Tale of an Airport Security Sippy Cup

June 17, 2007 — -- Call it the saga of the sippy cup.

In the video, a Washington, D.C., mother — and former Secret Service agent — is taken out of the security line by airport screeners. The problem: The water in her toddler son's sippy cup.

She then — depending on whose side of the story you believe — either accidentally spills or deliberately dumps the water on the floor. A nasty confrontation ensues. More officers are called over. The woman wipes up the water. She misses her flight.

It's the latest example of how tempers can flare under the stress of summer travel. Passengers battle bigger crowds, more flight delays and cancellations.

"Travel is not as fun as it used to be," says aviation expert Darryl Jenkins. "This summer, we have more flying than we've ever seen. Planes are chock full. All through June, we've had thunderstorms with massive delays. And on top of that, before you even get on the plane, you have to go through long lines at security."

Not surprisingly, complaints about airline service are way up. In April, the Department of Transportation received 1,246 complaints from consumers, a 76 percent increase from the year before.

The biggest headache for many seems to come from security checkpoints. Not only do passengers have to take off their shoes, and throw out liquids of more than 3 ounces, but the rules keep changing.

Yet, in a tense environment, some argue that passengers need to be more aware — and that the sippy cup mom may have acted inappropriately.

"Imagine the balancing act that every [Transportation Security Administration] individual has to go through," says aviation expert John Nance. "First of all, they have got to be 100 percent perfect in their screening — that's what they are there for — but secondly, they have to treat the public diplomatically. And sometimes, the public is very hard to treat diplomatically when they are angry and in your face."

In an Internet posting about the incident, the mother claims she was humiliated, threatened with arrest, and held against her will.

The Transportation Security Administration — which took the unusual step of posting its security video on the Internet — said in a statement that its officers "ensure the security of two million passengers a day, and as this incident illustrates, they display professionalism and concern for all passengers."

The mother and her toddler, however, may disagree.