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United Airlines Claims TSA Banned Comic Books In Checked Luggage For Comic-Con, TSA Denies It (boardingarea.com)
schwit1 shares a report: San Diego Comic-Con has become so much more than just a comic book convention. But comic books remain the heart and soul of Comic-Con. In addition to attendees being there to buy comic books, vendors flock to Comic-Con to sell their comic books as well. That's why participants in Comic-Con were shocked to find a notice waiting for them at the San Diego airport after Comic-Con: "COMIC-CON ATTENDEES: REMOVE ALL BOOKS FROM CHECKED BAGS." On Twitter, United Airlines confirmed the ban: "The restriction on checking comic books applies to all airlines operating out of San Diego this weekend and is set by the TSA. ^MD" Consumerist reached out to TSA and were told by a spokeswoman that the warnings about not allowing comic books -- or any kind of book -- in checked bags were simply not true. There is "no restriction on anything related to putting comics or any type of books" in baggage, and TSA never put out any guidance to that effect, she said. "In fact, they are allowed in both checked and carry-on baggage," the spokeswoman told Consumerist, adding that there were no delays in the processing of checked bags out of San Diego yesterday.
On the one hand, we have United Airlines. On the other hand we have the TSA.
Let's just assume they are both somehow lying, incompetent, or both.
I've had problems with checked bags that have a lot of books. They aren't opposed to books as books. They become a black box on the X-ray machines that checked bags go through. I've watched TSA scan my bag and then search exactly the place where the books are, pulling each one out and looking them over. I almost wanted to shout over "it's a book, maybe if you knew how to read you'd know that..." but better judgement prevailed. Other bags packed similarly wound up with the "we searched your stuff" notices inside.
It could be as simple as a comment from an agent at the airport checked scanner to a United baggage handler that a lot of comic books packed together would cause more bag searches. Maybe. Maybe not.
I don't know any reason why United would put up such a notice without some prompting. They're much better off if you check the heavy stuff at the check-in because that allows them to know weight and balance and have the real baggage handlers deal with it, instead of you packing an 80 pound "carry-on" that you then gate check and has to be handled by the gate agents.
Up until a few years ago the TSA is the lowest of the low, then someone at United turned to his friend and said: "hold my beer."