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When I saw this, it absolutely made me livid. I have a feeling that if they had done this crap in front of me, I would have been led out in handcuffs right beside the young lady, but some TSA assholes would have been wheeled out by EMT's.
So be warned - you may get really pissed when you watch this:
Disabled St. Jude patient sues airport and TSA after bloody scuffle with Airport Police
You can copy and paste the underlined sentence above into Google to get a large number of stories if you'd prefer to read rather than watch and listen to a video.
But here is an example of someone with special needs who did call ahead and who was nevertheless mistreated:]
This was about one incident with the TSA, not with any airline.Except, of course, to observe that problems meeting the needs of passengers with special needs isn't new. And I didn't even mention Fred Hankin, my favorite example.
I'm guessing at least 1 to 1.6 mil in the civil suit, and justifiably so.
I just dont' understand the actions of most feds.
Effing oblivious.
When I saw this, it absolutely made me livid. I have a feeling that if they had done this crap in front of me, I would have been led out in handcuffs right beside the young lady, but some TSA assholes would have been wheeled out by EMT's.
So be warned - you may get really pissed when you watch this:
Disabled St. Jude patient sues airport and TSA after bloody scuffle with Airport Police
You can copy and paste the underlined sentence above into Google to get a large number of stories if you'd prefer to read rather than watch and listen to a video.
Very different than my experience ten days ago.
I requested a wheelchair with escort which was available free of charge. I tipped generously. Was met at the airport door by that escort and taken to a special TSA line where there was no waiting. They asked if I could walk through the metal detector, which I could. Asked that I remove my chicky hat. Didnt ask that I remove my headscarf. The escort placed my pills in one container...they were in plastic ziplocks...and my purse in another. He gathered everything up and handed it to me after the check. Easy as pie. Treated with respect and empathy. Was met at the other end of my trip right outside the airplane door. A very pleasant experience, all in all. And left me with the distinct feeling that I could travel in spite of my medical problems.
As the TSA mentioned in the link, I had called the TSA Cares hotline before my trip to get clarification how to carry three inhalers and a pillbox. Very courteous lady explained the process. Told me if I had any problems at all, I should simply ask for a supervisor. I had none.
Something surely did go horribly wrong here. I'm guessing it may have been her inability to communicate clearly. I wonder why mom couldn't settle her down. At any rate, I'm confident this was a Cluster**** and not a systemic problem.
Edit...btw, I was the first one to board the planes both coming and going.
From what I read of the story, they separated the mother and daughter; which, no doubt, exacerbated the problem. I don't think anyone should need to call ahead to get decent treatment or have the opportunity to explain the circumstances so that TSA agents can get them through without incident.
Very different than my experience ten days ago.
I requested a wheelchair with escort which was available free of charge. I tipped generously. Was met at the airport door by that escort and taken to a special TSA line where there was no waiting. They asked if I could walk through the metal detector, which I could. Asked that I remove my chicky hat. Didnt ask that I remove my headscarf. The escort placed my pills in one container...they were in plastic ziplocks...and my purse in another. He gathered everything up and handed it to me after the check. Easy as pie. Treated with respect and empathy. Was met at the other end of my trip right outside the airplane door. A very pleasant experience, all in all. And left me with the distinct feeling that I could travel in spite of my medical problems.
As the TSA mentioned in the link, I had called the TSA Cares hotline before my trip to get clarification how to carry three inhalers and a pillbox. Very courteous lady explained the process. Told me if I had any problems at all, I should simply ask for a supervisor. I had none.
Something surely did go horribly wrong here. I'm guessing it may have been her inability to communicate clearly. I wonder why mom couldn't settle her down. At any rate, I'm confident this was a Cluster**** and not a systemic problem.
Edit...btw, I was the first one to board the planes both coming and going.
