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

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TSA should inform people that nail polish and lotions with glycerin will set off a positive test. Save us all a lot of time and hassle.

I received the sss on my boarding pass in Toronto several years ago. Supposedly it was random. As I was already over 70 at the time I couldn't think that I looked very suspicious. Went through everything you described. Even the nasty agent. Then they forgot to enter my passing the inspection into the computer. So at the gate I was told that I had failed to comply with the inspection requirement and would have to return to TSA. Plan was boarding. Fortunately a Canadian Air employee pleaded my case and I was allowed to board. Truly a nightmare.

I get the 4S all the time. I asked the agent "why me?" They said folks who often travel alone and book close to the travel date get flagged more often. As well as your mention of other places traveled.

Megan, you have my sympathy. I’ve been swabbed, been patted down and had TSA paw through my bags a number of times—normal if you’ve flown enough. With prosthetic knees, I routinely get scanned. My worst experience (though not horrible) was being detained by Canadian immigration in Toronto. The worst part was the 45 minute wait for me to explain I was not there to take a job from a Canadian

I am a type 1 diabetic on an insulin pump and every time I travel I get the SSSS treatment. Swab, scan, pat down, and further carry on bag review. Go home tonight and hug your pancreas if you aren’t a type 1…

Nice to know nail polish and hand cream can set off alarms... I won't be painting my nails before a trip now and me and my dusty dry hands will wait to put hand cream on AFTER the TSA screening! Holy cow! This was a great video, and good information for if/when you get selected for the dreaded SSSS.

I find that some Agents abuse the ‘power’ that they have in this job by being extremely rude and treating you like a criminal. They need to be trained to remember that we are people like them and the majority of us do not plan to smuggle, hijack or blow up the plane we intend to board.

I'm an American businessman who has lived or worked in Beijing on and off since 2013, and travelled extensively through Asia and Europe during that time as well. I have never once NOT gotten flagged for extra interrogation upon returning to the US, and have been gifted SSSS on at least half of my outbound flights. Such a hassle.

What an ordeal. I remember when I was selected for the random extra check. That was when I was traveling with my two young children. I had to deal with my kids being terrified and crying while I was been searched and scanned, etc. I was really mad. Still can't believe they would pick a mother with two children as a potential terrorist.

Nothing like being treated like a criminal for no reason at all.

I was traveling with my daughter, she also received a positive result on the random explosive test. The TSA agent while patting her down, spent a creepy amount of time feeling around her breasts, My daughter is an adult and she has large breasts, long enough that my daughter said, enough already. The agent said she was trying to find the wire in her bra, except my daughter wasn’t wearing a bra. My daughter make a complaint with the supervisor on duty that she had been sexually assaulted by the TSA agent. A report was taken, the video was reviewed and the TSA agent was reprimanded and eventually fired. Do not let these people have power over you. If it seems strange or creepy how you’re treated call them out, don’t be shy.

My backpack was routed to the extra security line at Gatwick in June. They were very polite when asking me if they could pat me down. The supervisor asked me the same questions they asked you. That backpack has been all over the Caribbean, the UK, Ireland and France and under plane, train, bus and taxi seats. The supervisor told me the swab can’t tell the difference between explosive residue and lotion and household chemicals, so I ask you….what good is it?? When I got home, I put the JanSport into the washer on gentle and air dried it. I would assume I had the same thing on my coat, which I had worn during entire trip. I wonder if I would have been further delayed if I had become nervous or riled. I tried to stay calm and friendly. The funny thing was that had paid attention to your vlogs and was ready for their scrutiny over my liquids, which passed with flying colors, LOL. The take-away: because we had arrived very early to check in for the international flight, we made it to the gate in plenty of time, but that delay took at least 30 minutes. I’m hopeful this charade will end soon. I wonder how many bad characters make it through because they have the good fortune of not being selected for extra security???

I'll never understand WHY we, as Americans, put up with crap like the TSA. Its all just "security theater".

I used to travel a lot as part of my business. As a result, I was searched frequently. I need to mention, One of my income streams involved carrying and qualifying with a firearm. I set off sniffers all the time. The nicest people were the TSA in New Orleans. Seattle was the worst. The local PD had to intervene and oversee the search. Mainly because the said I was going to get violent. They weren't exactly wrong. TSA phoenix is prize winning stupid. They were about to search a lady in a bikini. Several people started to intervene and a couple were lawyers. That ended in a shouting match between the PD and TSA supervisor. I don't miss traveling.

I had my purse stolen three days before a business trip a few years ago. They got EVERYTHING including my passport. I literally had no valid ID. I went to the DMV for my replacement driver's license but was only given a piece of paper that said I would get my replacement in two weeks. I replaced my debit card. I called TSA and explained the situation. They said to take the expired passport I told them I had, just allow more time at the airport and tell the person at security what happened and that likely I would get a secondary screening. Which did happen. It was really no big deal.  Coming back from Nashville I again asked for an agent and this time I was facing a big gruff Southern man. He kept asking if I had ANYTHING that would identify me. At first I shook my head kind of desperate. Then I remembered my work ID showing I contract with the State of Tennessee. I showed that. He turned it over and over and finally said solemnly "Anyone who works for the great state of Tennessee is okay with me." Whew.

I’ve gotten SSSS, swabbed, wanded, full body pat down, sniffed by dogs and luggage searched. I have TSA precheck and Global Entry, yet 80% of the time I get pulled aside. Oddly enough, my husband has long hair, long beard and admittedly looks a bit sketchy, yet he never has any issues. 😆 They always say “it’s random” but there’s no way it’s random and happening that often.

I washed my hands and applied hand lotion prior to going thru security. And, as in the channel, all hell broke loose. You would think they might ask a 76 year old lady if she had just put lotion in her hands as the first question.

Thanks Megan , this is a VERY timely video! I have an international flight next month & a Mani-Pedi scheduled for the morning of departure—I’m changing that NOW! Fortunately I haven’t experienced the dreaded 4S’s but never say “never.” I am usually the annoying traveler who gets to the airport very early to mitigate any unknown situations. Thanks for all of your great travel tips!

My dad gave me 2 cases of golf balls which I brought home in my carryon. The look of bewilderment on the TSA agents face when they saw 150 golf balls on the 3d image was priceless. They definitely cracked that thing open and swabbed the a couple of packs of balls. They also did not find my joke about being a golf ball smuggler very funny.