Like this one: TSA officers at JFK International Airport found a knife “artfully concealed” on the walker of a man passing through a security checkpoint.

“Walkers don’t pass through checkpoint metal detectors, and instead they are inspected by TSA officers,” the TSA said in a statement. “It was during the inspection process that an alert officer spotted the knife, which was tucked alongside the frame of the walker.”

A new app – FlyRights – offers a fast and easy way to complain about discrimination, profiling and other improper behavior by TSA officers at airport security checkpoints.

The app was created by the Sikh Coalition, which found that while only 11 complaints of improper screening by the TSA were filed during the first two quarters of 2011, many Sikh, Muslim, and South Asian travelers believe they are regularly profiled by TSA at airports.

At some airports, the coalition says, 100% of Sikh travelers report being subjected to unfair secondary treatment.

The Sikh coalition says it created the app “to bridge the gap between community frustration about airport profiling and official action,” and worked closely with civil rights groups in the Black, Latino, South Asian, Muslim communities to develop the tool.

The coalition says complaints filed through the app will be reviewed as official complaints by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS currently takes complaints on-line through the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP).

On TSA.gov, travelers who feel they have been profiled or otherwise discriminated against at an airport checkpoint based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or sexual orientation are encouraged to submit a written explanation of their complaint.

In addition to allowing travelers to file complaints on-the-spot rather than after the fact, the FlyRights app includes links that go directly to the section of the TSA website that lists the current rights and screening procedures for travelers.

Once again, the TSA’s Friday round-up of prohibited, illegal and just plain wacky items found at airport checkpoints and in checked baggage is both entertaining and frightening.

On the list: something called a debrainer, inert shells from land mines, model rocket engines, automobile airbags marked “Explosive,” guns, stun guns, ammunition and knives.

And here’s a handy chart of ‘just’ the guns discovered in carry-on baggage at airports last week. The TSA says a lot of people “just forget” they have loaded guns in a purse or briefcase they take with them to the airport. Maybe I travel in far too innocent circles, but I find this hard to believe.

Courtesy National Library of Wales

“Brides-to-be can definitely bring their wedding dress through a security checkpoint,” TSA employee and occasional blog contributor Lynn Dean wrote recently on the TSA’s blog. But she said if the dress can’t lay flat in its garment bag or box and fit through the X-ray machine, TSA officers will screen the dress manually.

If that happens, “Stay calm,” said Jack Ezon, president of Ovation Vacations, a luxury-focused Virtuoso agency that plans more than 200 destination celebrations a year. “Many dresses have wires and fake jewels and other decoration that may need to be inspected. And even through TSA agents wear gloves, you can ask them to put on a fresh pair before touching your dress.”

For the flight, Ezon suggests brides book a first-class or upgraded seat to get early boarding and first pick of storage space in the overhead bins or the closets. “I’ve had brides whose dresses were so elaborate that we even booked the dress its own seat.”

Ezon also said that while it’s important to protect a wedding dress on an airplane, there are other outfits to be concerned with as well. “You have the mothers of the bride and groom as well. They’re all focused on getting their clothing there, too.”

Beyond dresses, the TSA’s Dean notes other wedding-related items that may cause a checkpoint glitch for those on their way to getting hitched. Knives designed to cut wedding cakes should be shipped or put in checked bags, but wired bouquets are OK, “along with rice, birdseed, sand and candy-coated almonds,” she said.

Jewelry and other valuables should be packed in carry-on, not checked bags. And gifts for the bridal party should be wrapped at the destination, in case they require additional screening.

Another important consideration: identification. A bride may leave for her destination wedding with one last name but return to the airport with another. Current TSA rules require that the name on a ticket match the name on an ID exactly but, often, honeymoon tickets are made in the married couple’s name.

The TSA’s advice: “Take your marriage license with you in the event you booked your plane tickets in your married name but haven’t updated your driver’s license.”

Ezon isn’t totally comfortable with that advice. “It’s often left to the discretion of TSA or immigration officers whether or not to accept a marriage license as a legal document. But a wedding or honeymoon is such a big deal. You don’t really want to rely on that.”

Bottom line: Make sure your paperwork, like your partner, is a perfect match.

(My story: Planning a Destination Wedding? What to know before you go, was first published on msnbc.com’s Overhead Bin)

Grenades, pistols, knives and my favorite from last week: thousands of hits of ecstasy stashed in someone’s underpants.

Here’s the photo of last week’s finds from the TSA.gov blog.  Wacky but, when you get right down to it, really quite alarming.

