Travel...airlines...TSA....a rant...bear with me

I just thought I would share a positive experience I had last week. It kind of brings back my faith in individuals that work for government agencies….even though I do too. (not sure what I mean by that…..but what the heck)

I am going to go to Barbados in September and I normally dive with a pony bottle when I dive in the states. Needless to say, 9/11 has caused a number of changes in our life styles. We lost so much that day other than two buildings and so many people, but I don’t want to go there.

Anyway, here I have this trip coming up to Barbados and I really want to take my pony bottle with me. I have traveled since that fateful day with my pony bottle, but there are new travel alerts about terrorists looking at more airline incidents. Needless to say that means travel restrictions will be much worse than “normal”, whatever normal means at this point.

I wrote an email message to both Delta and US Air. I travel Delta a lot and I will be traveling US Air to Barbados. Delta was really quick to respond to my email. It took some time, a couple more emails, and a few phone calls to get US Air to respond in writing. But, I now have (in writing) what these two airline policies are regarding traveling with all sorts of dive gear, to include, a pony bottle.

Simply put, both airlines allow you to travel with one dive tank. It doesn’t specify whether it is a pony bottle size tank or a larger “standard tank”. I chalk that up to the fact that those who write the rules know very little to nothing about diving gear. While I have taken my pony bottle on board in a carry on size suit case along with my regs, computer, dive log and cameras; but, most airlines prefer you to put the tank in your check in baggage. They are afraid (or so I was told) that you would take it out and bang someone on the head. And, that was a quote from an airlines representative. Also, Delta says the tank can have up to, but not exceed 41 lbs of pressure, however, there is absolutely no way to prove what kind of pressure is in the tank to their satisfaction. So, if you drain the tank completely, take off the valve, and plug the bottle with a plug, you will have no problems.

Ok, doing all this research was only the start. Why you ask…go ahead ask…. Because no matter what the airlines say…you still have to get by TSA.

So I called TSA HQ and you would not believe what I was told. Long story short, TSA has a web site where you can go and see what you can and can not take on board an airplane. Is dive gear listed and kept up to date you ask???? No way. Dive gear is not the least bit addressed. And to make matters worse, I was told when I called TSA HQ that the last TSA representative you run into at the xray machine has the final authority to make the decision you can not take your tank, regs or whatever on board. What that means to me is that the TSA website is absolutely worthless to anyone going there for guidance. And, the TSA lady I talked to reluctantly agreed with me.

Jokingly, I asked the lady I talked to at TSA HQ, so if the last guy I meet headed to the airplane has a hangover, or his wife (girlfriend…or her husband) gave him (her) a hard time last night and the decision is to take it out on me….there isn’t jack I can do about it???? Absolutely right responds the lady at TSA HQ. What a way for an organization to run huh??? What she did tell me that worth while was that at every airport there is a TSA customer rep and I could call and get whatever information I needed.

Now you just try and call an airport and get a particular airlines or TSA. My god I have been in major battles that were easier than that.

But I finally got hold on the TSA customer rep guy. I am flying out of Harrisburg airport in Harrisburg Pa and I have to tell you it is the worse airport for customer service in the whole United States. If it were used as a nuclear testing ground I would not miss it one nanosecond.

Anyway, I finally got a human being …not a dang computer….to answer a phone at the airport…and I finally got transferred to the TSA office….yes, it took three days to accomplish this….but I finally got hold of a TSA person. Was it the customer rep??????? No, but the person said the rep would call me back. Yea right. Well, I will be hornswaggled the guy actually called me back.

Yep, I was amazed…there must be a God. He not only called me back, but he was polite and concerned about my question. Now, I wasn’t surprised that he had no idea what the answer to the question was (about carrying my pony bottle with me to Barbados) but he said he would research it and call me back. Yeah right again.

It took three days, but dang if he didn’t call me back. He said it was ok to take all my gear with me and if it were up to him (which we know it is ) he would recommend putting the pony bottle in my check in….but it would be up to the airline whether or not I actually carried it on board. He had no problems at all with my regs and other small gear in a carry on bag.

The guy actually called me two times, he was polite, he didn’t know jack about dive gear, but did his homework…..and was pretty decent about the whole thing. I would love to give his name so he could get his credit due but I don’t want to get sued or whatever. Point is, he was a cool dude.

So, I will be traveling to Barbados…..and yes I will doing a trip report…..and I will be taking my pony bottle with me. It will be wrapped like crazy in foam rubber so it wont destroy my suitcase…but I will have it with me.

Actually, this brings up a thought. LDS’s rent regular tanks….and with the way travel restrictions are now a days….they ought to look at renting pony bottles as well. Just a thought.

Sorry I raved a bit probably, but I hate bureaucracy. And I think I will just stop here. Later all.

...you're not stuck flying out of LaGuardia.

RICHinNC once bubbled...
I am flying out of Harrisburg airport in Harrisburg Pa and I have to tell you it is the worse airport for customer service in the whole United States. If it were used as a nuclear testing ground I would not miss it one nanosecond.

