Security check at LAX airport

[parpin]

Happy new year to all from frozen Montreal,

Have you endured such an unusual situation at an airport security check ?

Just before entering the Los Angeles airport United terminal for my Denver flight, an over-zealousness employee told me that
I had one excess cabin luggage (max 2 permitted). I was kilted as usual and the sporran and for her my sporran was the excess piece of
luggage.

I t was obvious for me that the young employee was totally illiterate in Celtic culture and knew nothing about kilts.

I politely protested saying that the sporran was an essential part of kilt wearing. She finished by accepting it and tell her that was the first time
in more than 30 years of travel that I met an employeee like her.

I know that I have to remove belt and other stuff before passing the gate but that situation was pretty unexpected.

[Chas]

How strange. You would think that at an international airport the staff would have a rudimentary knowledge of cultures other than their own.

[PodKiDo]

TSA employees often stand out as limited in knowledge and common sense.

[seanachie]

Not wanting to beat a dead horse here....LAX and kilts are an inconvenience. I live within 20 miles of the airport and have used it many times for flights and flying kilted.Taking the mindset of winning the battle and losing the war I have resigned myself to the issues and do not put up any argument. To the best of my recollection I have had to go through secondary screening nearly 100% of the time. A large percentage of the time none of the TSA employees have wanted to do it and been chided or ribbed by their colleagues. The searches have , to someone with security training, been perfunctory at best. Given that a gunman killed a TSA agent at LAX in recent months I doubt that any form of complaining will win any sympathy from anyone. Resign yourself to that. I prefer flying kilted so I anticipate the worst and hope for the best. I have plenty of thoughts on the TSA agents but don't think it would lend to peaceful discourse so I refrain.

[PodKiDo]

I just figured since Chas lives in England, he might not know that educating the airport staff on cultural matters isn't a priority. Ugly American syndrome and all that.

[seanachie]

I just figured since Chas lives in England, he might not know that educating the airport staff on cultural matters isn't a priority. Ugly American syndrome and all that.

I do not think that is quite a fair statement. I don't think it is ugly American syndrome as much as the People's Republic of California.
There are so many different nationalities, ethnicities, cultures etc here because we are a sanctuary city l. I won't delve in to that further, keeping with the spirit of insuring harmony, but it would be pretty impossibleto be "culturally aware" of so many different cultures. So I accept it as not intentional or arrogance, but lack of knowledge or understanding.

[California Highlander]

I do not think that is quite a fair statement. I don't think it is ugly American syndrome as much as the People's Republic of California.
There are so many different nationalities, ethnicities, cultures etc here because we are a sanctuary city l. I won't delve in to that further, keeping with the spirit of insuring harmony, but it would be pretty impossible to be "culturally aware" of so many different cultures. So I accept it as not intentional or arrogance, but lack of knowledge or understanding.

California is a big state. Up north I found SFO to be pretty kilt friendly. Lots of international visitors. Good cultural awareness. Lots of cultural variety. Pretty high tolerance for cultural differences and not too bad on the "Ugly American" mentality.

After re-reading the original post, it seems that it was one overzealous, young UNITED agent who was concerned about too many carry-ons. Not TSA, not culturally insensitive, etc.

[Dixiecat]

The United agent was not being overzealous or culturally insensitive. A sporran is technically carry-on and counts towards the 2 carry-on policy which is one bag of a specified size and one personal item, such as a purse or laptop bag. While it was a airline agent who was insisting on the OP to follow the rule, TSA can enforce it as well. I've only had that happen once or twice as by the time you get to the security conveyor belt, most people have 3-5 bins of stuff to account for and the TSA agents have better things to do than count each and every bag a person loads onto the belt.

I've travelled the US fairly extensively over the last 8 years and have been sternly talked to while in the security line by airline agents several times because I always travel with 3 carry-ons. I get past the rule by putting my purse inside my personal bag while at security or boarding, but pull it out any other time. The two pieces together will fit under my seat so I'm not taking any more space that what is allotted to me.

I once travelled with a colleague who had the 2 carry-ons but also had her hard-cover book encased in one of those zippered book covers with little handles. The CATSA agent would not let her through security with that book. Since it wouldn't fit in her purse or her carry-on bag, she had to go back to the counter and check it! We were very surprised to see it come out at the destination. CATSA in Halifax are the very devil. The strictest security of any airport I've travelled through except for Narita and Tunis.

[PodKiDo]

A sporran is technically carry-on and counts towards the 2 carry-on policy which is one bag of a specified size and one personal item, such as a purse or laptop bag.

That needs to be changed. A sporran is not a purse, it's a pocket worn on a kilt. It's different enough to be classified clothing rather than a carry-on.

[Kalok Sundancer]

That needs to be changed. A sporran is not a purse, it's a pocket worn on a kilt. It's different enough to be classified clothing rather than a carry-on.

This.... Your purse isn't worn around your waist via a belt. My ex girlfriend had one of those purses that is about the size of a sporran and clips to her belt and has never been told that it is "carry on". It is treated as a part of her garment.