The program, currently in place in seven airports, allows approved fliers to pass through security without having to remove their shoes, belt and jacket. Laptops can also stay in their bags, as can TSA-approved liquids placed in carry-ons.

The TSA has already screened 336,000 fliers through the program. Eligible participants include U.S. citizens who are frequent fliers on selected airlines. Fliers interested in participating can apply via the government’s Global Entry website.

Once a flier is approved, information is then embedded in the barcode of his or her boarding pass, which is scanned at the security checkpoint, where the flier may be directed to an expedited screening lane.

Michael Schneider, the Los Angeles-based owner of Mobile Roadie, a company that helps non-techies make apps, is an American Airlines Executive Platinum flier who was invited by the airline to join the TSA’s PreCheck program a few months ago.

Schneider was already a participant in Global Entry, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that allows pre-approved low-risk international travelers to pass through customs quickly. Schneider says participating in PreCheck only required filling out an online form.

Handing over additional personal information was worth the convenience at the airport. “I have nothing to hide,” Schneider said. “And when you travel as much as I do — 150,000 miles a year — the little things [like] belt off, shoes off, laptop out add up to a drag.”

Salt Lake City, New York’s JFK, Washington’s Reagan National and Chicago’s O’Hare airports will be added to the program by the end of March. These remaining 24 airports will be added by the end of the year:

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Honolulu International Airport (HNL)
Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL)
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
Portland International Airport (PDX)
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

(This story originally appeared on msnbc.com)

Packing for the game? TSA blogger Bob Burns lists some popular game-day items that won’t fly. Those include air horns (compressed air) and propane tanks (compressed gas), which are prohibited from both carry-on and checked baggage. Gas heaters and stoves (popular tailgating accessories) are permitted, but they may be turned away if they smell of gas.

For travelers determined to bring their own refreshments to the game in a concealment flask, Burns notes: “We’ve seen them all. Binocular flasks, beer bellies, cell phone flasks … You may be able to sneak these into concerts and sporting events, but we’ll find them at the airport.”

His advice? Pack your libations in your luggage or stock up once you arrive in Indianapolis. Although he does point out that travelers are permitted to put bottles of liquid 3.4 oz or less in those carry-on zippered baggies.

TSA will use generic-image, millimeter wave scanners at Indianapolis International Airport, and the agency will work with law enforcement at the Super Bowl. Contrary to rumors, Burns said the TSA will not be employing body scanners at the stadium.

Planning your game day outfit? Burns suggests that anyone wearing a loose-fitting sports jersey as outerwear may be asked to remove it at a security checkpoint. He adds that New England Patriot fans should be ready to remove their tri-cornered hats (Cheeseheads, he said, get the same treatment) and that New York Giants fans should be prepared to duck when going through the airport metal detectors and scanners.

Cue the rim shot….

If you’ve got some extra time to spend at the IND airport, keep in mind that many shops will be offering special Super Bowl souvenirs (including championship items rushed to the airport when the game is over).  There’s also a pop-up, hotel-style lobby from Courtyard Marriott on Concourse A, just past the security checkpoint, and a full day of entertainment on tap Monday in the airport’s pre-security Civic Plaza lobby.

Check here for the latest information about extended hours and offerings at IND airport.

IND Airport pop-up lobby, courtesy Courtyard Marriott

Hate hidden travel fees? Then pay attention when collecting your belongings at the airport security checkpoint.

In fiscal year 2010, travelers left $376,480.39 in loose change in the bottoms of plastic bins at the checkpoints, according to the Transportation Security Administration. In 2009, the abandoned coins totaled more than $399,000.

“Passengers say their six pennies don’t matter,” said TSA spokesperson Nico Melendez. “But it adds up.”

Melenendez said all the unclaimed pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters are turned over to the TSA finance office. After being documented and counted, the money ends up in the coffers of the TSA, which is authorized by law to spend that money as it sees fit.

But Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) wants to change what happens to that big chunk of change.

Miller has introduced legislation that would direct the TSA to transfer unclaimed money recovered at airport security checkpoints to the United Service Organizations (USO), a private nonprofit that operates centers for the military at 41 U.S. airports.

Miller first introduced the bill in 2009, but it didn’t get much traction. Now that he’s the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, he’s trying to move the bill forward again.

“The money left behind at the airport checkpoints belongs to taxpayers,” said Miller spokesperson Dan McFaul. “The congressman feels giving it to the USO to help with onsite airport service for active members of the military would be a good use for it.”

