Interview

[cuci 0]

This is the best! Cutie's husband (Purg I presume?) -- you'd better behave! Good Luck!!!!! Just think, "Smiles! -- you're on Fantasy Island!"

[DeadPoolX 9]

ok you guys are gonna laugh at this ..............speaking of airport security.............many moons ago my husband took a second job on the weekends since he was posted in Ottawa he had a cushy office job and didnt work weekends........and it helped getting away from the ex wife....anyway......

guess what it was .........AIRPORT SECURITY!!!!!!!!!! He said the only people he treated badly were those who were rude to him for the sake of it.

anyway I thought it was worth a chuckle.

Flames .........this base is the first posting in his career where he has been treated poorly. He's been lucky I spose.

I've never been rude "for the sake of being rude" to airport security. I just "do what I'm told" in order to get through as quickly and as little fuss as possible. Airline security (the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, in the United States) has the potential to ruin a good trip at the start of it before the plane even takes off!

Of course, I think TSA sometimes acts stupid or does stuff to irritate passengers on purpose. They don't even follow their own rules, or at times seem to know what their own rules are! You'd think if you work for an organization, you'd know where your own personal interpretation ends and the rules/regulations begin! But that doesn't seem to be the case with TSA. Every trip is an adventure with them.

I don't know how the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (better known as CATSA) is though. Maybe they're more cohesive and regulated or maybe Canadians follow the rules better overall than Americans. I remember my fiancee telling me that when she went through TSA going home to Canada, one of the security officers gave her a "thumbs up" and told her, "That's perfect! You're doing exactly what we asked!"

So perhaps part of the problem is that either some Americans don't know the "new" rules for traveling by air (something hard for me to believe, given how publicized it all was; if you don't know you can only have three ounce-sized liquid/gel items in a one quart-sized baggie by now, then just do us all a favor and drive!) or that many Americans feel they are entitled to "get away with disobeying the rules" in which case that causes problems for the rest of us by slowing the entire process down.

Oh, by the way... does Canada have the "shoe carnival" across the country? What I mean is, do Canadians and visitors have to remove their shoes for x-ray at airport security stations like we do in the United States? I'm asking because think I had to do it once while in Canada, but not another time. I don't quite remember though.

[Emancipation 2]

I'm trying to remember if we do or not!! GAH!! Can't say one way or another.

But I have a funny/sad story about going through security in Dulles in the summer. I had on strappy "girlie" sandles like basically it's a very small sole of a shoe with tiny girlie straps, and me not thinking about how it takes 10 minutes to strap them on was only thinking about looking good for my American Fiance.. ANYWAY! I get to security (now I've already flown from Halifax to Dulles) and went through security there (no taking shoes off there for SURE) and I put everything on the belt & in the plastic tote (I'm pretty good at that by now). I see all the people around me taking off their shoes and I give this guard this pathetic look like "do I have to?" and he gives me a wink and says - "just walk through - don't worry about it".. Then this guard at the END of security SCREAMS up to where we are "TAKE OFF THOSE SHOES NOW!!!".. the guy next to me starts to argue and the other meanie face says "NOW!!!"..

Tee hee.. it was kinda funny to see them go back and forth.. I took off my shoes defiantly, walked BAREFOOT through security and vowed never to wear girlie strappy sandles again

[Allie 5]

Yes, shoe removal is the policy at airports in Canada too. At some so is the removal of hats and yeah in Canada the people scanning seem to be a bit more happier and tolerant

[misa 2]

Oh, by the way... does Canada have the "shoe carnival" across the country? What I mean is, do Canadians and visitors have to remove their shoes for x-ray at airport security stations like we do in the United States? I'm asking because think I had to do it once while in Canada, but not another time. I don't quite remember though.

Depends on the airport I think. Every time I've flown out of YYZ to the U.S. and Canada, I've always had to take off my shoes. YYZ has extra security if you're flying to DCA - Washington National as well (but not IAD - Dulles). In Vancouver going to back to Toronto, I didn't have to take off my shoes but I did anyway because they were steel-toed boots and I would have set off the metal detector.

The worst was when I was flying to DCA and I was all dressed up because my husband (then boyfriend/fiance?) was meeting me there, so I wore knee high TIGHT pvc boots with 4" heels. I had to struggle to get them off twice at YYZ. Once at the first TSA screeners and the second at the boarding gate where they did additional security for anyone flying to DCA. Needless to say, I never wore those again while flying!

Edited April 18, 2007 by misa