Insider Secrets From a TSA Officer

An airport security checkpoint supervisor answers your key questions for a faster, less stressful screening

an illustration of. a t s a officer, a couple with plane tickets and other travel items

Darrell Horace, a supervisory transportation security officer at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, shares his insight on making your trip through airport security screening as quick and painless as possible.

Amber Day

As told to

Berit Thorkelson,

AARP

Published April 21, 2026

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers greet travelers during one of air travel’s major stress points: at the security checkpoint. Their role was created in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with the mission of screening all passengers and bags to prevent such attacks in the future. Darrell Horace, 60, began working for TSA in 2008, after more than two decades in the U.S. Air Force. Now, nearly 18 years later, Horace is a supervisory transportation security officer at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which welcomed more than 50 million passengers in 2025, among them some of the 46 percent of travelers 50 and older who had planned to travel domestically by plane, according to the 2025 AARP Travel Trends survey.

Horace shares the inside scoop on which carry-on items will likely slow you down, whether those random checks are actually random, and a TSA-approved way to get water through the checkpoint.

This “As told to” interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

an illustration of a person showing their i d at a t s a checkpoint

The No. 1 tactic to get through security quickly? Have your boarding pass and ID ready to hand over to the checkpoint security officer.

Amber Day

What’s the main thing I can do to get through security quickly?

You’d be surprised at how many people will stand in line, and then when they get up to the front of the line, they don’t have their boarding pass and ID ready. It baffles me. It’s really great when they’re paying attention to the other people ahead of them. They say hello, and they’ve got their ID and their boarding pass ready. It speeds up the process.

Why do I have to take my electronics out of my bag at some airports and not others?

As TSA advances in technology, we’re able to see everything if you leave it in the bag, which speeds up the entire process. But the way it works, the larger airports get all the toys, and then the smaller airports get the toys that the bigger airports no longer use or got tired of playing with, so to speak.

Are extra passenger screenings truly random?

Yes. The metal detectors randomly select passengers for additional screening. It’s not, like, a TSA agent saying, “OK, you look suspicious, so I’m going to give you additional screening.” Actually, that’s one of the most stressful parts of the job: passengers who don’t understand that when we have to screen them, we’re not picking on them. I’ve had experiences where I had to do additional screening on a person, and then the first thing out of their mouth is, “Do I look like a terrorist?” They have a narrow mindset, because they think of 9/11. But a terrorist could be anyone.

What about bag checks?

There is nothing random about the baggage X-ray. The passenger’s bag gets screened based solely on its contents.

What are common items that get flagged in bags?

Nowadays there are a lot of protein powders that come through. And coffee, coffee creamers, stuff like that. Those are large enough to where they’re going to be checked, and 9 times out of 10 they’re OK. But we can’t assume that just because something is inside of a container that, “Oh, that’s coffee creamer.” We have to check it. It’s very easy for somebody to put a bad substance in a container that you’ve seen over and over again. Then you have to wait until we can get our specialists to take a look and test it. It’s best to just put those in your checked bags.

We have a lot of people who don’t travel frequently, and they’ll go to the store and get, you know, the 12-ounce shampoo that’s going to last them on their vacation. Those are actually considered prohibited items because of the amount, not because of what they are. It falls under our 3-1-1 rule. All liquids, gels and aerosols have to be 3.4 ounces or less and fit into one quart-sized bag per person. We get a lot of people who try to bring peanut butter through, and unfortunately, because it can smear, it falls under the 3-1-1 rule, too. But your protein bars and stuff like that that are solid, those are fine. And lots of people want to bring water, because it costs a child’s ransom at the airport. Just make sure that you freeze it.

What triggers the walk-through detector?

Sequined tops or blouses typically alarm the machine and require additional pat-downs. Jeans with rhinestones on the back pockets generally do, too. Metal bracelets may be fashionable, but they set off the metal detectors. Save the glamour for when you reach your destination.

an illustration of clothing items and electronics in airport checkpoint bins

Your security screening will go faster if you proactively take off Birkenstocks and other shoes with metal, which will likely set off the detectors, even though the TSA’s shoes-off policy has been reversed.

