Unusual TSA Checkpoint Experience

I referred to the TSA operatives as Vogons for a reason. Here is the description that pertains to them from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. See whether you don't think the comparison is apropos:

Description in the Guide
They are one of the most unpleasant races in the galaxy - not actually evil, but bad tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous. They wouldn't even lift a finger to save their own grandmothers from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal without an order, signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public enquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters. If you want to get a lift from a Vogon, forget it. They are vile and ill tempered. If you want to get a drink from a Vogon, stick your finger down his throat. If you want to annoy a Vogon, feed his grandmother to the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal.

Appearance
Billions of years ago, when the Vogons first crawled out of the primeval seas of Vogsphere, lay panting and heaving on the planet's virgin shores... when the first rays of the young Vogsol sun had shone across them... it seemed as if the forces of evolution had simply given up on them then and there, turned aside in disgust and written them off as an ugly mistake. They would never evolve again. They shouldn't have survived. The fact that they did is a testament to the thick-willed stubbornness of these creatures. Evolution? they said to themselves. Who needs it? What nature refused to do for them they simply did without until they were able to correct the gross anatomical inconveniences with surgery.
The natural forces of Vogsphere worked overtime to make up for their blunder. They brought forth scintillating jeweled scuttling crabs, which the Vogons ate, smashing them with large iron mallets; aspiring trees which the Vogons cut down to use the firewood for cooking the crabs; and elegant gazelle-like creatures with dewy eyes which the Vogons would catch and sit on (they were useless for transport because their backs snapped under the weight, but the Vogons sat on them anyway).

Recent Past
The planet whiled away for unhappy millennia until the Vogons discovered the principles of interstellar travel. Within a few short Vog years every Vogon had migrated to the Megabrantis cluster, the political hub of the galaxy. They now form the powerful backbone of the Galactic Civil Service. Also, some of the young Vogons join the Vogon Guard Corps, which, aside from making them look moderately less hideous what with dashing uniforms and all that, also allows for exciting promotion opportunities such as Senior Shouting Officer. Despite their intelligence, they remain little changed since their first appearance a billion billion years ago. Every year twenty-seven thousand jeweled scuttling crabs are imported, then they while away a drunken night smashing them to bits with iron mallets. They have as much sex appeal as a road accident.

Slartybartfast wrote:I referred to the TSA operatives as Vogons for a reason. Here is the description that pertains to them from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. See whether you don't think the comparison is apropos:

Description in the Guide
They are one of the most unpleasant races in the galaxy - not actually evil, but bad tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous. They wouldn't even lift a finger to save their own grandmothers from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal without an order, signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public enquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters. If you want to get a lift from a Vogon, forget it. They are vile and ill tempered. If you want to get a drink from a Vogon, stick your finger down his throat. If you want to annoy a Vogon, feed his grandmother to the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal.

Appearance
Billions of years ago, when the Vogons first crawled out of the primeval seas of Vogsphere, lay panting and heaving on the planet's virgin shores... when the first rays of the young Vogsol sun had shone across them... it seemed as if the forces of evolution had simply given up on them then and there, turned aside in disgust and written them off as an ugly mistake. They would never evolve again. They shouldn't have survived. The fact that they did is a testament to the thick-willed stubbornness of these creatures. Evolution? they said to themselves. Who needs it? What nature refused to do for them they simply did without until they were able to correct the gross anatomical inconveniences with surgery.
The natural forces of Vogsphere worked overtime to make up for their blunder. They brought forth scintillating jeweled scuttling crabs, which the Vogons ate, smashing them with large iron mallets; aspiring trees which the Vogons cut down to use the firewood for cooking the crabs; and elegant gazelle-like creatures with dewy eyes which the Vogons would catch and sit on (they were useless for transport because their backs snapped under the weight, but the Vogons sat on them anyway).

Recent Past
The planet whiled away for unhappy millennia until the Vogons discovered the principles of interstellar travel. Within a few short Vog years every Vogon had migrated to the Megabrantis cluster, the political hub of the galaxy. They now form the powerful backbone of the Galactic Civil Service. Also, some of the young Vogons join the Vogon Guard Corps, which, aside from making them look moderately less hideous what with dashing uniforms and all that, also allows for exciting promotion opportunities such as Senior Shouting Officer. Despite their intelligence, they remain little changed since their first appearance a billion billion years ago. Every year twenty-seven thousand jeweled scuttling crabs are imported, then they while away a drunken night smashing them to bits with iron mallets. They have as much sex appeal as a road accident.

it's scarily accurate.

BlackSpinner wrote:It also doesn't help if you chose to wear an artsy shirt covered with "jewels" set in metal findings and with little buckles all over it. I don't think well at 3am....

Try wearing a full-length sequin dress. Apparently their fancy new scanners cannot see through them. They even told me this tidbit!

