writing: ‘My husband brought a professional camera with many lenses and they were VERY keen on checking out these Mysterious Metal Objects. They even checked them for (gunpowder?) residue.’
Other commenters vented about milk in baby bottles.
One mom, who had recently flown from Denver, said the TSA they made a ‘huuuuuuuge a** stink’ about her breastmilk in bottles.
She explained: ‘[At] our home airport San Francisco, the TSA are a**holes but the breastmilk wasn’t a huge deal (they checked it and it was all done).
‘At Denver they held my milk hostage acting like they didn’t know what to do with it but at the same time, acting like it was a huge threat.
‘I hovered over those TSA line a hawk while they held my milk staring at each other.
‘In the end the head TSA [officer] was like “yeah, it’s not a big deal just give it back to them.” All that for nothing.’
Many travelers reveal in the thread that camera lenses often present a problem when they are getting checked by security officers (stock image)
After reading the thread, one Redditor suggested that the biggest issue with TSA is that ‘every airport does things a little bit differently’ (stock image)
Another testing TSA encounter, saw one traveler held up over a packet of custard.
Detailing the incident, they wrote: ‘I was made to wait for one hour by an airport security agent when I had a pack of custard in my bag for a really long international flight.
‘At the time I had a health condition where I could not eat anything else and it was going to be the only thing I was going to eat in 24 hours – if I didn’t eat it I would have ended up getting sicker.
‘They wanted their manager to talk to me and put me in a separate room. After 45 minutes I ventured out of the room (nervous about my flight departure) and they had completely forgotten about me.
‘Their manager came and within 30 seconds was like “WTF of course you can keep your custard,” and let me go.’
After reading the thread, one Redditor suggested that the biggest issue with TSA is that ‘every airport does things a little bit differently.’
They noted that at some airport security checks they ask you to stack the bins whereas at others they don’t, and some TSA officers require travelers to ‘stand in line vs find a place in the row.’
The Redditor then criticized the TSA officers for their manners.
They wrote: ‘But they act like you’re an idiot for getting something slightly wrong or hesitating momentarily.
‘Why they can’t put up a little bit of clarifying signage is beyond me. But they’re super aggro and I’d pay extra too just to avoid them.’
Another Redditor who works in the aviation industry agreed with the issue around varying rules.
They said: ‘I work in the aviation industry and TSA is such a joke. One of my biggest complaints is that they all don’t screen the same way!
‘Flew out of Minneapolis airport on Mother’s Day, we were allowed to keep our shoes on AND keep electronics in backpacks. Flew out of Orlando a week later, shoes off, iPads out, etc.’