TSA Would you like cream with your coffee, Captain?

A Life Aloft

A Life Aloft

Well-Known Member
http://airnation.net/2012/04/05/tsa-worker-arrested-coffee-pilot/

A TSA screener at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) was arrested when she tossed a cup of hot coffee on an American Airlines pilot:

"The dust-up occurred at about 5 a.m. on March 28, when airman Steven Trivett, 54, who was off-duty, was exiting Terminal 8 and overheard the banter, according to Port Authority police sources. Trivett, of Butler, Tenn., told them they should “conduct themselves more professionally in uniform and not use profanity or the n-word,” a source explained. One screener told him to “mind his own business” and cursed him out.’​
​
Reports say Trivett tried to take the ID tags from 30 year-old Lateisha El. That’s when she shoved him and then threw her “full cup” of hot coffee on him.​
​
Trivett was not seriously injured but Ms. El is going to be injured by the law…she faces misdemeanor-assault charges."​
​
Good Grief!​
 
Looks like there's a lucky unemployed person about to interview for a well-paying job!
 
I only ever seem to get upset when I see people treating others badly, not when it is directed at myself. The only time I've ever made a formal complaint with the TSA is when a few older Asian ladies were going through the employee line because they were being escorted.

They obviously were not experienced travelers because they had many large containers of liquid in their bags. Instead of attempting to explain it to them in a professional manner, the screener just waved it in front of their face and yelled "NO!!!!" in the same way I would yell at my dog. Later on I could overhear him talking to a coworker about these "non English speaking mother....ers." I was pretty far away and heard it with no problem.

I took down the agents name, physical description, and took a screenshot of my phone so I could remember what time it happened. That night on my overnight I filled out an official complaint. All I ever heard back was "it has been forwarded to the supervisor in Dulles."

Still saw him working there a few weeks later. In my opinion that is an attitude that you simply can't unteach. You either have respect for people or you don't. I understand that language barriers are frustrating, but when you work at an international airport, you need to have better ways of dealing with it. Especially when you have a position of presumed authority.
 
Both sides are at fault here. None of this would have happened if the captain would have just left it at asking them to clean up their language and then letting a supervisor know. There are more important things to ne worried about in life than the profane words another person uses.


But yeah, I still vote for a tar and feather party for the TSA agent.
 
wheelsup said:
I'm not defending the agent the you shouldn't ever grab a badge from someone.
Click to expand...

The pilot should've just gotten the agents name. Still, I agree that it doesn't even remotely warrant getting hot coffee thrown at you......assault at best, aggravated assault at worst, due to the hot coffee.

Like Ive said before, I haven't had any issues with TSA screeners or have seen any, but then again I also don't travel to places where there seems to be the most problems......at the very large airports. Either that, or it seems like a regional thing. Don't get me wrong though, PHX holds a high position in the dumbo-TSA agent department for agents attempting to confiscate Col Joe Foss' (USMC-ret) Congressional Medal of Honor he had on his person, for it being a "potentially deadly weapon" (they didn't even recognize it for what it was), then trying to have him arrested when he protested. Luckily, responding National Guardsmen and police recognized the nation's highest military decoration for what it was.
 
wheelsup said:
I'm not defending the agent the you shouldn't ever grab a badge from someone.
Click to expand...
The statement about grabbing the badge came from the agent, from what I have read on line so far. I have a feeling (and I could be totally full of it) that the Captain was reaching for a badge to get the ID info to report them, considering that they had already swore at him and basically had told him to f off and who knows what else, so I am sure he wasn't too thrilled. We don't know if the agent tried to cover up their badge or whatever either. I imagine there are many more details to this incident. Still, when is it ever appropriate to be throwing a cup of hot coffee onto an airline employee?

So many TSA agents lack any professionalism whatsoever. The stories and negative experiences with them are enumerable. The screening and hiring process should have become more restrictive and revamped, a long time ago, along with their training and supervision. How often do we hear of them stealing from pax for example. Too often. My own son has had issues with them at MEM and so have several Fed Ex employees. So much, that letters and phone calls have been made by Fed Ex on several occasions. One agent who was reported because she texting on her cell phone instead of viewing the screen that the carry ons were going through. That was observed and reported by someone that I know.

Most of them present a terrible image to the traveling public, IMO. They certainly don't instill any real confidence in security to anyone who has an IQ above plant life.

Interestingly enough, right after 9/11 when aircraft were allowed back up, we had the military performing security checks for quite a while at the airports. They were incredibly respectful, professional to a T, very polite and courteous, not only to the pax (and especially to children) but to the flight crews as well, looked and acted the part, were very efficient, and got the job done. People felt more secure. Then look what we got to replace them with. They are an embarrassment, not to mention mostly inefficient.
 
