The Unexpected Cause of My WORST TSA Experience (avoid this!!)

five alarms two swab tests a pat down a full search of my luggage and interrogation by a TSA agent and then also being flagged with SSS it was a rough day I'll explain exactly what happened on a recent trip through TSA airport security as well as the surprising but incredibly common reason for this massive and unpleasant delay so you can avoid it from happening to you as well and you definitely want to avoid it since I didn't have any checked luggage I headed straight to the security gates for step one of the process where an agent scans your boarding pass before you even get into the TSA lineup he let me know that I had been selected for a swab test and apparently one in six passengers were being randomly selected for this swab test so there is a pretty decent chance that it will happen to you if it has not already let us know down in the comments if you have ever had a swab test at the airport if you haven't here's how it goes the airport agent uses a long probe with a pad at the end and then lightly swabs the ins and outs of your luggage the agent that was doing my swab test was still in training he was probably 20 years old just like me don't you tell them Ollie and he was being shadowed by a senior agent that was explaining what the next steps were and why they were important to do according to the senior agent the swap test is officially called explosive Trace detection and the technology checks the swab for Trace Amounts of explosives which may indicate a passenger has been in contact with or is carrying a restricted substance or item the entire process is not a big deal and it takes less than a minute and then the result is immediate usually negative and then you are on your way to the rest of the airport security screening and then sometimes the result is not negative and you end up with a positive result like I did they called another agent over the radio and I ended up waiting about five minutes before this agent came over to escort me through the rest of the security screening process to put it nicely this agent was less than friendly she also watched me like a hawk which made me very paranoid and I began questioning everything did I pack something suspicious did someone slip something into my luggage or maybe I was on some sort of suspect list because I traveled so often I was also getting very nervous at this point because my flight was boarding in 40 minutes and then I got very nervous as she pulled out this plastic stick with four letters that every traveler dread seeing SSS and then she placed the stick into the bin with all of my belongings to go through the screening if you don't know what SSS is apart from being a mouthful then definitely pay attention because you don't need to be setting off any alarms to end up being flagged with SSS even before you head to the security area the four s's stand for secondary security screening selection and you should always check your boarding pass because you might be surprised to see that you have the letters SSS printed on it even before you make it to the security screening area if you do you will want to head to the airport security section as soon as possible because you have been selected for additional screening and it could lead to quite the delay in getting to your gate it's also good to know that being flagged with SSS is going to override any of the Privileges that you may have through a trusted traveler program like TSA pre-check you may never know exactly why you were selected either it could be due to your past travel history your flight itinerary or simply a random selection or like me because you set off an alarm for potential contact with an explosive I did not have the letters SSS printed on my boarding pass originally but I would still put through the full additional screening process which I'll explain in more detail so you know exactly what to expect if it does happen to you not knowing if you will be flagged for additional screening or just the unpredictable nature of travel in general means it's totally normal to feel a little bit anxious before a trip I certainly do which is why I'm happy to introduce today's sponsor betterhelp betterhelp's mission is to make therapy more accessible and affordable for everyone it's an online platform where after answering just a few questions you can be matched with a licensed therapist tailored to your needs and if you don't feel that they are a good fit for you you can easily change therapists without any additional costs or hassle there's no shame in seeking help and speaking with a professional online to calm your nerves pre-trip as it can make all the difference in helping you kick off your travel feeling calm and confident that you'll be able to handle any surprises along the way so if you experience any pre-travel overwhelm like I do and like many Travelers do consider giving online therapy a try you can get started by visiting my Link at betterhealth.com portable professional or by clicking the link that's down in the video description and as a special thank you you will also get 10 off your first month of better help so despite being flagged for additional screening and still being flagged down by this very unfriendly agent The Next Step was quite stand protocol I took off my shoes I removed my large Electronics like my laptop I took out my carry-on liquids bag took off my jacket and then I double triple checked that all of my pockets were completely empty because I was not about to set off another alarm when I walked through the body scanner I stepped into the full body Scanner with just my passport in hand which you are allowed to take with you and I put my hands overhead while the completely safe electromagnetic wave washed over me if you are nervous about these scanners don't be they are harmless quick and way more comfortable than a manual pat down but sometimes you get lucky and you get to experience both the scanner and the manual pat down which is exactly what happened to me in this case despite all of my best efforts I was subject to both a manual pat down and another swab with the strange probe device they even swapped the bottom of my feet and much to my surprise the mysterious Wild machine came back with a positive result which according to the senior security agent from earlier in this story meant that I had potentially come in contact with explosive material I was pretty confident that I would not be making my flight when my bag also set off yet another alarm while going through the luggage scanner and if you do miss a flight because of a delay at the security line the airline is not going to book you it is not their fault that you were late to get to the gate and therefore your flight is canceled you receive no refund and you are responsible for paying for and booking a new flight it's a really bad situation to be in I was then escorted out of line by two agents into a special Zone where my bag was completely searched by a third agent on the other side of a clear plastic screen thankfully I was just traveling with a personal item as in just my backpack so I didn't have a carry-on suitcase that would have also needed to be searched this was quite the ordeal as one agent searched through every inch of my personal item backpack and then our friend who has been escorting me through this process continued to stare me down while another agent pulled up a clipboard and went through some questions it's definitely good to know what these questions are so that you can prepare yourself for a case where you set off an alarm or if you noticed SSS on your boarding pass that sucks where are you headed and why how long is your trip did you check any bags what is your occupation have you been around any explosive devices or suspicious chemicals lately no are you taking any medication and did you pack your own bag hopefully you agree that these questions are quite straightforward and definitely not something that you need to stress about assuming you have nothing to hide which I did not which ended up being further confirmed when my backpack had absolutely nothing in it that would be considered explosive or suspicious at all the agent then explained just to clarify the agent with the clipboard explained not the mean one that was still staring at me plenty of common substances that we use every day like hand creams containing glycerin or nail polish can give a false positive result on a swab test the nail polish Theory checks out since I'd painted my nails that morning and I never paint my nails this was a wedding weekend that I was traveling for and it was a special occasion that got me into a lot of trouble the takeaway is that sometimes getting flagged or setting off alarms is entirely out of your control stay calm follow instructions and you should be on your way without too much trouble the problem is that getting flagged or setting off alarms can lead to a long delay and possibly a missed flight especially in busy airports since multiple agents are often needed to get you through the process it is much more pleasant to have a little bit of extra time where you have to wait around the gate area as opposed to being that person that is insanely stressed out running through the airport and then the last one to board the plane yes in this case I was that person but I made it my name's Megan and I would love to see you subscribe to join us back here for more travel tips and hacks next week see you then and safe travels bye

Channel: Portable Professional (Travel Tips with Megan)

Views: 153,738

Keywords: tsa security screening, going through airport security, how to get through airport security, first time flying, airport security mistakes, airport security usa, tsa carry on rules, tsa precheck, tsa security, tsa airport security, airport security check, airport security tips, airport security, ssss boarding pass, ssss on boarding pass, ssss code on boarding pass, tsa pat down, travel tips for airport security, airport security rules, customs, security check at airport

Id: dsgscScosAc

Length: 9min 39sec (579 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 24 2023