TSA Agents Reveal ‘Red Flag’ They Notice at Louisiana Airports

For the most part, flying out of an airport in Louisiana is a fairly easy task. There are daily flights from cities like Monroe, Lake Charles, Alexandria, and others that connect you with major hubs around the Gulf South. Meanwhile, flights from Shreveport, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans can offer you a few more destinations from which to choose.

But, no matter which Louisiana airport you choose to fly out of you're going to have to go through the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint before you get on that aircraft. Your bags are going to have to be screened as well.

The Transportation Security Administration came into being after the cowardly attacks of 9/11. TSA was created a little over one month after those attacks as a way to scrutinize what people can bring inside the cabin of an aircraft. I think we have all had a TSA story where we've forgotten a bottle of water or had some toothpaste that was in too big of a tube for boarding.

Those are inconveniences of added security. The fact that another 9/11 has not happened should be enough of a testimony that the screening has kept air travel safe. I know I would rather be without my shampoo than be involved in a hijacking, so kudos for the job that TSA agents do.

And while we all know they are looking into our luggage and screening our carry-on items did you know there is one other place that trained TSA professionals are looking? That place is at you. TSA agents are trained to read body language. Studies have found that people with something to hide often behave differently than those who don't.

One of the big tells that could get you pulled out of a TSA line in Lafayette, New Orleans, or God forbid, Atlanta is yawning. Yeah, yawning excessively is "tell" of nervousness. And for TSA agents that's a reason to investigate further.

Yawning is one of many behaviors agents notice during SPOT exams. SPOT is a government acronym for Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques. The agency did say that no single behavior is usually enough for agents to pull a passenger out of line but several behaviors combined with a baggage screen will get you pulled out of line.

Some of those other behaviors on the SPOT list are blinking your eyes rapidly, staring off into space, excessive sweating, trembling, and, wearing clothing that does not match your current or future destination. For example, someone wearing an overcoat in Miami who was boarding a plane for Jamaica might get looked at, really looked at.

Of course, your best way to avoid a run-in with TSA is to not do anything wrong. Follow the rules, and be on time. And use deodorant, that's always a plus for the people who have to sit next to you on the plane after you've sweated out the security screening.