During our trip to Dallas last week, it seemed that the TSA agents in airports were more friendly than I’ve seen them before (we last flew in October 2011). Instead of taking themselves very VERY seriously as Grim Faced Don’t Mess With Me Officer of the Law, I saw TSA people smiling and interacting with Ordinary Citizens in friendly ways.
It was still a hassle–taking off shoes and belts and extracting laptops, etc.–but I felt like the TSA folks, this time, understood the hassle and were trying to make it a less unpleasant experience. That I wasn’t viewed as a Terrorist Until Proven Innocent.
If this new attitude is system-wide, it indicates some good training (and re-training) from the fine folks at Homeland Security. But I might have just chanced upon an unusually amiable group of TSA agents, and my experience is nothing more than anecdotal.
