Marcy Dyer

TSA Precheck–NOT

I use a mobility scooter and had a TSA precheck for a trip from San Antonio to Seattle. I went to the precheck line, and the lady at the precheck line told me it was too much of a zig zag and I needed to go to the regular line. (I tried to tell her that I can easily navigate tight spaces with my chair, as I do it all of the time). She said they would honor the precheck in the wheelchair line and I had to use that line.

I rolled to that line and the officer checking our identifications was very nice. He sent me on to the check line. I put my bags on the conveyer belt. The woman manning that asked if I had a tablet, etc. I told her I did and tried to show her that I had TSA precheck. She said, I don’t care. This isn’t a precheck line, so you have to take it all out.” I started pulling stuff out of my bag trying to get to my tablet. I had packed to go through precheck and it wasn’t easy. I wound up with my stuff spread out all over the conveyer.

Next, they asked if I could walk. I explained that I couldn’t stand for the screen, so they handed me a wooden cane and said to come with them. They sent me through the metal detector. By then, I needed to sit, so I couldn’t gather my belongings. My husband was gathering my purse, tablet, etc and trying to get that to me at the seating area. They yelled at him telling him that he needed to move my scooter immediately. He said he would as soon as he took our belongings to me. They tried to tell him he had to leave my purse (with my wallet, phone, etc in it) iPad, etc lying on the conveyor belt where anyone could access it while he moved my chair that they had taken from me. He ignored them and secured our belongings then went back and retrieved the scooter.

No one in all the years I’ve been flying with my scooter told me about the TSA Cares program where I could’ve requested help when flying. I just found out about this recently.

I rolled.