4 Dumb Ways to Get in Trouble at the Airport

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security measures at Reagan National Airport.

Even better was the guy who wore a Transformer T-shirt (though he couldn't recall which character it was) that showed a robot holding a gun. But the best was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student who wore a little home-grown science project T-shirt with some LED lights on the front to pick her boyfriend up from Logan Airport. She was arrested at gunpoint for her all too bomblike garb.

Warning: Flight attendants are trained to report groups with identical clothing, backpacks, or luggage because terrorists are often supplied such things by their supporters. So watch out, school groups, church missions, and men in boring business suits: You could be suspects!

Being afraid, very afraid: It may be as easy as filing into line with hundreds of other rushed summer travelers, and giving into that uncontrollable feeling that you've really messed things up. You pushed things a little too far, and now you're going to miss your flight. For anyone who's bought a plane ticket lately, you know that the thought of losing that wad of dough could strike a nerve—and induce complete and utter fear. It is increasingly likely that the airport will be manned by a behavior detection officer to pick up on your "body language and facial cues," as the Transportation Security Administration describes it, searching "for signs of bad intentions." Does the intent to cut in line count? There will be around 500 of these BDOs in airports by the end of the year, ready to catch you in a moment of grief.

"Bob" wrote about the new effort for the TSA's blog. "Whether someone's trying to sneak through that excellent stone-ground mustard they bought on vacation, a knife, or a bomb, behavior detection officers like me are trained to spot certain suspicious behaviors out of the crowd," Bob writes.

So, all it takes is a little mustard? Who knew it'd be that easy to get in trouble at the airport?