As a newly diagnosed OSA patient and picking up my CPAP equipment today, please ignore my ignorance.

Do you carry your CPAP equipment on (vs checking it) to prevent theft or losing it if you lose your bags.

Other then those reasons, any other reason not to check it?

oceanthrsty wrote:As a newly diagnosed OSA patient and picking up my CPAP equipment today, please ignore my ignorance.

Do you carry your CPAP equipment on (vs checking it) to prevent theft or losing it if you lose your bags.

Other then those reasons, any other reason not to check it?

Nothing is safe in your checked bag - I have had tire tracks on my bag. They have gone to destinations I have never been to. I have watched them being thrown through the air - you really really don't want fragile electronics in checked baggage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

Keep everything important in your carry on, meds, a change of underwear, camera, laptop, cpap & accessories, papers....

If you check it, it can be severely damaged by rough handling and you may not have it when you land. If you carry it, you know where it is at all times.

And it doesn't count against your carry on allowance, right? It's necessary medical equipment. If you put it inside your regular carry on, doesn't that leave you with that much less carry on space?

I did some searching and found the answer here: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/tsa-rule ... 10222.html

Carry it On

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a CPAP machine is not considered carry-on luggage and does not count toward your carry-on quota. You are allowed a carry-on bag, a personal bag such as a purse or briefcase, and your CPAP machine in its traveling case. A medical equipment tag, identifying your machine as a necessary medical device, will help avoid any concerns about your carry-on items should you be asked by a TSA agent or flight attendant.

Our host sells Medical Identification Luggage Tag for CPAP Equipment: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/medica ... pment.html

It goes as a separate carry-on, not counted towards your regular c-o.

As I previously mentioned, I flew recently in the US. Ended up stowing my VPAP under the seat in front of me without any problems whatsoever. For various reasons, I preferred having it there vs. in the overhead seat bin.

49er

[/quote]
Our host sells Medical Identification Luggage Tag for CPAP Equipment: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/medica ... pment.html[/quote


My cpap bag came with a medical equipment identity tag attached, courtesy of my DME... and I always put the bag under the seat.. never in the overhead bin. Except on some small commuter planes, it isn't large enough to keep me from having enough room for my feet.

The answer is 42!

yaconsult wrote:And it doesn't count against your carry on allowance, right? It's necessary medical equipment. If you put it inside your regular carry on, doesn't that leave you with that much less carry on space?

I did some searching and found the answer here: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/tsa-rule ... 10222.html

Carry it On

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a CPAP machine is not considered carry-on luggage and does not count toward your carry-on quota. You are allowed a carry-on bag, a personal bag such as a purse or briefcase, and your CPAP machine in its traveling case. A medical equipment tag, identifying your machine as a necessary medical device, will help avoid any concerns about your carry-on items should you be asked by a TSA agent or flight attendant.

Our host sells Medical Identification Luggage Tag for CPAP Equipment: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/medica ... pment.html

This may be the rule in the USA, but may not always be the case with to foreign carriers. I pack mine in my roll aboard luggage, well padded with clothes. Has anyone here been challenged when carrying a third piece on board, either domestic or foreign?

RobertS975 wrote:
This may be the rule in the USA, but may not always be the case with to foreign carriers. I pack mine in my roll aboard luggage, well padded with clothes. Has anyone here been challenged when carrying a third piece on board, either domestic or foreign?

It only applies to flights originating or going to the USA

It can actually be challenged at any time anywhere that the flight crew decides there is too much cabin luggage for safety. Flight crew safety calls override everything. Always try to be the first to board.

BlackSpinner wrote:

RobertS975 wrote:
This may be the rule in the USA, but may not always be the case with to foreign carriers. I pack mine in my roll aboard luggage, well padded with clothes. Has anyone here been challenged when carrying a third piece on board, either domestic or foreign?

It only applies to flights originating or going to the USA

It can actually be challenged at any time anywhere that the flight crew decides there is too much cabin luggage for safety. Flight crew safety calls override everything. Always try to be the first to board.

I had heard that and fortunately, was able to board earlier than normal on both flights. Any statistics on how often this occurs? Tried doing a google search to no avail.

For the longest time, I haven't had to take the machine out of the bag. Then, I didn't fly for nearly two years. A couple of weeks ago, I flew again. Nio problems on the outbound leg...I was selected for 'precheck', and actually got treated nicer than I have been for a long time at our airport (which was recenely announced as having the worst TSA record for theft and damage in the country). On the way back, I got the 'full treatment' from them. Had to take the machine out of the bag. Got a partial pat-down after going through the microwave 'naked scanner'. Of course, they found nothing amiss.

A CPAP machine blows up all right....that is, blows up your lungs when you sleep at night (Don't tell that to your TSA agent, though!)