What if the person operating your airport body scanner wasn’t a person at all? That’s the direction the Transportation Security Administration is heading. The agency is developing an automated passenger screening system that would use artificial intelligence and machine vision to guide travelers through Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) scanners without a TSA officer actively controlling the...
Every year, travelers lose items they never expected to lose at airport security. Peanut butter. Nutella. Pudding cups. Sunscreen. Jelly. Items that feel entirely harmless. The Transportation Security Administration confiscates them anyway, and the reason has nothing to do with those specific products. It has to do with what happened on the morning of Aug. 9, 2006, when British police disrupted...
During my eight years as a Transportation Security Officer, I personally confiscated well over 250 duty-free bottles of alcohol. Every single one of those passengers thought they had done everything right, and most of them had. What they didn’t know is that doing everything right isn’t always enough. If you read my piece on Yahoo about the hidden BLS clause, this goes deeper. These...
When you’re purchasing a flight through an airline’s website, they’re going to ask you if you want to add travel insurance. I decline that offer every time, and here’s why. You should never purchase travel insurance through the airline. Always buy separately from an independent provider because when you book through the airline, the policy is written to minimize their exposure – not yours. ...
While traveling recently, I witnessed something at a TSA checkpoint that instantly took me back to my days working as a TSA officer. A passenger asked to speak with a supervisor after becoming frustrated with how her bag was handled during screening. The officer told her a supervisor was on the way. A few moments later, another TSA officer arrived, listened to her concerns, and the interaction...
If you’ve ever bought a TSA-approved lock thinking your bag is safer, there’s something you should know, and TSA isn’t exactly advertising it. Airports have two distinctive security checkpoints: passenger screening and baggage screening. I worked in TSA’s baggage department for a period of time. TSA officers with experience in both areas are called Dual Officers...
Welcome to Views By Gate Access – a daily travel blog written from the perspective of former and active aviation workers. I’m Caleb Harmon-Marshall, creator of Gate Access and a former TSA officer with 8 years of experience. In 2022, I was forced out of my job for educating travelers about their security rights on TikTok. So I built something bigger. Gate Access started as a mission, and...
I spent eight years as a TSA officer before going viral for educating travelers about their rights. Now I run Gate Access, the insider travel publication sourced from active flight attendants, gate agents, and aviation professionals.