So this week I considered writing a letter to TSA about their inconsistent application of the 3-1-1 rule for carrying liquids through airport security. I consider myself an expert in this area after my experiences over the past 15 months or so. As some of you may know, TSA allows you an exemption to their 3-1-1 rule for juice or milk, both while you're traveling with an infant, and
when you're not. This exemption has been in place for at least as long as I have cared (so more than a year). However, I have flown through no less than 15 different airports in the last year and have had a different experience in almost every one. Scarier yet is that I have a different experience in the
same airport depending on which TSA person I encounter. While I have never been prevented from bringing my precious (and hard earned) milk through security I have spent varying levels of time (from a 30 second pause to a 20 minute delay while they scanned each one of the 40+ bags I was bringing through) delayed at the security checkpoint, often while TSA dude #1 talks to TSA dude #2 (or his supervisor) to figure out how to handle the crazy lady who's attempting to board a plane with a cooler full of milk. It's funny how often I get asked the question "Where is the baby?" Uhhh...the baby is clearly at home which is why I'm carrying this ridiculously large and heavy cooler through the airport. Maybe they think I just like to cart around milk for fun. I guess it frightens me that if our TSA employees aren't trained well enough to understand this rule and implement it consistently, what other (arguably much more important) rules are they also not following?
For anyone reading this who may be looking for tips on how to make this process easier, I wish I had some. I have travelled with the milk in liquid form (to avoid it melting and being wasted). I have travelled with it frozen. I have travelled with some of each. It doesn't seem to matter. All has been accepted and all has made it home safe. The delay time at the checkpoint is completely up to the individual TSA employee and their interpretation of the rules. I've had everyone from the 20-something guy who takes one look at me and (displaying signs of being slightly grossed out) ushers me through with a "You're good" to the "I'm going to follow our rules by the letter" guy who has taken out each and every bag from my cooler and scanned them all for explosives (and I carry 30-40 at a time). I wish I could say there was an easy way to do it but, at least in my experience,
easy and TSA don't usually go together.
So yes, I considered sending in a letter but then I got busy playing with my kids that I haven't seen all week and decided against it :)
