Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Lockdown at L.A.X.

The security guard does not look happy.

"Why isn't your boarding pass stamped? Didn't they check your I.D., at the gate?"

"No. No one was there, not when we came through."

"No one was there AT ALL???"

"No."

He ushers me forward to a hold cell, compliments of my pump setting off the detectors + goes off to get my boarding pass stamped. Next door, my husband is also being detained for a non-stamped pass. Suddenly, "BRAVO, AIRPORT PERSONAL" crackles over the loud speakers and everyone freezes in place, like being suddenly dipped in liquid nitrogen. As I'm thinking the worst-a bomb has been found, it might go off and we'll all have to evacuate into the chilling Californian morning (with no coat and bare stocking feet) two minutes pass, and just as suddenly, the all clear is given. People unfreeze, and go about their business. It must have had something to do with the non-stamped passes.(which I don't think every airline does-this one is extra picky) I resume my stay in hold-cell jail but it's not my fault someone was off chatting instead of doing their jobs. A truly fine security system they've got there, protecting us all. You've got to wonder if the people who run the scanners ever "stop" doing that too and anyone could just sneak by. (and it just takes one, folks)

I'm wanded, patted, and everything else, and then released. Making it 2/2 times I've gone through security and set them off. (with the new pump) I'm thinking it'd be simpler to just stow it in the basket and let it go through. Doesn't damage the pump-right? Getting held up each and every time for a 5 minute patdown is not the highlight of my day. I think this pump has a particular sensitivity toward setting everything out there, off.

"That was embarrassing," my husband remarks. (he's not one to ever set off alarms.)

"Join the club," I say,"Various alarms going off IS my life." We both laugh.(perhaps inappropriate given the setting but it was a shared diabetes joke)

And the backup syringe, vials, and juice on my carryon goes completely un-noticed
and un-commented on. Ahhh, the ever-so-logical TSA.

7 comments:

George said...

Lovely security. Maybe because Los Angeles is such a safe city that they do not have to be so strict right? LOL

Nicole P said...

Hey - I just automatically let them know I don't want to go through the detector and my pump can't go through the x-ray. That way I don't set things off (which always happened in the past) and I am usually through in a snap. They wand me, check my shoes, and it takes all of three minutes and totally avoids any issues. Re: the boarding pass: that's just scary. - N

Lili said...

Well, the pump company says NOT to put it through the x-ray.

Christine said...

Lili, my Paradigm says it's okay to go through x-rays, just not MRIs. I wear it through security all the time.

Heidi, it sounds like your problem was that your boarding ticket wasn't stamped, not the pump.

I've set off the security alarms 0/10 times or something with either my Paradigm or Cozmo.

HVS said...

The pump setting things off was just icing on the cake..longer time spent in detention. With my Cozmo, it didn't set off the alarms every single time + that is getting to be an issue now. So I think I will take Nicole's suggestion and prewarn them, might speed things up some.

k2 said...

Its been drummed into our heads that if we remove our pump and it "walks," we are screwed and insurance pays for nothing - same thing with the x-ray.
Stupid airport security!
k2

Anonymous said...

I didn't know you were out here!

I hope I have better luck at LAX this Friday!