TSA Checking Candy

[Disflyer226]

This makes it sound like signing up for Pre-check was well worth the $$$!

It is.

 

[TulipMom]

Oh it wasn’t every line. I always pick the wrong line there, but yesterday was beyond the normal frustration at MCO.

Flying out of MCO yesterday was BANANAS!

This makes it sound like signing up for Pre-check was well worth the $$$!

It's the best thing ever. We fly as a family only about 3-4 times year (DH flies more than that for work) and the pre-check is always a nice way to shave off some of the travel day stress! Yesterday the TSA lines at MCO were very long and seemingly slow moving. We saw a few people barely make their flights. We breezed right through pre-check in under 5 minutes with bags of candy that went without any extra screening.

 

[Dreams0308]

Were his parents doing nothing to help him? Gracious.

His parents were just standing there looking frustrated with their child. They were trying to calm him slightly. But a few times he lunged at the TSA area and they were holding him back. That’s why I was worried they would be held for more screening or something. It was almost distressing how upset he was. I don’t think they knew what to do and you could tell they were annoyed but weren’t sure how to calm him down. Like I said, it was a mess!! I wasn’t sure why they weren’t really saying much to him — maybe they were at wits end too.

I’m glad the thread has helped some ppl

Our security wasn’t long at all thankfully. Prob 15 minutes. We got pulled out because we bought some coasters in Canada and they looked odd on the scanner but that was the only hiccup. They were checking ALL food from everyone. Not sure about prechecks and things. Thankfully our experience went pretty quickly. We got there 2.5 hrs before the flight and we were fine.

 

[Dreams0308]

It is ALL foods that is being checked. I saw individuals who had popcorn buckets that were being checked. When I flew out it was random, half the lines were checked my line wasn’t but I knew from this thread to pack all candy in my checked bags. I had 17 pounds and I was NOT taking any chances of losing it or missing my flight.

I’m glad the thread helped you! I can’t imagine waiting hours for TSA to check candy !! What a mess

 

[hllb]

I feel bad for the TSA too. I bet they can’t wait for the Disney Halloween parties to be over!

 

[mamamelody2]

Wow, this is the first I've heard of this. Sounds sucky.

 

[Piglet001]

I’m glad I’m not flying out of MCO during the Halloween parties. Good gracious!

 

[karrit2000]

This makes it sound like signing up for Pre-check was well worth the $$$!

I went through with pre-check @ MCO last month and it was horrible. I don't know if that was when they started extra screenings for food but the pre-check line I was on took well over 1/2 an hour. The Agent doing the screenings for my line was pulling quite a few bags and there were no agents getting the pulled bags to run the extra screenings so our line came to a complete stop for at least 10 minutes. Quite frustrating. TSA Screening at MCO is the worst of any airport I have ever traveled through.

 

[AMK53]

this is happening at every airport. had been to Disney world a few weeks ago and had left over snack credits so got bags of trail mix. had it in my carry on. when we left Newark with pre TSA, no one checked the snacks.

when we left Miami (worst airport EVER!) they were checking every piece of food, snacks in everyone's baggage. even pre TSA people! crazy!

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

Flying down this Saturday from a morning very small airport in upstate NY and was planning to arrive just two hours ahead. Now I'm wondering! Sounds like I'll need 10 bins just for me. One for quart sized zip of sun block and saline, one for cameras and tablets, one for 3 kind bars, one for purse, one for shoes, one for my sanity...

Thank you OP for this post. I will purchase any and all snacks for the way home on the other side of TSA and stash any other food in checked bags on the way home!

 

[crzy4mickey]

We always pack park snacks in our carry on. Are they checking those too? OMG i rather spend the money for grocery delivery if that's the case!