McFaul said the bill is currently being considered by two committees – Homeland Security and Transportation – and that “the immediate focus is to get a hearing and get support.”

The USO, which did not initiate the campaign to redirect unclaimed checkpoint change, is nonetheless honored by Miller’s idea.

“Absolutely,” said Frank Thorp, USO’s senior vice president for marketing and communications. “Any dollar amount we get from the American people goes toward the troops and families who need us most. Our centers provide a warm and comforting place where troops can connect with family via Internet or telephone, play a video game, catch a movie, have a snack or just put their feet up and relax.”

As a federal agency, the TSA has no official position on the pending legislation, but Melendez says: “If people don’t want the TSA to get that money, they can do what I do. If I have spare change in my pocket, I put it in my briefcase so I don’t leave it behind.”

This story originally appeared on msnbc.com’s Overhead Bin.

Here are his picks for 10 ‘catches’ that were dangerous, looked dangerous, caused major delays or were “just plain weird.”

Snakes, turtles, and birds were found at Miami (MIA) and Los Angeles (LAX).

A science project shut down a checkpoint at Omaha (OMA).

A concealed non-metallic martial arts weapon known as a “Tactical Spike” was found in the sock of a passenger at Pensacola (PNS) after being screened by a body scanner.

Inert landmines were found at Salt Lake City (SLC).

A stun gun disguised as a smart phone was found at Los Angeles (LAX).

A flare gun with seven flares was found in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Norfolk (ORF).

Two throwing knives concealed in hollowed out book were found at Washington National (DCA).

Over 1,200 firearms were discovered at TSA checkpoints across the nation, many loaded with rounds in the chamber that most passengers said they “forgot” they had a gun in their bag.

A loaded .380 pistol was found strapped to passenger’s ankle with the body scanner at Detroit (DTW).

Small chunks of C4 explosives were found in passenger’s checked luggage in Yuma (YUM).

Blogger Bob also listed some honorable mentions, including Invisible Space Aliens detected at checkpoints, five inert grenades found in passenger’s bag at Newark (EWR) and 240 live fish found swimming in 4 checked bags at Los Angeles (LAX).

That’s quite a list…. Let’s hope the things the TSA picks up this year are not truly dangerous but just “plain weird.”

Each Friday on msnbc.com’s Overhead Bin, I track down the answer to a reader’s question. This week’s question was: What happens to all that stuff ‘surrendered’ at airport security checkpoints?

Betty Spencer doesn’t travel much, but she’s curious about what happens to items confiscated or surrendered at airport security checkpoints. “There are so many stories of people having to give up items,” Spencer, a patient accounts counselor in Spokane, Wash., wrote to Overhead Bin. “I wondered if any of the items could be donated or recycled. I would hate to think of so much waste.”

The Transportation Security Administration does indeed end up with a lot of stuff: Since 9/11, the TSA has detected approximately 50 million prohibited items, including 4,600 firearms, during airport checkpoint screening.

Hazardous materials are disposed of, and dangerous or illegal items such as guns and explosives are turned over to law enforcement. But travelers do have some say in what happens to other items.

“TSA offers passengers multiple options at the checkpoint for prohibited items that are less dangerous and not illegal,” said TSA spokesperson Greg Soule. “Passengers can return them to their cars, pack them in checked baggage, or at some airports, mail them home to themselves.”

More often than not, travelers end up surrendering their items at the checkpoint. After that, Soule says, the items end up being donated to state governments “to be auctioned off or sold as revenue. TSA in no way profits from surrendered or lost items at the checkpoint.”

Some states, such as Pennsylvania, operate a brisk and profitable business selling items left behind at airports in the state – and beyond.

“Not all states have a program that’s large enough to accept all the items left at airports,” said Troy Thompson, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. “But we do. And we receive pallets of items from New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports and from some airports in Ohio and Maryland.”

Thompson said all the items Pennsylvania gathers end up at a warehouse, where it’s sorted.

“We get a lot of pocketknives, scissors and corkscrews,” said Thompson, “but also frying pans and other cookware, and tools such as drills, saws, hatchets and machetes. Some of it makes you scratch your head and wonder how people thought they’d get those things on the plane.”

A sampling of the items are put out in a store at the state warehouse in Harrisburg, but most of the items get sold in lots, by weight, online at auction. Since 2004, Pennsylvania has earned about $700,000 from auctions held for many years on eBay and, soon, on govdeals.com.