November 25, 2010 I arrived at the Manchester-Boston International airport to make my way to Louisa, VA. I made sure to get there early after all the commotion about the long lines and new security technology that has been the topic of many news channels. I got out of the car; I got my luggage and headed towards the Southwest outdoor check in. With no lines, I forced my license to the man waiting behind the counter. He glanced at my ID and handed it back, along with my boarding pass.
After the man added my luggage to the pile already in the cart, I rushed inside to security only to find no one in line. It was Thanksgiving Day, after all. I walked to the first TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agent and gave her my ID and boarding pass. She looked at the license then back at me and once more at my license to verify that it was legitimate. Once my ID was approved, I approached the conveyor to put my jacket, phone, wallet and shoes through the scanner.
After I pushed my belongings into the scanner, I walked through the metal detector and overheard two of the TSA agents whispering to each other. I looked around and noticed four agents looking at me. At this moment I knew they were going to search me. One of the agents walked up to me and said “We need to check your shirt collar, that’s all,” and yelled for a woman to come search me. She came over and gave the collar to my sweater three pat downs and sent me on my way. I grabbed my shoes and waited at my gate to board the plane.
Surprisingly enough, the airport was empty and easy to get through. I enjoy Manchester airport for that exact reason; even on the busiest days, they move individuals to where they need to be. Most of the staff I saw were happy to help and anxious to move traffic along. The TSA agents were respectful in asking for a female agent to search me; however, if I were a real terrorist, they did an exceedingly poor job searching. Three pokes at my shirt will not find you anything. The TSA agents need to be thorough in their searches, not necessarily in a “groping” manner, but enough to get the task done effectively.
