Only in Miami: Supermarket Cart Ended Up On Airport Moving Walkway, How Did It Get Past TSA?

A Publix supermarket shopping cart was spotted on a moving walkway at the Miami International Airport, and I have questions.

These certainly make good luggage carts, although this one was empty. But how did it get there in the first place? What was someone doing with it?

Which one of y’all left this at Miami international airport?
byu/JorgeHeathen inflorida

One hotel used SmarteCartes from the airport as its bellman carts. Rent a SmarteCarte and don’t return it? Roughly $5. Bellman carts run $500 – $1,500 each.

Another hotel used grocery shopping carts instead of housekeeping carts to save money. Again, it’s cheaper.

But I struggle with how a grocery cart from Publix even winds up in the Miami airport in the first place? It had to get through the TSA checkpoint! It doesn’t fit through a scanner or even an x-ray machine. So this happened with the assistance of security personnel.

I would guess that the Publix cart was used by a vendor bringing supplies for a retail shop or more likely restaurant onto the concourse during off hours, and was simply left in the airport. They probably shouldn’t have taken it from Publix in the first place! And since it wasn’t theirs, they weren’t too worried about keeping track of it.

My only other thought is that Miami is an American Airlines hub, and someone at the carrier was taking their CEO’s repeated admonition not to spend a dollar they don’t have to seriously.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Not surprising that this has happened at all,but I am amazed that No one has been fined for this at all either and that individual or persons should be fined for taking a cart Illegally

  2. I’m not aware of any “Moving walkways” behind TSA at MIA. But there are loads of them from the parking garages to the terminal on level 3.

  3. It didn’t go through TSA, that’s why. You’re thinking one-dimensionally. Employees, Gary, employees.

  4. It was a leftover from one of the homeless illegals who hightailed it back to their 3rd world shithole after yesterdays election.

  5. As a former TSA person of 20yrs, I can tell you, we wouldn’t care. Screen it, let it in. There are gates to let in carts, wagons, strollers too big for the X-ray, whatever. TSA doesn’t care because this is not a threat and it is none of my business to ask. We have people that use airport wheelchairs to carry their luggage. Again, not my business to question where you got it, screen it, move along.

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