Travel Missteps: Beware the Peanut Butter!

Ah Peanut Butter! A tasty snack and critical component for cheap breakfasts and cheap sandwiches. Which is why my mother tends to pack a jar of it along with other cheap foodstuffs when we go on road trips. Always a great way to save money. However, she and my sister found out the hard way that while its a great idea for road trips, its a horrible idea of air travel.

In my last year of college, we as a family decided to visit my Dad’s best friend. He lived in Maui, Hawaii and so my mother was trying to squeeze out every last bit of savings for such an expensive trip. As per usual, she had too many bags, while my sister only had one. And so my sister was volunteered to carry on my mother’s extra bag.

And so we arrived to the airport later than expected. I, often on the “random” SSSS list was freaking out, so I made a beeline to the security area. My parents weren’t worried, “They cannot leave without us!” They shouted as I dodged and dived to beat out a few people meandering their way towards the line. Because I had hurried on ahead, our family got separated into different security lines. Me in one line, my sister in another, and my parents in a much farther third line.

True to form, I got “randomly” selected for extra security. While I was getting the usual pat down and chemical swab test I noticed my sister was also getting questioned by TSA. This was unusual. While I always got extra security, no one else in my family ever does. My family would make fun of me for it, so seeing my sister getting hassled amused me, and I strained to listen to what was going on.

“What is in this bag?” They asked my sister, pointing to the extra bag of my mothers she was carrying. I had no idea what was in the bag, and neither did my sister. She took to long to answer, looking around bewildered for mother who was too far away. “Just normal stuff…” My sister responded. I think it dawned on her that she shouldn’t admit that she had no idea what was in the bag. But her delay made the TSA agents suspicious. “You know you are supposed to separate out your liquids?” The agent asked. “Yes” my sister replied. They ask permission to view the contents of the bag, my sister just shrugs her shoulders in permission.

They start to open the bag, and pull out various foods, apples, oranges, bread, crackers, and a bunch of little “travel sized” Peanut Butter jars. As they were unpacking the bag, I could see the surprised look on my sisters face…and so could the TSA agents. “This isn’t your bag is it?” They asked, “Uh…its my mother’s…” “Where is your mother? “Around here somewhere.” This lack of confidence triggered a warning, and they said they were going to take here to another room to discuss this further. My sister was 16, she was frightened and angry at my mother for embarrassing her. But she just let them lead her away like she was a deer in the headlights.

I looked at my watch…we had less than 20 minutes before the flight took off. I didn’t think we’d make it with having to take the train to the right terminal, grab lunch, and still make it to the flight before they closed boarding. As I was putting my shoes back on my parents come to laugh a bit at me for getting the extra security. “Where’s your sister?” My mom asked. “TSA just took her away into the backroom. They found something they didn’t like in your bag.” They just laughed like I was telling a great joke, until I pointed to my sister, being lead outside of the normal security area. My parent’s eyes bugged out.

My dad went running after her, but was stopped by TSA agents. “Thats my daughter! Where are you taking her! She is only 16! You cannot question her without her parents!” My mom looked horrified. She turned to me, “Get on that plane, and hold it, make sure it doesn’t leave without us!”

So I headed to the correct terminal, got lunch for the 4 of us, and got on the plane. I mentioned that my parents and sister were held up by TSA…but neither the gate agents or the flight attendants cared. I was asked if I wanted to get off the plane in case they missed the flight. I looked around. It was spring break. All flights were full. If we didn’t get on this plane, we’d likely never make it to Maui. Nope. I wasn’t missing this vacation. We already had hotels booked, I knew my Dad’s friend well. So I figured, Hey if they don’t make it, I’m still going to have a freaking amazing vacation regardless.

So I got on that plane, and I ate my lunch while I waited for take off. Literally seconds before they closed the cabin door my weary and tired family made it onto the plane. I passed them their lunches, and let them rest.

Later, they explained that it was the travel sized Peanut Butter that triggered the alarms. Peanut Butter is considered a gel/paste and thus needs to be in the 3-1-1 bag or in checked luggage. Because my sister couldn’t answer the questions correctly, and they figured it wasn’t her bag, TSA thought she was some sort or drug mule or carrying explosives within the Peanut Butter.

So now we joke whenever someone makes a PBJ to be careful for “Bomb Making Materials”, and we always ask my sister weather “she is carrying” on flights now. My sister learned to never carry on anyone else’s bag, and my mother realized that saving a few bucks wasn’t worth getting my sister detained by the TSA.

Travel Missteps