Probably 98%+ of the out-of-the-ordinary experiences will go smoothly, like yours. But we usually don't hear about those so the average person doesn't have a chance to establish perspective. (Plus, I think people like to get all worked over stuff, no matter how much they claim to dislike drama, but that's another thread.Very different than my experience ten days ago.
I requested a wheelchair with escort which was available free of charge. I tipped generously. Was met at the airport door by that escort and taken to a special TSA line where there was no waiting. They asked if I could walk through the metal detector, which I could. Asked that I remove my chicky hat. Didnt ask that I remove my headscarf. The escort placed my pills in one container...they were in plastic ziplocks...and my purse in another. He gathered everything up and handed it to me after the check. Easy as pie. Treated with respect and empathy. Was met at the other end of my trip right outside the airplane door. A very pleasant experience, all in all. And left me with the distinct feeling that I could travel in spite of my medical problems.
As the TSA mentioned in the link, I had called the TSA Cares hotline before my trip to get clarification how to carry three inhalers and a pillbox. Very courteous lady explained the process. Told me if I had any problems at all, I should simply ask for a supervisor. I had none.
Something surely did go horribly wrong here. I'm guessing it may have been her inability to communicate clearly. I wonder why mom couldn't settle her down. At any rate, I'm confident this was a Cluster**** and not a systemic problem.
Edit...btw, I was the first one to board the planes both coming and going.
Probably 98%+ of the out-of-the-ordinary experiences will go smoothly, like yours. But we usually don't hear about those so the average person doesn't have a chance to establish perspective. (Plus, I think people like to get all worked over stuff, no matter how much they claim to dislike drama, but that's another thread.)
However, having said that, situations like yours and the young girls here are not so out-of-the-ordinary as to be uncommon, and those in charge should be called on it and held accountable when it does happen.
This was about one incident with the TSA, not with any airline.
You clearly didn't understand the difference in what you wrongly thought was an example.
We are talking about this issue and this issue alone.It's a bit more complex than you might imagine. Yes, there are airline issues, TSA issues, and airport issues. Issues with an airline can become issues involving the TSA. Make no mistake about that. There are times when one might assume that an issue encountered is the responsibility of the airline when in fact it is an issue with the airport or even with a specific terminal! Yes, that happens. Resolution of issues, especially those involving the airport or terminal are in my experience almost never resolved.
The Air Carrier Accessibility Act of 1986, following several successful challenges by the airline industry, has been rendered largely ineffective. Anyone not surprised? What recourse do citizens now have? They may file an administrative complaint with the DOT. Good luck with that.
Attempts to bring acts of discrimination, as they occur, to the attention of the airline or the airport may then involve the TSA (if the airline notifies them) where upon you may miss your flight, encounter a bit of rough justice and/or even end up on the no fly list.
Personally I have had nothing but good experiences with the TSA. I don't fly as much as I used to, now maybe only 6 to 8 times a years. I fly out of Phoenix where the TSA is generally professional and courteous. For what it is worth I have noticed that back east, and down South, the TSA is less courteous and more militaristic. And they scream more.
In closing I would say that flying ain't what it once was. Now flying is pretty much the same as taking a Greyhound Bus from Buttwaddle, Kansas to Dirt Squat, Georgia. It is stressful and frequently unpleasant. There are more and more first time or infrequent fliers these days who are not at all familiar with the system. As a result more stress is added to a stressed system. Everyone working in the commercial airline system is fairly stressed as the paying customers are close to miserable throughout their travel day/night.
The airline industry pays members of Congress big money to be able to legally abuse paying customers with little fear of any real retribution. The American flying public is fairly ****ed and has little recourse. It isn't a happy system. .
Are you one of those persons who does not understand that when a person resists a greater force is applied to bring the person resisting into compliance? It is the resistance that escalates the issue. It is further escalated as the resistance is increased.I've never seen a TSA beat down but of course, as with the OP, it happens. The lady in the OP could not have been considered a threat of such magnitude that she deserved being beaten and bloodied by agents of her own government.
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