Practical Travel Safety Issues - NY Area (via HPN/SWF) no scanner - how to get back from Florida?

I need to get from NJ/NYC to Southeast FL.

I think I can fly out of Westchester County Airport (HPN) or Stewart (SWF). They are not listed in the sticky as having WBIs. If anyone has information to the contrary, please let me know. I will double check before booking any tickets.

The problem is getting back. I would be flying into PBI (West Palm Beach). Close airports I know of are PBI, Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Miami (MIA). All have WBI. Are there any other viable airports to get from southeast Florida to NJ/Southeast NY? I can fly into anywhere in NJ or southeast NY. My primary airport was EWR.

I know you guys all know which airport codes go with which state but short of going through every one, how can I tell? Plus it seems to be listing airports that HAVE WBI not airports that don't. For instance, neither SWF (Stewart in NY) nor HPN (Westchester in NY) are listed. I assume that means they don't have them but there's also a high probability they simply haven't been reported on.

I will be traveling with 2 children, so opt-outs aren't really an option as I will leave rather than have them groped. I have booked r/t Amtrak from Newark, NJ to Delray Beach, FL but none of us is too keen on the idea of 24 hours on a train. If I can't get back from Florida w/o WBI, I'll keep the return Amtrak trip and book a flight down from a non-WBI airport. Any information on smaller, regional airports in Southeast FL would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

With kids, I would just take Amtrak. 24hrs isn't that bad if you have a sleeping car with the extra privacy that it provides. Plus, the kids can move around and play.

South Florida is a problem, almost all have NoS at most gates. The only options I can think of would be Naples or Daytona. Either way quite a drive from FLL area.

Naples is probably the closest, a couple hours across Alligator Alley.

Good luck.

There is Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport (KTMB)
Melbourne International is a 'short' 2 hours north. Make a day of it and go see Ron Jons and Cocoa Beach/Space Center.

I don''t know if they are in use yet, but it was announced in late December that they are coming to Melbourne.

You want RSW if you want to be certain of no scanners. A one-way car rental from Miami will cost you about $80. Otherwise, book AA from MIA. There are 4 different checkpoints you can go through (D1, D2, D3, E), and while all have at least 1 scanner, there are generally some not being used and you can pick the best security lane.

--Jon

Thanks everyone. I'm definitely sticking with Amtrak for the FL->NJ return portion of the trip but will consider flying on the way down.

Actually, there is a list of alternative airports without AIT as well:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-safety-security/1147366-list-airport-alternatives-without-full-body-scanners.html

Thanks everyone. I'm definitely sticking with Amtrak for the FL->NJ return portion of the trip but will consider flying on the way down.

I'd go Amtrak round trip. Way, way less stress. I've done L.A. to Atlanta twice, took three days to get there; two days L.A. to New Orleans, stay overnight there, and one day in to Atlanta. Sleeper car both sections of the trip. Great scenery, good food, and friendly folks. :D

---
yautjalady

I am considering a similar route HPN (westchester ) to DAB (daytona beach) for a family of 5 to get to orlando. Unfortunately even if there are no full body scanner in those two airports, the route is not non stop and will require a stop at ATL. Now if you need to go through the full body scanner check during the transfer point this will all be for naught. Although I would be using the same airlines, does anyone know if it is required to go through another security check(full body scanner) during the change of planes?

I am considering a similar route HPN (westchester ) to DAB (daytona beach) for a family of 5 to get to orlando. Unfortunately even if there are no full body scanner in those two airports, the route is not non stop and will require a stop at ATL. Now if you need to go through the full body scanner check during the transfer point this will all be for naught. Although I would be using the same airlines, does anyone know if it is required to go through another security check(full body scanner) during the change of planes?

Not on domestic flights in ATL, as long as you don not exit the secured area (should be no need to). International arrival in ATL connecting to domestic, yes. Not sure if they have the NoS in the security at international-domestic connections - haven't been through there this year.

What about JetBlue--Westchester to Palm beach??

What about JetBlue--Westchester to Palm beach??

I preface with I do not have personal experience of this.

However, according to this site and http://ofsevit.dynalias.com:8081/ari/tsa/ Westchester (HPN) does not have WBIs. West Palm (PBI) does as well as the rest of the east coast of Florida. Someone had recommended Fort Myers (RSW) on the west coast for departure. I forget if there's a flight from RSW to HPN but I know you can get to some of the NYC airports from there. I think I flew into EWR a few years ago from RSW.