So I went to check in online, and it asked me to check some boxes for what luggage I wanted to bring on board. I did, and it told me that to carry on both a backpack and a roller bag it’ll be $45, or $65 if I try to play games and they have to check stuff at the gate.

I said fuck that, and unchecked some boxes. It said I couldn’t check in without putting a credit card on file, that they would charge if there were any issues and they wound up needing to charge me for my luggage. It wouldn’t let me continue without putting a credit card on file and checking a box that said they could charge me for my luggage, if they felt it was excessive.

I said fuck that and decided to check in at the airport. I threw all my stuff in a backpack to remove any wiggle room, and the kiosk said the same thing. I talked to one of the people, and she said it’s a new policy. I pointed out that I paid for my ticket, she could see I had only a backpack, and I wanted to get in the airplane. She told me to go talk to the guy at the end.

I talked to the guy at the end, politely, and eventually he printed a boarding pass for me. But you should know they’re up to some bullshit.

  • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
    0·
    2 months ago

    I refuse to fly domestically anymore just because the TSA is all security theater, I refuse to go through their backscatter x-ray, and I’m not interested in their enhanced groping. I will ride my motorcycle 1000 miles in a single day rather than take a plane anywhere.

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      I will ALWAYS get the grope if I avoid the cancer box.

      I have a deep-seated fear of the cancer box. I was okay with it - I get x-rays a bit for ongoing Achilles issues - until I learned that when Boston TSA asked the FAA what the risks are of standing nearby it for hours at a time, the response was

      No.  We're not telling. STFU & GBtW.

      That’s when I decided I’d like to avoid it.

      What I’ve learned:

      • sometimes they’re bored and don’t wanna do it so they’ll wave you through an arch and you’re out.
      • don’t call it a cancer box to an obvious type-a failed-cop TSA agent or you’ll have a discussion you’ll want to get out of quickly
      • sometimes they want to be dinks. If you have any shame - not me, ex-army - it may not be comfy to show a dad-bod to the other passengers. Take the hazing.
      • usually they roll their eyes and call the noob over and it’s a perfunctory process.

      So there.

      • teuto@lemmy.teuto.icu
        0·
        2 months ago

        I used to work in a job that involved handling radioactive materials. We had dosimeter badges to track long term exposure to radiation. One pass through the full body scanner at a TSA checkpoint would make the dosimeter badge come back from the lab at greater than monthly allowable exposure. I’ll take the grope.

          • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
            0·
            2 months ago

            It’s very hard for me to care if cancer rates for TSA agents go through the roof; they willingly signed up for that shit, so fuck 'em.

            • corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish
              0·
              2 months ago

              Let’s be fair.

              They signed up to be the lowest of the overly-entitled rentacops out there. that’s on them.

              They didn’t sign up to get irradiated by some shady shit that the FCC is all “no. Fuck off” about when asked about safety concerns.

              So let’s render unto Caesar on this one. The FCC (FAA? I may have that wrong) are huge dinks for knowingly subjecting their people to rads way in excess of what’s cool – worse if you look at the TSA people and realize they aren’t pasty-whites and then it’s mean to minorities.

              And Logan intl are dinks, just like whatever union the TSA people are in, for not supporting and protecting the staff. That lawsuit is gonna be like Erin Brockovich II .

              And this just reminds you that if they could get other jobs then they will. The people who can’t dead-sea-effect out of there are gonna be absolutely unemployable elsewhere. And that fills me with a warm and fuzzy feeling about the mental capacity and happiness of TSA agents and their international emulants.

    • candybrie@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 months ago

      They phased out back scatter x-ray like a decade ago. They only use millimeter wave, which doesn’t have ionizing radiation.

      • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
        0·
        2 months ago

        Regardless; the TSA was caught lying about the capabilities of the machines, and I’m just not willing to step foot through one. The ionizing radiation doesn’t worry me, because I was never flying frequently enough for it to be an issue.

    • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 months ago

      Same.

      I will road trip or take a train instead of flying. I’d rather be on the road twelve hours than in a plane for one.

    • Fuzzy_Red_Panda@lemm.eeEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      Same. Flying has become such a terrible experience that I refuse to take part in it anymore. With the overbooking resulting in people getting kicked off planes, price-gouging customers, constantly late flights, stranding people without compensation, people packed in so tight that no one is comfortable, lack of cleanliness, constitutional rights violations, stealing luggage and items in luggage, violations of people’s bodies…I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to call it cruelty to the passengers.

      • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
        0·
        2 months ago

        It is neither Dean nor Sam.

        Besides, a motorcycle is far more fuel efficient; I typically get about 40-45mpg, v. 12mpg for a '67 Impala.