So, after my experience this morning, I felt that I had to share my exchange with the new TSA Conversationalists (see details here), if only because I was so annoyed. This may have been compounded by the fact that I was running late and ultimately missed my flight - though I got it rescheduled - but even in retrospect, I'm quite sure that I felt more than a little uncomfortable with the experience. If you read the article linked above, you'll notice that the TSA describes this as a "conversation" that TSA agents are supposed to have with passengers, but it certainly felt more like an interrogation where none of my answers appeared to good enough.
The new TSA agents who give the behavioral interview are to be found immediately following having your ID and boarding pass authorized by the cute little old lady or old guy who sit behind their little desk all day. The first question was innocent enough:
Agent:"So, what's your final destination?" Me:"Well, I'm flying into Atlanta and then on to Charleston to visit some family."
However, that was pretty much where the light-hearted conversation ended. Note: Annoyed thoughts that popped into my head as the "Conversation" ensued are to be found in brackets [ ].
A: "What brought you to the Boston area?" Me:"I actually live here." A:"Oh, do you? Exactly how long have you lived in the area?" Me:"Just about 2 years now." A:"Hmm, well that's strange. You don't have a local ID..." Me:"Well I'm a graduate student, so I technically don't claim residency here." A:"Well, if you're a student, you'll need to show me a school ID." Me:"Uh, ok... I go to Northeastern (Fumbles for wallet for school ID)" A:"I see..."
A:"It looks like you ran here or something. Why are you so out of breath?" Me:"Well, I've been trying to hurry. I'm running late and I'm trying not to miss my flight." A:"Oh, running late are you? When exactly is your flight?" Me:"12:15. In just under 20 minutes. [I wanted to say, "Which you can see from my boarding pass that you have there in your hand" =\].
A:"And exactly why are you running late?" [Seriously? Because people run late... What kind of question is that?] Me:"I just moved yesterday and stayed with a friend last night. It ended up taking much longer than I thought to get here. Plus everything seemed to be running behind." A:"Uh huh. Exactly how did you get here?" Me:"The T." A:"Ah, I see." Me:"Yeah. Each train took about 15 minutes to actually arrive, plus the airport shuttles weren't running on time. It was kind of a pain in the ass." A:"A pain in the ass, huh?" [Yes. It was a pain in the ass, please stop parroting me. Yeesh.] "Exactly which trains did you take to get here?" Me:"Well I was coming from JP, so I took the Orange Line to State and then the Blue Line here." A:"I see."
A:"Exactly how long are you traveling?" Me:"About 10 days. I'll be back right after Labor Day." A:"And how many bags did you check?" Me:"I didn't check any." [And I couldn't because, you know, I'm running late for the flight that I'm trying to get to, but you're holding a ridiculously conversation with me preventing me from getting there] A:"You mean to tell me that you're going away for 10 days and didn't check any bags?" Me:"Well, as you can see, I have my carry-on..." A:"You really have everything that you need for 10 days in that bag?" Me:"Uh, yeah. I travel light. I don't need two suitcases worth of clothes..." [Not to mention if you'd actually listened to me, I told you that I was going to visit family. Don't you think I could do laundry while I was traveling?] A:"Uh huh. OK. Well I guess you can go through..."
So, although I've tried to relay as accurately as possible the conversation, one thing that I can't convey was the tone with which all of the TSA agent's questions and comments were made. Every time he parroted one of my answers in the form of a rhetorical question with a more than skeptical tone, it made me feel less and less like I was supposed to be there. Even if, as the TSA chief says, they're not so much interested in the answers to the questions, speaking to passengers in that kind of condescending tone is likely to elicit exactly the uncomfortable behavior that the agents are supposed to be looking for - not because someone is a possible terror threat, but because they start to feel as though they're being treated as if they have something to hide. It's enough to make even the most innocent person start to feel guilty for no apparent reason.
Like I said, all of this may have been made worse considering the stress of my running late. However, after I communicated this to the agent, he didn't try to make the process smoother. In fact, he started a line of questioning about WHY I was late. Seriously?! If I'd been in a more jovial mood, perhaps my view of the experience would be different. We'll have to see how it goes the next time I fly through Logan. But couple this treatment with the fact that the body scanners are still in effect, and this has the potential to make passengers feel even more maligned, not better about their airport experience. If eventually the body scanner is reverted to metal detectors with the addition of the behavioral interview, this might make everything more bearable, but I honestly don't see this happening. Instead, it seems more likely that we're going to be stuck with both.
It is important to note that the program at Logan is currently a pilot program. Kinks may be worked out before being exported to other airports, or it might not make it out of Logan at all and eventually be dropped. For the time being though, it's a pain in the ass. That's right, Mr. TSA agent. A. Pain. In. The. Ass.
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