Clearly showing the purpose of their presence is to get you to buy another drink. It seems that large parts of the new TSA inspections are designed to promote sales of travel size items, and to limit the presence of food and drinks not sold by the airlines.
Ever since discovering the benefits of train travel I do not take the airlines at all. No TSA inspections. Power outlets in coach. Seats that recline and have legroom in coach. You can get up whenever you want, and they have dining cars and food. You can bring your own food. You can bring a shitload of luggage. On some trips you can take your car, and they have sleeper cars for long trips. There are people in a better mood. It also takes much more to cancel train trips as it does to cancel flights, and if you are late for a stopover Amtrack can print you a new ticket on the train you are traveling on, or if you want you can go to the ticket counter when you arrive and easily get a new ticket there. Oh, and after you consider the convoluted travel system of stopovers for plane trips the train becomes about the same time on trips less than 12 hours.
You must not travel often, the TSA is moving into train stations all across the country.
I have seen them there, but I have not had to go through all the crap like on the plane. In the case of the train there are actually heavily armed military people in places like penn station. They are just there as a presence, they do not seem to do anything. I don't even think I go through a metal detector to get on a train. Seriously, I have brought a nice amount of pot on my carry on in a train and had no problem, and I have had other bad substances with me on the train. I like being high on the train. I would have never tried that will all the X-rays and searches on flights.
As for how recent it has been, I do not travel as much as some people, but it has been within the year. If the airlines are bugging you consider the train. I am saying it is a hell of a lot easier, and the airlines **** with your shit so much. Most of the time on the train when I travel I keep my luggage with me so there is no chance of losing it, but they do have storage if i need. even if the TSA is in the train stations it certainly is nothing like the airports. Give the train a chance, it is better. It is not just better, it is a truly relaxing and enjoyable way to travel, but it is longer than a flight in the long distances.