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TSA tips set for Travel Show

Lost items, such as this batch, will be one of the topics at the Transportation Security Administration session at the Los Angeles Times Travel Show.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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The most entertaining moment from my last trip through an LAX checkpoint was when the gentleman in front of me bent down to untie his shoes, which let his pants slip down below his gluteus d’maximus, and he reacted by doing absolutely nothing, in that hip-hoppy manner of young men who can’t bother to keep their britches on. Half the other travelers were amused; the other half repulsed.

Another TSA moment, frozen in time.

Transportation Security Administration issues, both amusing and repulsive, will be on the agenda of the Los Angeles Times Travel Show, Feb. 23-24 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. TSA spokesman Nico Melendez will be at the L.A. Times booth at 1 p.m. both days to bring travelers up to speed on changes in TSA policy, answer questions and, hopefully, demystify the agency’s often controversial procedures.

Among the topics the TSA spokesman will cover:

--Tips for getting through security faster, including the TSA PreCheck program. Such programs are now in 35 airports, with more to come.

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--The change in TSA full-body screening machines. LAX machines were swapped out in September and October of last year. How are the new machines different? Melendez will have images of what the new machines purportedly reveal.

--The VIPR deterrent teams occasionally seen sweeping through train and bus stations around the country.

--How to recover items left behind at checkpoints.

The Navy veteran has been with the TSA for 11 years and oversees public affairs for the TSA in California, Arizona and Hawaii. He has served in the administration of President George W. Bush as public affairs special assistant at the Department of Transportation and at the Department of Homeland Security. His military awards include a Defense Meritorious Service Medal and three Navy Achievement Medals. His wife, Melissa, was recently elected to the California Assembly.

Admission to the travel show is $10 (children 16 and under are free with a paying adult). For more information, click here.

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chris.erskine@latimes.com

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