Transportation Security Administration

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New TSA Tech Assesses If 'You Are Who You Say You Are'

Pilot program is using facial recognition in 16 airports, but some are worried about privacy issues

(Newser) - A passenger walks up to an airport security checkpoint, slips an ID card into a slot, and looks into a camera atop a small screen. The screen flashes "Photo Complete," and the person walks through—all without having to hand over their identification to the Transportation Security Administration...

Leave Your 'Vampire' Straws at Home Next Time You Fly

Man arrested at Logan Airport for trying to bring titanium smoothie-sipper/tire deflator in carry-on

(Newser) - On the Szabo Inc. website , a "Vampire" straw is sold for $85, promoted as a "unique" item made of titanium that "allows the user to drink effortlessly any thick shake or smoothie." It's also "long enough to drink from any long beverage can,"...

'Unprovoked' Assault Sends TSA Agents to Hospital

19-year-old woman facing charges in early morning incident at Phoenix airport

(Newser) - The TSA says a teenage traveler assaulted three of its agents in an "unprovoked" attack at Phoenix's airport on Tuesday, sending two to the hospital, according to the agency. The 19-year-old woman was passing through security screening at Sky Harbor International Airport shortly before 6am when she began...

TSA Stops Record Number of Guns at Airport Checkpoints

More than 6.3K firearms have been seized already, and the year's not even done

(Newser) - Firearms aren't permitted in plane cabins during flights, even if passengers have a concealed-weapons permit. That didn't stop a whole lot of people from packing guns in their carry-ons this year—either forgetting they were there, not realizing they weren't allowed to pack them (or not realizing...

TSA Takes Man's Laptop Apart, Finds Knife

Virginia passenger faces a 'stiff federal financial civil penalty'

(Newser) - If you find that Transportation Security Administration agents are paying closer attention to your laptop the next time you fly, a man in Virginia could be to blame. The TSA says its officers found a knife "artfully concealed" inside a man's laptop at Richmond International Airport last Friday,...

TSA Calls 'Personal Fowl' on Unusual Security Find

Firearm discovered shoved inside a raw chicken at Florida's Fort Lauderdale airport

(Newser) - Security officers at a South Florida airport have reported finding a handgun hidden inside a raw chicken packed in a traveler's luggage. The Transportation Security Administration posted photos of the gun and poultry Monday on its official Instagram account , per the AP . The weapon was recovered at the Fort...

A Busy Travel Weekend Kicks Into Gear

TSA says business is booming again at US airports for the July 4 holiday

(Newser) - The July Fourth holiday weekend is off to a booming start, with airport crowds crushing the numbers seen in 2019, before the pandemic. Travelers seemed to be experiencing fewer delays and canceled flights than they did earlier this week. The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.4 million travelers...

Biden to Maskless Travelers: 'Be Prepared to Pay'

TSA to double fines for those who refuse to don face coverings, with minimum penalty of $500

(Newser) - The White House unveiled an aggressive new push this week designed to combat COVID, and one measure in particular from the TSA is geared toward travelers. "If you break the rules, be prepared to pay," President Biden said at a presser Thursday on the changes, including a new...

Good News! You'll Be Wearing Masks on Planes Into 2022

TSA extends order that was scheduled to expire Sept. 13

(Newser) - Federal officials are extending into January a requirement that people on airline flights and public transportation wear face masks, a rule intended to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Transportation Security Administration's current order was scheduled to expire Sept. 13. An agency spokesman said Tuesday that the mandate will...

TSA: Hundreds Have Broken Mask Rule, Only 2 Agree to Pay Fine
Travelers Have
'Not Surprising'
Reaction to TSA
Mask Fines
in case you missed it
Jul 31, 2021 4:55 PM CDT

Travelers Have 'Not Surprising' Reaction to TSA Mask Fines

Out of 2.4K incidents of alleged noncompliance, only 2 have agreed to pay the $250 penalty

(Newser) - Earlier this year, the TSA warned that people who refuse to wear face masks while using public transit, in accordance with a federal mandate, could face hefty fines. It doesn't seem like that heads-up served as much of a deterrent, at least not for a couple of thousand travelers...

