Fourteen hours in transit, and in the air, before we hit US soil. Past customs and border patrol, a spectacular welcome from the TSA. A jolting reality that all is not well on the home front. Most of us abide by the notion that first impressions are critical, but for some reason, the good folks at the TSA did not get the memo. Or maybe they just don’t care.
Rude TSA personnel barking orders at weary travelers at 4:00 am, their uniforms serving as a license to be disrespectful to the waiting lines. I appreciate that passenger safety is of utmost importance, but why does it have to come at the expense of civil behavior? Who manages these people? Can’t we accomplish more by just being polite? Or better still, not being rude?
My sense is that the TSA hires unhappy people, so that the rest of us can be unhappy. Maybe I am pushing the envelope a tad, but the TSA service protocol is an excellent case study on exactly what NOT to do in the service world. A little power is a dangerous thing.
I will block my senses from the TSA onslaught till I travel again in a few weeks.
For the time being, I am just happy to be home.
About Hemant Rustogi