Amber Day

I don’t have to take off my shoes anymore, right?

We’re not requesting people to take their shoes off unless … I’ll give you a for-instance: Birkenstock shoes. I’m not talking about the knockoffs, but the actual Birkenstocks. Those nearly always alarm the walk-through metal detector. So if you’re wearing those, or steel-toed shoes, cowboy boots, something with a lot of metal in them, it would be best for you to just go ahead and remove the shoes. Once you try to walk through the metal detector, we’re going to ask you to remove them anyway.

Is going through the detector harmful?

If you have a pacemaker, we don’t want you coming through the walk-through metal detector. It’s imperative that you let the officer know so we can screen you effectively in a different way, like a pat-down, and not put you in danger. And replacement parts, like an artificial knee or hip, are going to alarm, so we’re going to automatically bring you through the scanner instead. We have both of them at our checkpoint. Some people don’t want to go through either and say, “I want to opt out. I want a pat-down.” People can do that.

How often do you detect contraband on people?

At my airport, there’s a gun found at least three times a week. And I’m probably lowballing that. Nine times out of 10, the person just forgot it was in their bag. I would say the vast majority is unintentional, but it does happen quite frequently. Those little pepper sprays are quite common. We get a lot of those from females who have them in their purse, but [they] can’t come through the airport. And I’ve noticed that a lot of older gentlemen have carried a pocketknife with them since they were kids, so it’s almost like part of their identity. I don’t think Grandpa is going to stab anybody, but we can’t take that chance.

an illustration of a cat in a travel bag

Don’t forget to remove your pet from the carrier when sending it through X-ray screening. Pets go through the metal detector along with their humans.

Amber Day

What’s the oddest thing people have sent through in their bag?

On the X-ray one time, a person left their cat in the bag. The bag is coming through the X-ray, and it freaked me out, because, you know, I don’t want this animal exposed to this X-ray. The person said they didn’t know they had to take the cat out of the bag. Please, take your pet out of the carrier and bring it with you through the walk-through metal detector.

What happens to all the items you catch?

As a rule, we don’t take away anyone’s belongings. We give them the option to check the item in their checked bags or put it in their car. Some of them do, and then some of them are in a hurry and they don’t want to go back and check their bag and go through security again, so they’ll leave it. We hate that, but it’s just part of the rules. Aerosols, liquids and gels go in the trash, unless they’re hazmat — then, they’re placed in a hazmat locker and disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. If passengers voluntarily abandon items like oversized tools or other items, they’re placed in a large metal bin that’s sent to headquarters.

Is there any fast track through the line if you fear you’re going to miss your flight?

Short of everyone in front of them allowing them to pass, no. The best practice is to allow yourself plenty of time to get through screening. The rule of thumb is two hours. Sometimes you need to be there even earlier than that, especially during the holidays or if there’s inclement weather, even if it’s not at your airport. That can cause delay after delay, then cancellations, and then we’re screening passengers two and three times because they go through security and then want to go back outside of security to get something to eat or for whatever reason.

What if someone has mobility issues?

I would suggest that they sign up for TSA PreCheck. It’s usually much, much faster. Also, TSA has TSA Cares for people who have mobility issues or just require some additional support when they come through. They can go online and get in touch with TSA Cares, and we can have a representative talk to them and get information so we know exactly when they’re coming through. Then we can have an officer set aside to meet them and help them through the screening process. If need be, we have officers who will even take them to their gate. Just as long as we have a heads-up.

What do you most wish people would keep in mind?

We want to get you through as much as you want to get through. The less time we have to spend with an individual, the better off it is for both of us. A lot of people think that we’re there to try to catch them with something. I think it was Ronald Reagan who said, “Trust, but verify.” We don’t assume that you have anything, but we’re going to verify that you don’t.

Ultimately, we don’t want bad stuff to happen on a plane, you know? Remember that we’re on the same team. Our goal is to get the passenger and their property safely to their desired destination as expeditiously as we can.

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Berit Thorkelson is a travel writer and editor for aarp.org. She has also written for publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens and The Minnesota Star Tribune’s travel section.