Security check at LAX airport

[parpin]

Happy new year to all from frozen Montreal,

Have you endured such an unusual situation at an airport security check ?

Just before entering the Los Angeles airport United terminal for my Denver flight, an over-zealousness employee told me that
I had one excess cabin luggage (max 2 permitted). I was kilted as usual and the sporran and for her my sporran was the excess piece of
luggage.

I t was obvious for me that the young employee was totally illiterate in Celtic culture and knew nothing about kilts.

I politely protested saying that the sporran was an essential part of kilt wearing. She finished by accepting it and tell her that was the first time
in more than 30 years of travel that I met an employeee like her.

I know that I have to remove belt and other stuff before passing the gate but that situation was pretty unexpected.

[Chas]

How strange. You would think that at an international airport the staff would have a rudimentary knowledge of cultures other than their own.

[PodKiDo]

TSA employees often stand out as limited in knowledge and common sense.

[seanachie]

Not wanting to beat a dead horse here....LAX and kilts are an inconvenience. I live within 20 miles of the airport and have used it many times for flights and flying kilted.Taking the mindset of winning the battle and losing the war I have resigned myself to the issues and do not put up any argument. To the best of my recollection I have had to go through secondary screening nearly 100% of the time. A large percentage of the time none of the TSA employees have wanted to do it and been chided or ribbed by their colleagues. The searches have , to someone with security training, been perfunctory at best. Given that a gunman killed a TSA agent at LAX in recent months I doubt that any form of complaining will win any sympathy from anyone. Resign yourself to that. I prefer flying kilted so I anticipate the worst and hope for the best. I have plenty of thoughts on the TSA agents but don't think it would lend to peaceful discourse so I refrain.

[PodKiDo]

I just figured since Chas lives in England, he might not know that educating the airport staff on cultural matters isn't a priority. Ugly American syndrome and all that.

[seanachie]

I just figured since Chas lives in England, he might not know that educating the airport staff on cultural matters isn't a priority. Ugly American syndrome and all that.

I do not think that is quite a fair statement. I don't think it is ugly American syndrome as much as the People's Republic of California.
There are so many different nationalities, ethnicities, cultures etc here because we are a sanctuary city l. I won't delve in to that further, keeping with the spirit of insuring harmony, but it would be pretty impossibleto be "culturally aware" of so many different cultures. So I accept it as not intentional or arrogance, but lack of knowledge or understanding.