Have you ever had the irrational fear of being pulled aside by TSA and getting accused of doing something that you weren't doing? Well, Heather Jones experienced that, and the world's reaction to her experience was "explosive" to say the least...
Have Child, Will Travel
Traveling with a baby can be a nightmare, all new parents know it. Whether you’re on a bus, on a train, or God forbid, on a plane, everyone around you is going to be threatened by your newborn. It almost seems like no matter what you do, someone, somewhere is going to be staring at you the entire time, waiting for your baby to start crying so everyone can start silently hating you...
Taking the Risk
Now, taking a baby on an international flight is a whole new type of challenge that most people have to experience at some point in their life, victim, or culprit. One woman was gearing up to bring her newborn daughter on a transatlantic flight and planned out all of her canned apologies for when she had to get up and feed her daughter, and when she had to run to the bathroom to change her diaper. In fact, some people have reported babies on planes for being “potential terroristic threats.” While this is highly unlikely in most situations, this particular woman was actually detained as a national threat because of one simple object that she needed to have on her person for her baby…
Running Late, As Usual
Heather Andi Jones was running late for her flight to England that was departing from the Denver International Airport at 5:45 am on a surprisingly busy Tuesday morning. She and her husband, Todd, had been stuck in traffic for close to an hour because of a massive accident that took up the entire right half of the freeway. The time was 4:45 am, Heather had allotted enough time for her to get through customs, grab a coffee, and board the plane. But with the traffic, it looked like she wasn’t going to have time to grab that much-needed cup of coffee...
Packing It In
By the time Heather made it to the airport, it was 5:00 am on the dot. Amelia was sleeping peacefully in her baby seat behind Todd. They pulled up at the drop-off area and got out to unload. Todd handed Amelia off to Heather, she was snoozing comfortably in her carrier, a blanket covering her head to protect her from the harsh Colorado cold. Todd and Heather exchanged a quick peck and Heather marched forward toward her terminal, it was 5:03, she was running late…
Waiting, and Waiting, and Waiting...
“Flight number BA2490, 5:45 am direct to Los Angeles has been delayed, please check with employees at your terminal for information.” Heather breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was 5:25 am and she hadn’t even moved 10 feet in the line for customs. Amelia had just started to stir, her head still covered by a thin pink blanket to act as a barrier between her and the bustling airport. Heather thought she allowed enough time between feedings to get through customs, but the way Amelia was stirring told her otherwise.
Heather's Secret Weapon
As time went on, Amelia got fussier and Heather got more anxious. As the clock neared 6, Heather steadily closed the gap between her and the customs agents who seemed to be half asleep, checking bags and stamping passports like zombies on an assembly line. By the time Heather made it to the front, Amelia had gotten visibly antsy. Heather patted her baby bag to feel for her saving grace, a bottle of milk that she filled and left in the freezer overnight for this particular occasion. Heather decided to wait to get through customs to feed Amelia, but when she stepped up and dropped her bags to be inspected, something unusual happened…
Hang On, What?
A customs agent pulled Heather aside from her belongings without warning, leaving Amelia behind with her suitcase. Heather immediately retaliated and tried to get her baby, but two other customs agents stepped in front of her. The first customs agent drew a curtain closed at the end of a side room, adjacent to where Amelia was left on the floor like she was some piece of luggage. Heather could hear Amelia crying and demanded to know why she was being pulled aside, to which the customs agent didn’t respond.
She Made Sure...
Two more people stepped through the curtain into the enclosure, one of them explained to Heather that she was being detained because it was suspected that she was attempting to bring a dangerous substance through customs. Heather explained that it was most likely her bottle of milk that was in her baby bag, and that she had made sure to package and store it legally to make sure she can feed Amelia on time. The customs agent stopped her mid explanation and stated that the bottle had tested positive for explosives…
Playing Good Cop
Heather was stunned by shock. She stammered excuses, pleading for the TSA agents to believe her while they donned gloves and asked her for her consent to be patted down. One TSA agent explained that they get false positives every once in a while and that if there was nothing dangerous about the bottle, there was absolutely nothing to worry about. They even offered to hold her plane until they were finished with their procedure.
No Help, No Consideration
However, Heather didn’t believe them, and she was right in doing so. She begged to see her baby, she could hear Amelia crying just through the thin curtain that the TSA agents used to isolate her from the outside world. The TSA agents denied her pleas, stating that they needed to get their test results back before Heather could be reunited with her child. The first customs agent that detained her concluded her thorough patdown and set her gloves in a plastic container to be tested, meanwhile, Heather was still completely surrounded by TSA agents. At this point, Amelia was in full hysterics, and nobody was doing anything to help...
