Fil-Am ‘harassed’ at airport urges travelers to know their rights at screenings

Photo from haneda.airport_official/Instagram

Following stories of Philippine immigration officials asking passengers irrelevant and ludicrous questions resulting in missed flights, here comes a similar incident at Haneda airport en route to the US. 

A senior Fil-Am passing through Haneda terminal 2 on her way back to the US was allegedly harassed by a Filipina Delta Airlines security officer, who held her in immigration.

Fil-Am lawyer and financial adviser Carol Tanjutco said the Filipina officer from Delta Airlines, who identified herself as Sandborg Garnica, held her for interrogation. 

Tanjutco, a Delta frequent flyer for 20 years and a Skymiles Amex cardholder, said despite presenting all her documents – proof of US citizenship, TSA PreCheck (determiner of frequent travelers by US government agency TSA) and FLYDRY verification, Garnica proceeded to “barrage her with irrelevant questions.”

Security interrogation for ‘immigration concerns’

Queries that seemed far from any actual immigration issues were brusquely thrown at the Fil-Am senior. “She asked me, ‘How long do you intend to stay in the US?’ ‘What kind of work do you do?’ ‘Where do you work?’ ‘What is the name of your company?’” said Tanjutco.

Fil-Am Carol Tanjutco’s plane ticket

She said the barrage of questions veered into absurd questioning that had no relevance to immigration. 

Tanjutco said Garnica also asked her questions about Los Angeles and if she was going to Los Angeles when her ticket clearly showed she was headed to La Guardia Airport in New York, a hub for financial advisers like Tantjuco.

Tanjutco responded to Garnica’s questions and proceeded to board her flight.

It turned out that Garnica issued Tanjutco another screening with an alert on her boarding pass. She was held again and pulled aside for checking – sole of her shoes included.

Realizing there was something wrong with the process, Tanjuco reported the incident to other security officers. As a result, Delta Airlines was asked to look into their training process.

This immigration incident highlights the challenges faced by a growing number of air travelers, who cite experiences of being harassed and harangued by the screeners who are supposed to be helping them.

Tanjutco said she would like her experience to serve as a warning to other travelers and provides the following tips when encountering issues during screening:

• Report the agent to a supervisor. If you’re reporting Transportaion and Security Administration (TSA) staff, ask for a Supervisory Transportation Security Officer (STSO) immediately.
• Complain in writing. You can send an email directly to the airline’s customer service department. For TSA, you may send the complaint to tsa.gov/contact-center/form/complaints. You’ll want to select the category “Professionalism/Customer Service” when you do. Make sure you note other details, such as the name of the agent and the time and the terminal where the screening took place. 

She also encourages travelers to be aware of their rights when dealing with airport security staff, as advised by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Know about your rights here.