TSA Checkpoint A East – Philadelphia International Airport

Tsa pre-​approval is a joke. Philadelphia TSA officers incredibly rude. Numerous conflicting instructions including full body pat down, obvious deliberate delay as they processed other passengers. Asked six times if I had anything in my pockets. Govt. service at it’s best.

My husband had the most awful experience today at Philadelphia TSA. First he was preapproved, but then when he went through the alarm went off. He has metal in his neck from surgery. TSA people were VERY RUDE !! Asked him 6 times if he had anything in pockets. Made him take belt off and still didn’t believe him! Gave him a complete body pat down. And then his supervisor tells my husband not to be rude to her officers because he works hard ! Bullshit!!! They were soooo rude to him. This is a time when TSA needs to be scolded, but who will do that? Hope we never have to use Philadelphia TSA ever again !!

Unbelievably slow. The line is backed up over the crossover bridge and hasn’t moved for ten minutes. Get your act together TSA.

I arrived at TSA in PHL East last week with my PA Driver’s license and my Boarding Pass on my iPhone. The first TSA TSO checked me and told me to proceed. When I arrived in line I was told to remove my belt, shoes, take everything out of my pockets, take my computer out of my backpack, etc. When I said, «My boarding pass says TSA Pre.» the TSA TSO told me, «I don’t need to see it. I can do anything I want.» She directed me to the full body scanner. I told her I won’t go in it. She told me that’s where I had to go. I told her no I didn’t and she was enraged. She screamed at me to move aside, then finally called for another TSO to take me for the enhanced patdown.
He was very professional about his work unlike the other TSO, who didn’t follow TSA’s own rules, and was highly obnoxious and insolent.
I thought TSA is supposed to serve the nation, not the other way around. If that TSO had a decent supervisor she would never have acted that way. Both are major losers in my book, but unfortunately they’re still there and making life miserable for travelers at PHL.

Exemplifies the saying about TSA = Thousands Standing Around.
PHL has combined most of its checkpoints into one endless screening line that can take an hour to get through.
Problem is that even at the busiest times it is not unusual to have only 2 of the body /​bag stations available. This does not appear to be for a lack of resources as there are dozens of TSA agents on the other side seemingly doing nothing. The sad part is that if you fly out of airports like Allentown or Harrisburg they will have far fewer agents but exactly the same number of scanners available for a fraction of the passengers,
Looking forward to the day when we end the security theater and turn screening back over to private industry.