You've Got It All Wrong
Ten painful minutes went by, and a TSA agent who was wearing a suit and carrying a gun stepped into the enclosure. The agent apologized to Heather for the inconvenience. She explained that while her baby bottle tested positive for explosives, the rest of her luggage and Heather’s person did not. After retesting the bottle, the results came back as positive for explosives once more. The agent then explained that they threw the bottle away, and Heather was free to return to Amelia...
The Plight of a New Mom
Heather was immediately flushed with anger, explaining that they had thrown away the only milk she had for her baby and that she needed to breastfeed her child in the crowded airport immediately, all while being unknowingly late for her flight. Now that Heather was cleared, the TSA agents explained that her flight had been delayed an entire hour and that she had 45 minutes to get to her terminal. They offered her a voucher for a free coffee and muffin at the Starbucks in the terminal, and they attempted to usher her out of the curtained off area. Heather put her foot down and spoke sternly to the TSA agents, and stated that she needed to stay in the enclosure to privately feed her baby, to which they replied something outrageous…
But, Why?
The agents said no, absolutely not. They explained that this was a breach of security and that the longer they stayed in the enclosure, the larger the line got outside. Before Heather could say anything else, the agents pulled the curtains to the side and exposed Heather to the customs line. Dozens of impatient travelers stared at Heather. She turned beet red and quickly gathered her things and scurried off into the airport terminal, finally free from the clutches of her terrible experience.
Finally, Some Peace
Once she located her terminal, Heather carried the screaming Amelia across the airport, feeling haggard and vulnerable, to find a quiet place to feed her daughter. When she finally found a secluded spot, Heather sat down and began to feed Amelia, far from anyone but a single female employees' view. The terminal employee stared at Heather the whole time, and since she felt completely unhinged from her previous experience, she stared right back. Heather was so involved with her eye-contact combat with the terminal representative that she didn’t notice a shadowy figure approach her until he cleared his throat. Heather snapped out of her daze and looked up, her heart sank immediately, she had nowhere to run…
That's It For Today
The man standing above her wasn’t a TSA agent, he was a police officer. He explained to Heather that she should be getting ticketed for public indecency, but due to the circumstances, he was going to let it slide. Heather was both shocked and embarrassed, but mostly, she was furious that after this enormous ordeal, this was where it had to end. Fortunately, Amelia had finished nursing, and Heather exhaustedly obliged. She apologized to the police officer, and as he walked away, Heather sat in silence for a minute. Her flight was about ready to board, and all she wanted to do was call her husband to pick her up to go back to bed.
Taking This to the Internet
When Heather touched down in Los Angeles, she had a little bit of a layover. At that time, she fed and changed Amelia and started scrolling the internet to try and figure out why, and how, her baby bottle was flagged for “containing explosives.” Heather posted a retelling of her experience on Reddit, in hopes that someone on there would know better than she did. She also posted on Twitter and Facebook, just to cover all of her bases. By this time, Heather had a few cups of coffee in her and she was no longer embarrassed about the event, she just wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery…
What Could That Be?
Heather’s flight from Los Angeles to London took just over 12 hours to land. When she did, Heather was greeted by her family at the terminal. They welcomed her and Amelia with open arms, and Heather’s mother immediately took Amelia from her because Heather looked so exhausted and clearly needed a break. After everyone said their hellos, the family piled into a big minivan. Heather started to notice a constant buzzing sound coming from her purse that sat between her feet on the floor, assuming that her phone was malfunctioning, Heather pulled it out to discover that she had thousands of notifications from both Reddit and Facebook from people commenting on and sharing her posts...
This Has Happened Before
According to those who commented with their own experiences, evidently this wasn’t as uncommon as Heather originally had thought. According to some independent sources, baby wipes and some disinfectants contain glycerin, which is a compound that can be used as a base compound for liquid explosives. While most of the commenters were outraged by the way the TSA agents treated Heather and Amelia, multiple commenters stated that they acted in the safest and most legal way they possibly could have. However, Heather took this as an opportunity to challenge the Denver International Airport, because she knew that she had a case against them…
Glycerin, Eh?
When Heather returned from England, she spent the entire first week back organizing a series of comment groups from Facebook and Reddit. All of the members had personal experiences with being singled out by TSA workers and taken aside with prepackaged breast milk, all of which tested positive for glycerin and was disposed of. With all the information taken from others, Heather undoubtedly had a case against the Denver International Airport—this was affecting too many families...
