inside track

What it’s like to be a Transportation Security Administration screener.

NADINE NELSON HAS BEEN A TRANSPORTATION Security Administration (TSA) baggage screener at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago since December 2002. She currently works behind a ticket agent in the international terminal, taking baggage from passengers for screening. Nelson recently wrote a book, Airport Security…One of the Most Deadly Weapons…Your Tongue (AuthorHouse, 2004), about the verbal abuse that airline, airport and TSA employees receive from irate passengers. Executive Travel asked her about the behind-the-scenes world of baggage screeners.

What was your training like?
As far as customer service was concerned, we did have a lot of training on that. As far as explosive detection systems, we had full training on that. As far as the vectors, there was a thorough session in detail and depth. We had examinations after we had class sessions. It ran for about a week.

What’s your workday like?
It has its moments. It’s busy, very busy. You’ll get two, three hours when it’s really busy, and then all of sudden, you’ll get a dry spot. But that doesn’t last long. As far as ticket agents, they’re short on staff. They need to have more ticket agents to provide for the passengers. It’s not an easy thing, because they’re suffering because of cutbacks. At TSA, we have to do our jobs, to be on it and stay professional. [The long check-in lines] affect us because passengers get aggravated a lot. That’s where you get the attitudes, the verbal abuse.

How do you examine a bag?
You can do it physically, or you can take it to the CTX or L3 machines, which are like MRI machines. Why would you go through it physically? It depends on the situation. I really can’t elaborate on that. If it’s locked and we have to do a physical search, you have to break the lock and go in and do it by hand.

How do you feel about going through strangers’ personal items?
Well, it’s surprising at some points, what you might find. Why are you carrying this? Why do you even want to travel with this? But my job is really to see what kind of threat there is. I’ve seen it all. I’m not there to be nosy. I’m there to protect the safety of air travelers, on-board and off-board.

Have you found security threats in baggage?
Oh yeah, but more so prohibited items. When the passenger is standing there in front of you, we would tell them [we’re confiscating a prohibited item]. We have documents we have to fill out before we do that. I never question a person, why they travel with an item. I would tell my supervisor and let him acknowledge the fact that something’s not quite right. Then he or she would go and question or challenge that passenger. As far as strange items? The item that sticks out more than all the other things I’ve seen is a dozen human eyeballs, floating around. Yeah, that was strange. That was too many eyes on me!

Do you feel stressed by the job?
It’s not the job: It’s getting to the job. That’s the problem. I enjoy my job. It’s just trying to get there through the traffic and through the crowds, [with people] trying to stop you and ask you questions. And trying to be on time. If you’re not on time, it causes a problem.

What do you do to stay focused?
I have prior military experience, so I exercise—I run or jog. I’m pretty focused, disciplined in that area. I know how to pay attention. And then a cup of coffee will pull me through.

What are the most outrageous things you’ve heard passengers say?
The main reason I decided to [write my book] was the fact that one passenger was very irate. He couldn’t get his way as far as his travel arrangements.... It was on and on and on, and all of a sudden, he said to the agent, “I wish your kids would die.” To blurt that out: That offends me. This has got to stop. The second [situation] was a guy who figured he was getting the runaround [from the ticket agent]. He asked me, “Well, you work for security, right? What do you think about this situation?” I just looked at him. He smirked and said, “Well, give me your gun, I’ll shoot her.” This guy shouldn’t even fly. That’s a threat.

What advice would you give about baggage?
Don’t lock your bags. I understand you want to protect your items, but it’s a threat. Until the regulations change....But for now, don’t use a lock—use twist ties or those cable wires. Also, go on the Web site (www.tsa.gov) and find out all the dos and don’ts.

Any last words to travelers about baggage screening?
We appreciate the traveler. I’m really glad people have it in their minds to travel again on the airlines and any transportation they need. I really want them to remember terrorists are still out there. And it’s all of our responsibilities.