A Life Aloft said:
The statement about grabbing the badge came from the agent, from what I have read on line so far. I have a feeling (and I could be totally full of it) that the Captain was reaching for a badge to get the ID info to report them, considering that they had already swore at him and basically had told him to f off and who knows what else, so I am sure he wasn't too thrilled. I imagine there are more details to this incident. Still, when is it ever appropriate to be throwing a cup of hot coffee onto an airline employee?
Click to expand...

Nevermind an airline employee; it's not appropriate to do to anyone. That's in addition to the screener's unprofessional behavior beforehand. Am sure there are more details (there always are), but none of them would excuse or justify the TSA representative's reactions.

So many TSA agents lack any professionalism whatsoever. The stories and negative experiences with them are enumerable. The screening and hiring process should have become more restrictive and revamped, a long time ago, along with their training and supervision. How often do we hear of them stealing from pax for example. Too often. My own son has had issues with them at MEM and so have several Fed Ex employees. So much, that letters and phone calls have been made by Fed Ex on several occasions. One agent who was reported because she texting on her cell phone instead of viewing the screen that the carry ons were going through. That was observed and reported by someone that I know.

Most of them present a terrible image to the traveling public, IMO. They certainly don't instill any real confidence in security to anyone who has an IQ above plant life.
Click to expand...

Part of the problem came with the creation and implementation of the TSA, and the need to rapidly hire people for the screener positions. People were likely not vetted very well and slipped in. TSA has gotten better overall in terms of the individual agents, but there's always bad apples. I agree though, the entire TSA came to us as a feel-good measure for the public to feel that the government was "doing something.....anything" to insure passenger safety; regardless of the fact that airport security was not breached during 9/11.

Interestingly enough, right after 9/11 when aircraft were allowed back up, we had the military performing security checks for quite a while at the airports. They were incredibly respectful, professional to a T, very polite and courteous, not only to the pax (and especially to children) but to the flight crews as well, looked and acted the part, were very efficient, and got the job done. People felt truly secure. Then look what we got to replace them with. They are an embarrassment.
Click to expand...

Only problem with that was that we had to get rid of the military as airport security, pretty quick. Otherwise we'd gain the third-world banana republic look to our airport terminals.
 
Yeah, but we went from this

size0-army.mil-50336-2009-09-17-110933.jpg



to paying $25,518 to $38,277 in starting salary for this

image.jpg
 
A Life Aloft said:
Yeah, but we went from this

to paying $25518 to $38277 in starting salary for this
Click to expand...

Well done! :) Completely sad, but unfortunately true in many cases. Yes, there are individual screeners that try to do a good job. But even before 9/11, there didn't seem to be any major problems with airport security, at least none that necessitated a completely new bloated federal agency to be added to the bloated Department of Homeland Security that was created (that name itself has always reminded me of some government agency name you'd find in the USSR).
 
I'd never ever ever touch someone that I wasn't familiar with on a personal level as I presume it would be responded to violently. #protip

Throwing the coffee in response is unacceptable and she should be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.
 
I remember hearing and seeing military guys offering to hold a baby while the Mom struggled with all her bags, stroller and crap, calling everyone yes sir, yes ma'am, saying good day to the flight crews and nodding to them, holding doors open for the FAs, trying to maintain order, reassuring the pax verbally, being so strong and yet so humble, being very alert but yet trying to look inconspicuous, ......it was nice. Next thing we knew, our Leathermans were taken away, our tuna and crackers and cheese were confiscated, and our Daddy parts were being groped by people who looked like they should be hanging out at a free clinic. lol
 
I had to laugh and the image is in my mind because I have only worked a few hours each day the last three days because we have had the grand kids all week on Spring break (my daughter and son in law took a little escape/we need a vac time off alone) and we took the kids down to the aquarium earlier this week and happen to pass the free clinic in downtown Long Beach and all I can say after getting a glimpse of the line and what was in the line and the behavior and the obvious passing of a joint and the bottles passed around in paper bags and some people just preaching to who knows who and one guy passed out on the sidewalk and more, my wife kept telling the kids, "don't look, don't look". lol
 
MikeD said:
Pray tell, why was tuna and crackers confiscated? :)
Click to expand...
Beats me, but it truly was. It was in a sealed can too, it was a large sized can. I always like to take a bunch of snacks. I was able to keep my granola bars and the cheese and crackers though and my fruit, but they kept my damn tuna, seriously. Maybe one of them wanted it for lunch. lol I always brought tuna. I love tuna. Ticked me off. My food all got "examined" and felt up too. I didn't have the time to argue with them. I was busy trying to repack my pockets, put my shoes and belt back on and gather up my crap, and in a hurry, as I was called out and not on my regular schedule. They took one of the FAs protein shakes too as I remember on this trip. All of them. She was not a happy camper. I heard about that for 4 days.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

jonnydwolf
$70 million awarded to family of 2008 helicopter crash victims
Replies
6
Views
2K
trafficinsight
trafficinsight
derg
The "John Ley" Update
Replies
4
Views
5K
Cruise
Cruise
Back
Top