Married At First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis endured a sleepless night after arriving in New York City on Thursday afternoon from Melbourne.
The 36-year-old said she ‘survived 27 hours of travel’ and arrived at her hotel in Manhattan, only to discover that US transport security administration (TSA) had locked her out of her luggage.
Martha explained her predicament in the captions of several photos and videos shared to her Instagram Stories.
‘TSA locked my bag. Fun because finding a locksmith at 1am is fun fun fun!’ she wrote sarcastically.
In a black-and-white selfie taken from her hotel room bed, the reality TV star pouted for her camera beside her large travel bag marked ‘heavy’.
The next photo showed TSA had broken open the lock on Martha’s suitcase to inspect her bag and then re-sealed the damaged zipper with a temporary lock device.
Married At First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis endured a sleepless night after arriving in New York City on Thursday afternoon from Melbourne
The 36-year-old said she ‘survived 27 hours of travel’ and arrived at her hotel in Manhattan, only to discover that TSA had locked her out of her luggage
Martha explained her predicament in the captions of several photos and videos shared to her Instagram Stories. TSA had broken open the lock on Martha’s suitcase to inspect her bag and then re-sealed the damaged zipper with a temporary lock device
‘Never used this lock in my life but now I am an expert at how to break one open. Tutorial coming soon,’ she captioned the photo.
She also shared a photo of the notice of baggage inspection ticket that she received.
‘@TSA Thank you for leaving this very kind note,’ Martha added.
It read: ‘If the TSA officer was unable to open your bag for inspection because it was locked, the officer may have been forced to break the locks on your bag.
‘TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, however TSA is not liable for damage to your locks from this necessary security precaution.’
The special tool used by TSA agents to open locks is not available to the general public.
The TSA screens every passenger’s baggage before it is placed on the plane.
At their discretion, they can choose to open a passenger’s luggage for closer inspection.
Martha received the TSA’s standard notice of baggage inspection ticket
On her return to the hotel bed, she FaceTimed her fiancé Michael Brunelli, 33, and their two-year-old son, Lucius
When this occurs, if the luggage is fitted with any lock other than those approved by the TSA (marked with a Red Diamond logo), they will destroy whatever lock is fitted to gain access.
TSA security screeners have a master key that can open any TSA-approved lock—whether it’s a combination or a padlock-style lock—so that agents can examine the contents of your suitcase.
But it appears Martha did not read up on travel guides for the US before her trip.
After calling an emergency locksmith to open her bags in the middle of the night, and doubtless paying a pretty penny for the service, the brunette trekked down to a local diner in her tracksuit.
She ordered several plates of salad, bread, and fries, washed down with sparking water.
‘Naturally, I ate my feelings,’ Martha captioned the photo of her spread.
She also couldn’t resist taking a cheeky jab at her home city at the same time.
‘It’s always nice to be in a city where the kitchen doesn’t close at 9pm.’
After calling an emergency locksmith to open her bags in the middle of the night, and doubtless paying a pretty penny for the service, the brunette trekked down to a local diner
Looking much brighter this morning, Martha dressed in an oversized black denim jacket and jeans combo by Acne Studios in her small hotel bathroom
On her return to the hotel bed, she FaceTimed her fiancé Michael Brunelli, 33, and their two-year-old son, Lucius.
The make up artist has been engaged to Michael for three years since they met on Married At First Sight.
‘Did I get any sleep? Nup. But I did take advantage of being kid free and doing my hair and make up this morning,’ she captioned further updates posted on Friday.
Looking much brighter in the morning, Martha dressed in an oversized black denim jacket and jeans combo by Acne Studios in her small hotel bathroom.
Her first order of business was paying a visit to La Colombe Coffee Workshop, makers of the world’s first-ever textured ice latte.
‘On my way to get myself 30 litres of coffee immediately,’ she said.
‘The most divine liquid I have ever consumed. Cold frothy milk hits. Why are we living in medieval times in Australia? Give us cold frothy milk on tap.’