 

[themerrymagpie]

went through MCO yesterday, 10/29 and we had to take all food out of our bags to be screened separately. I had to pull out my granola bar and protein bar. I also had to pull out the books and magazines in my bag to be scanned separately, and we were told all electronics bigger than a cell phone had to come out. Shoes off. It took us 40 minutes to get through security, and it was maddening. And by the way, there was NO signage whatsoever telling you that food/books had to come out of bags. There was 1 TSA agent in another line that I could barely understand because of her heavy accent who was telling people what to pull out of bags so I was trying hard to strain to hear what she said so we could be prepared, but I doubt many others could hear her. The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous.

BTW, we went through NONE of that in Denver on 10/20. No food, no large electronics, no books out of bags. And Denver is considered the 6th busiest airport in the USA, over MCO at 13th busiest. So if Denver doesn't need to swab every darn pack of Skittles in your bag, there's no reason it should be done at MCO.

 

[Best Aunt]

Flying down this Saturday from a morning very small airport in upstate NY and was planning to arrive just two hours ahead. Now I'm wondering! Sounds like I'll need 10 bins just for me. One for quart sized zip of sun block and saline, one for cameras and tablets, one for 3 kind bars, one for purse, one for shoes, one for my sanity...

Can you post after your trip? I'm wondering how it will be at very small airports in the Upstate NY/PA area.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We always pack park snacks in our carry on. Are they checking those too? OMG i rather spend the money for grocery delivery if that's the case!

It's not just candy. If your line is following these procedures, all food items must be removed from your carry on bags and screened separately.

 

[MDIME]

And I just realized that I will have my glucose tablets with me since I’m a type 1 diabetic. So between the extra pat-down and explosives swab I receive bc of insulin pump will also have excess glucose tablet screening. I usually bring food bc I have celiac disease (I know, I’m a hot mess!!) ugh. I’m traveling from Bangor Maine so I’m hoping that it won’t take too long due to small airport size and we are traveling on a smaller regional jet.

 

[dreiwhit]

It was a total pain. When I got there the wait time said 18-22 minutes and the line was short. I spent over an hour and a half from when I entered the line to when I got to my gate and by then my flight was boarding.

I’m glad the thread helped you! I can’t imagine waiting hours for TSA to check candy !! What a mess

I said "enough" when they wanted you to pull out all electronics - my family and I travel with a lot of electronics. I decided it just wasn't worth flying anymore.

Having to pull out all paper - books, magazines, etc - and now all food items is just more confirmation that I made the right call.

 

[crzy4mickey]

I said "enough" when they wanted you to pull out all electronics - my family and I travel with a lot of electronics. I decided it just wasn't worth flying anymore.

Having to pull out all paper - books, magazines, etc - and now all food items is just more confirmation that I made the right call.

The train is sounding better and better or even driving!

 

[Magpie]

His parents were just standing there looking frustrated with their child. They were trying to calm him slightly. But a few times he lunged at the TSA area and they were holding him back. That’s why I was worried they would be held for more screening or something. It was almost distressing how upset he was. I don’t think they knew what to do and you could tell they were annoyed but weren’t sure how to calm him down. Like I said, it was a mess!! I wasn’t sure why they weren’t really saying much to him — maybe they were at wits end too.

Well, beyond the usual "Special Needs child who is best ignored because any attempt at calming him down will only make matters worse", and "Parents don't actually spend much time with the child on a day-to-day basis, so haven't developed the skills to deal with him,"....

There's also the possibility that if his parents were annoyed enough at TSA, they could have been passive-aggressively letting their child freak out. A kind of "See what you've done? Now we all have to suffer!" form of protest.

I've been, on occasion in the distant past, tempted to let my kids do this (but I always came to my senses fairly quickly and realized that a calm child is better for everyone, including me).

 

[Disflyer226]

this is happening at every airport. had been to Disney world a few weeks ago and had left over snack credits so got bags of trail mix. had it in my carry on. when we left Newark with pre TSA, no one checked the snacks.

when we left Miami (worst airport EVER!) they were checking every piece of food, snacks in everyone's baggage. even pre TSA people! crazy!

It isn't happening at every airport.

 

[dreiwhit]

The train is sounding better and better or even driving!

We drive every year, but we break the trip up into two days.

If we could get to Orlando via Amtrak, we would take it.