A couple of weeks ago I went to Florida for business. My trip consisted of flying departing Chicago arriving in Orlando then flew out of Ft. Lauderdale returning to Chicago. The airport security in Midway was uneventful, but on my return trip I got the special treatment because of a 1oz bottle of hand sanitizer that is strapped to my bag. When the TSA agent spotted the gel during the x-ray they deemed it worthy of a pat-down and baggage search. They emptied every pocket in my laptop bag, except one. They then proceeded to x-ray my bag an additional 2 times. All in all not a big deal, since they were just doing their job. Everything checked out and they explained that my half empty bottle of hand sanitizer triggered the search.
Last week I was going through my bag doing the monthly clean out and was astonished. I emptied the front most pocket of my bag, the one the TSA Agent failed to open and discovered something that should have been a real issue. Out plopped a pocketknife with a 2-inch blade, a Swiss Army knife to be precise. I carry it from time to time for the scissors and other tools, but must have forgotten to remove it before my flight. It dawned on me that I made it through 2 airport security checks with a knife that was not detected, so that secure feeling I had received with the checks suddenly was gone.
So, I wonder how secure I will feel the next time I get on a plane?