Hiring Help
Heather found a lawyer that was willing to represent her in the case, but her lawyer wasn’t too confident in their chances. He stated that privately-owned airports are typically legally dominant in cases against their patrons, but he thought that Heather’s case was so important that he didn’t want to let it go. If anything, this was a giant legal demonstration that would bring this topic into the eyes of the press, which was exactly what Heather wanted. She didn’t want to cause a scene, she just wanted other mothers to know that this was a potential threat for their dignity and the safety of their babies…
The Real Problem...
Heather never got to take her case to court, but she was able to call this problem to the attention of the employees of the Denver International Airport. The police officer that confronted Heather about potentially giving her a ticket for public indecency was reprimanded and removed from his role as a floor officer at the airport. In the end, the TSA agents were chastised for their wrongdoings, but nobody suffered any serious repercussions, which was exactly what Heather wanted. Even though Heather’s case is specifically exciting, truth be told, TSA agents get things wrong every single day, in fact, it’s theorized that they miss more than one would think…
... Is the System in Place
In a 2015 study, TSA agents of varying degrees of experience missed roughly 7% of all security threats in both checked and carry on bags. Now, these weren’t serious security threats, the TSA agents caught 100% of deadly weapons and illegal substances, but some minor infractions got swept under the rug. Not only is this a danger to the safety of those that travel on planes, but it also shows how flawed the airport security system actually is…
A Serious Misstep
In 2016, an undercover TSA agent was able to make it through a security checkpoint in Cleveland, Ohio with a fake bomb strapped to his chest. This individual made it through 3 layers of security, and he set off a metal detector but was still ushered through by not one, but 5 different TSA agents who were seemingly disinterested in what was going on around them. Needless to say, these agents no longer had jobs afterward…
How Could That Be?
Since 2016, TSA has tightened their system significantly. Flying on planes is safer than it has ever been, but it’s not necessarily thanks to the system that’s in place. In fact, it’s been proven that the TSA actually causes more deaths than the lives it saves. As crazy as this sounds, consider the fact that tons of people avoid flying on planes and opt to drive to avoid the hassle of going through security…
Less Planes, More Cars
Since the major decrease in air travel that happened in 2001, roughly 327 more people have died in car accidents every month since then. More passengers are opting to drive to their destinations to avoid the cost and inconvenience of going through airport security, which has led to significantly more traffic jams and longer highway travel times, which have also resulted in more automobile deaths. In addition to that, the TSA has made flying significantly more expensive over the years as well…
Surprisingly Unbalanced
The TSA is a private organization that hires individuals directly to airports and appoints them in very specific locations, typically paying them either minimum wage or just over it. Airports tend to overstaff TSA agents because of a general lack of structure in airport chains of command. It’s actually been proven that the fact that since airports overstaff TSA agents, they receive less specialized training, resulting in more incidents like Heather’s than ever before. However, some extremely intelligent people have built a solution that has not yet been implemented...
Cheaper, You Say?
As told by an article published by Vox in 2016, a classified TSA study that was conducted in 2011 showed that when airports hire professional, independent screeners, more than 30% of incidents can be avoided. In fact, if the entirety of the TSA staff in LAX was replaced by half as many independent screeners, over time, incidents would drop significantly, and the cost of plane tickets would go down by a considerable margin. We know that sounds outlandish, but it’s true, and it’s all because of independent contractors...
Gaps in the System
If there were fewer, higher-paid independent screeners over massive undertrained TSA teams, plane tickets could possibly halve in price. TSA employees are currently the largest expense that any airport fronts and some of them don’t even have to work with regularity to pack in the benefits of being an employee of a private airport. Over time, this has become detrimental to the economies of independent airports, because there is only so much space to staff a certain area at one moment. Due to that, providing health insurance and other incentives that TSA agents receive, like reduced cost of flights and baggage charges, actually harms the economy of transportation and causes the overstaffed TSA workers more stress…
That's Pretty Serious
If independent airports started hiring unionized independent contractors, not only will the economy of independent airports increase, the quality of flights and the efficiency of travel will become significantly because there will be more income to reallocate into bettering the boarding system and lowering flight/baggage costs to make flying a more accessible method over driving. In theory, if the TSA didn’t exist, all of our lives would be better, safer, easier, and more efficient…
Just Fix It Already
So, in Heather’s particular case, it’s only safe to assume that none of this would have happened if airports functioned the way that they have been statistically proven to function best for years. If the TSA was disbanded in 2011, which it almost was, mothers would likely have no issue bringing their pre-packaged breast milk and other items that may contain glyceride onto airplanes. In addition to that, there would have been no unprofessional behavior and reckless treatment of Heather’s child if the agents were properly trained to deal with people, as opposed to managing procedures.