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The TSA witch at LaGuardia airport last week confiscated my ankle wieghts. I have flown with those same ankle weights in my carry on a dozen times since 9/11. Other TSA staffers have held them in their hands and put them back in my bag without raising an eyebrow. This witch rummaged through each piece of my underwear and took my ankle weights away. She also stopped just short of confiscating prescription medication in a container with it's original label because I didn't have a doctor's note for it. Heck, I wasn't about to atack the flight attendents and force them to take my medicine! She looked inside my $@#& socks!! I think she was just looking for any excuse to assert power over me.

You're right on about the potential to be victimized by a TSA staffer who is in a bad mood.

I hate to say this, and I know it's going to make some people very angry, but I'm starting to think its a class or racial issue. I've noticed that some TSA staffers are friendly when they go about their duties. Others seem to enjoy the power of going through my belongings and threatening to take my things away. As I look back over the last several journeys, I've found that it's minority TSA employees in major urban centers who give me attitude, while the white, midwesterners are nice.

It's not due to my attitude. I'm not a racist. My neice and nephew are African American and I love them to death. I've dated men of all races and backgrounds. When I was in a position to hire I had a staff of mostly minorities. I don't respond to people differently based on the color of their skin or the accent they use when they speak. I just happen to have observed this difference recently. I hope it's mere coincidence, because the alternative makes me very, very sad.

Nice story...I did it the short way and just tried it...heh...worked for me (I didn't take a pony, but took the rest.)

My guess, as you said, is that different reps at different airports will handle it differently, and its up to the last person that processes you to let you go, or not.

RICHinNC once bubbled...

So, I will be traveling to Barbados…..and yes I will doing a trip report…..and I will be taking my pony bottle with me. It will be wrapped like crazy in foam rubber so it wont destroy my suitcase…but I will have it with me.

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Please let us know how you made out with the pony bottle. The only reason I have a pony is for the few times I actually have to rent tanks. I trust my personal equipment but I'm a little leary of rental stuff in the islands

When we recently traveled from Oz to Hawaii, TSA in Hawaii took our dive lights apart.........MY UK- HID!!!!, they threw the batteries in my checked luggage after it had passed through their scan, hauled me out of line at the looooong personal security check point, took me back to the checked luggage area and handed me two (empty of batteries) lights. Dang it I was ticked, but there was nothing I could do. Fortunately nothing broke, and the UK light still works . I guess I'll know what to expect next time.
Caymaniac

Guess the only thing left to do is take cruises whenever possible.;-0

Wait a minute - thats still not too bad

:tree: Just got back from Roatan, took my pony with me, and had no problems. I did drain it completely, breach it - packing the valve inside clear plastic bags and plugging the bottle, then packed it in a checked bag with my clothes and coffee maker.

I worried that an inspector might take the valve out of the bags or unplug the bottle :crazyeyes but I got lucky - even checking in and clearing security twice each way, once with American, once with Sol. I did advise of the bottle in the bag on the way down, but they didn't seem interested, so I didn't bother on the way back.

Traveling with lights and batteries... :fly:

I carry my Octo-reg, both computers, bifocal mask, and tube shaped Oxygen analyzer in my carryone, and they often look closely at the tube. No way would I try to take a light & batteries in carry on. I take batteries out of the lights - so they look harmless and to lessen breakage risk - and put them in checked bags. And if you like to keep a large number of quarters handy in your carryone, don't carry them in a roll!

TSA made me put my regulators in checked luggage earlier this year in FL - again, went to the TSA website, NOTHING about scuba gear there, even though almost every airline has some type of reference to scuba gear in it's luggage policies.

Apparently regulators can by swung around your head and used to hit people.

Then overheard the TSA agent making a snide comment to another agent about "who spends $600 on snorkelling gear anyway?".

They got a formal complaint, we got a formal apology

So much for the O2 clean pony bottle
Looks like a Spare Air might be my only option.

I just got back from the Carribbean last week.....with connections in Atlanta, Miami and Ft Lauderdale. We started in Dayton and the TSA was a split mix. I got a pleasant female agent who carefully searched my luggage, my buddy got a power-hungry moron to do his search. The guy copped an attitude the entire time. At one point the conversation got a bit tense:

TSA: What's this plastic box?

My buddy: it's an old box for a drill set, I keep my regulators in it.

TSA: Why do you have it in here?

My buddy: to protect my regulators from the baggage handlers.

TSA: What do you think they would do to it?

My buddy: it's precision equipment and I don't want it jostled about and damaged

TSA: Can I look in the box?

My buddy: Yes, I guess you can, it's your job.

TSA: Yes it is, and don't you forget it!

The guy was a jerk and gave me a dirty look while I was standing next to my buddy because my capped pop bottle was too close to his $70,000 piece of equipment......

I agree......for many it's a "power trip".


On a side note.....I heard on the local news this morning that starting today.....the TSA is going to look "closer" at all electronic device....cameras, walkman....etc. This doesn't bode well for dive computers!