TSA Agent Jailed for Making Woman Show Breasts

TSA agent Johnathon Lomeli sentenced to 60 days in jail for LAX stunt in June 2019

(Newser) - A former Transportation Security Administration agent who was accused of tricking a traveler into showing her breasts as she went through security at Los Angeles International Airport pleaded no contest Friday to false imprisonment, authorities said. Johnathon Lomeli entered the plea to a felony count and was sentenced to 60...

TSA Halts Employee Use of TikTok for Social Media Posts
TSA to Employees:
Stop Using TikTok
Feb 24, 2020 1:56 AM CST

TSA to Employees: Stop Using TikTok

Agency halts use of app for social media posts

(Newser) - The Transportation Security Administration said Sunday it has stopped allowing employees to use the China-owned video app TikTok to create social media posts for the agency after the Senate’s top Democrat raised concerns about potential national security issues. Sen. Chuck Schumer sent a letter Saturday to TSA Administrator David...

Traveler: TSA Agent Conducted Very Peculiar 'Screening'

Johnathon Lomeli, accused of tricking woman into baring her breasts, is fired

(Newser) - If a Transportation Security Administration agent asks you to lift up your shirt in an airport elevator, he's probably not following screening protocol. One woman found that out the hard way, and now an ex-TSA agent is facing legal repercussions. Per a criminal complaint cited by the AP , 22-year-old...

TSA Confiscated a Record Number of Guns Last Year

But what does it really mean?

(Newser) - TSA found 4,432 firearms in passengers' carry-on baggage last year—its highest number ever. As Fox News points out, that's a dozen firearms per day, and 87% of those firearms were loaded. Thirty-four percent of them actually had rounds in the chamber. The total number confiscated is a...

A TSA Agent Had to Check Her Hair. Then: 'Giddyup!'

Native American woman Tara Houska says she was humiliated at being treated like an animal

(Newser) - A Native American woman who went through security at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport says she was humiliated by a TSA agent who yanked her long braids and treated her like "a horse." CNN reports Tara Houska, an environmental and indigenous rights activist, was flying into Minnesota Monday from...

Oof: Record Number of People Flying for Thanksgiving

TSA expects more than 26.8 million travelers over the holiday, up 4% from last year

(Newser) - Flying somewhere for Thanksgiving? Good luck. The Transportation Security Administration says more than 26.8 million people are expected to make their way through airport security checkpoints between Nov. 22 and Dec. 2—a record high, per the Hill , and a 4% increase over 2018, per ABC . The busiest days...

Woman Somehow Boards Plane Without Ticket, ID

She was screened by TSA, but beyond that not much is clear

(Newser) - Jenni Clemons found another woman sitting in her assigned seat when she boarded her Delta Air Lines flight at Orlando International Airport Saturday, and Clemons alerted flight attendants that they may have been assigned the same seat. Not so: The woman, who had no ID on her but whom authorities...

TSA Officers on Leave Over Noose at Airport

Racist display was seen in restricted area of Miami International Airport

(Newser) - Two TSA officers are on leave after a racist display featuring toy gorillas and a noose was discovered at Miami International Airport. The display (see it here ) was discovered July 21 in a baggage-screening area not accessible to the public, per CNN . A TSA employee tells the outlet that...

Weird TSA Find of the Week: a Missile Launcher

Active-duty member of the armed services had put it in his luggage

(Newser) - Transportation Security Administration officers have found some strange things in travelers' baggage, and on Monday, they found a missile launcher. The weapon, which was not loaded or "live," was found in a checked bag at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore, and the bag's owner—a man...

TSA's Windfall From Security Bins in 2018: $1M

Travelers don't gather their coins and cash with care when they're in a hurry, apparently

(Newser) - In your rush to catch a flight, did you ever neglect to scoop up your pennies, nickels, and dimes out of the plastic bins at security? You're not alone, and the Transportation Security Administration became about $1 million richer last year because of it. USA Today reports that's...

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