The lady was a quilter and vendor from Canada going to the US for a quilt show and the U.S. customs agent had her write Samples so she couldn't sell her quilt samples in the US. She chose to write on the quilts instead of not taking them. It's being investigated as to why she had to do this. It pays to know the rules, every rule. Never know when a agent had a bad day.
To be able to be across the country in a matter of hours is worth every penny the airline charges which is expensive but not outrageous for the value.