Rochester, New York – Neal S. was traveling from Greater Rochester International Airport and surely didn’t expect a simple act of the security personnel will ruin his day. While passing the security check following the instructions, the airport worker gave him a note enough to ruin his day.
As Neal waited in line at a checkpoint, he was told to step through a standing metal detector and collect his items. Once he walked forward, he was greeted by a female security worker, who prompted him to take what was in her hand.
Caught off-guard, Neal took the wadded-up piece of cardboard from the screener, who smiled and let him pass. When he failed to open her note immediately, the female employee said, “You going to open the note?” As he followed her bizarre instruction, he saw two simple words that left him even more bewildered.
Neal unfolded the cardboard to see the words “you ugly!!!” written on the inside. As he looked back confusedly at the woman who had handed him the note, she suddenly burst out laughing, pleased by the outcome of her hijinks.
Although Neal wasn’t really offended by the childish prank, he felt concerned that the woman’s unprofessionalism might encounter the wrong person. Neal, who travels frequently as a technical coordinator, called the airport and informed them of the incident. Unfortunately, he got the impression that they didn’t believe him.
After several days of trying to get hold of the Virginia-based Transportation Security Administration that contracted the worker, Neal finally decided to upload the video to Reddit in hopes that “the power of the internet” could help him elicit a response. In just two hours, the company had contacted him, later revealing that they had fired the security screener in accordance with a “zero tolerance” policy.
Neal wasn’t exactly hoping to get the worker fired and says that the experience hasn’t changed his opinion that the airport is the best in the nation. He only hopes that individuals who perhaps are in a dark state of mind weren’t negatively affected by the actions of the security screener.
