TSA question, for those who have flown INTO USA recently:

[jberryhill]

6. People in the thread are confusing TSA with Customs/USDA

In the las year and a half, I have returned to the US from Canada, Singapore, Germany, Costa Rica, Cayman Islands and Columbia.

The TSA requires the same standards for flights to the US to be applied to boarding in the originating airports.

The most intrusive by far are the Colombians. Every piece of carry-on is x-rayed and hand searched, every passenger gets a full pat down, and they pull people out for full-on abdominal x-rays. The Costa Ricans haven't gotten the memo on lighters and will not allow them through.

After you land in the US, you then go through passport check, reclaim your luggage and you may have to go through TSA again for domestic connections depending on how the airport is laid out. Canada and Ireland have satellite US Customs operations at the originating airports in those countries. The beagles on duty at luggage reclaim are USDA dogs looking for fruits and vegetables which may harbor invasive pests.