Airport Security Makes a Joke (and Tips for Getting Through Screening)

Finally, an airport security department with a sense of humor - and a few tips for getting through screening hassle-free.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on July 15 2008

You’ve gotten the dirty look for forgetting to ditch your bottled water before walking through the airport security line. Your nail clippers have been confiscated more than once. You’ve been pulled aside for additional screening after your belt buckle sets off the metal detector. And you’ve finally gotten through the long security line to discover that someone swiped your shoes while you weren’t looking.

Airport security screenings are rife with so many trials and tribulations that most of the time, we’d rather suffer the indignities of paying $4-a-gallon for a cross-country trip than set foot in a screening area to get on a plane. But at the Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, you may see actually see travelers cracking a smile as they step through the security checkpoint, into the airport’s “recombobulation” area.

Yes, the security guards actually have a sense of humor, rare though that may be. The recombobulation area serves as a seating area where flustered airline passengers can regroup and re-organize all their travel gear and accessories, tie their shoes, and take care of any other post-security needs.

The idea was inspired by Airport Director C. Barry Bateman, who asked workers to create the unique sign.“We work really hard here, but it’s also important to have some fun,” airport spokeswoman Pat Rowe told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Just as long as it doesn’t include the names of any explosive devices or toxic chemicals, that is.

Planning on flying out this summer? Here are a few more tips for speeding through the security screening, according to TSA:

1. Leave the heavy jewelry in your luggage.
2. Women, wear a sports bra instead of a traditional one - underwire will often set off the metal detector.
3. Avoid wearing clothes with metal buttons or snaps, and skip the belt if you can help it.
4. Don’t dress in extremely loose-fitting clothing, or you’re likely to be selected for additional screening.
5. Pack coats and jackets in your luggage, or else fold them and put them in a bin to go through X-ray screening.

Filed under: General Interest,

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