This past week my wife and hunted in Florida, flying into Gainesville, with firearms. I took an SKB double rifle case holding a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. Upon leaving Gainesville all were declared, bags checked (one with ammo) and in that airport one deposits your bags at the entrance end of an xray of some dirt. This machine was manned by a sole TSA agent who had to load bags, then read cray, then remove bags and then place on baggage belt. Naturally, this was a pretty slow process. He asked me to hang around while he scanned my guncase and bag, no problem for me. After he placed my case in the machine he moved my bag up to the machine for loading. In the meantime, quite a few bags were stacking up in the area designated for TSA scan and one couple, seeing the agent was placing my guncase on the baggage belt, reached under the little tape “barrier” and placed their bags in front of mine and they headed to the TSA security check line. I didn’t say anything. The TSA agent walked around to load the next bag, stared for a moment and asked me if these were my bags. I pointed at mine and told him a couple had put theirs in front. He said “oh” and scanned my bag. We went to TSA and went to the Pre Check line where only about 6-8 people were in line, regular security line had 40-50 people, including the bag-swap couple. We got to the gate and the bag swappers were on the same flight. About 10 minutes after they sat down a TSA agent came in the waiting area calling a name, it was the bag swapper guy, TSA guy told him he needed to unlock his suitcase at the scanner. They took off. About 5 minutes later the same agent came back to the gate calling a female name…it was the other bag swapper, she, too, needed to go back to the scanner. They had to go back thru the TSA line once again. I guess the scanner agent didn’t appreciate them trying to run their bags around everyone else. I thought it was pretty funny but by the looks on their faces when they finally got back to the gate, they didn’t think it was funny,

Karl,
Not a TSA story but a good case of karma. We were flying home out of Bismarck ND and Northwest had a major computer system breakdown. Flights all over the US were cancelled or delayed. After waiting almost 8 hours past our scheduled flight time we got to Minneapolis but had to sit on the plane as there was no one to bring the jet bridge to the plane resulting in a missed connection. The MSP airport was PACKED with stranded travellers and we were told to go to a special desk and they would arrange a hotel room. We found the desk and finally got to be next in line when a guy comes up and stands in front of my wife and I. The agent saw him do it and looked at me, I raised my hands kinda saying "whatever" we were going nowhere. So when the time comes he steps up to the desk and the agent tells him all the local hotels are booked and he will have to spend the night in the airport, she gives him a food voucher and he storms off. We step up and the agent sets us up with a hotel room, transportation, and food vouchers. I laughingly ask "I thought all the local hotels were booked?" she smiles and says "I hate people that do that kind of shit" so we got a hotel room and he slept on a hard floor because of his arrogance.

Karl and Gundog,

Karma is a thing. And it's always better to be kind to people. I had to laugh at both your stories.

Two lovely stories