Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate - Arm in a sling - what to expect with TSA and/or GA

My son cracked his collarbone and his arm is in a sling contraption with a pillow spacer attached to support his arm. He can remove the sling for a few minutes but cannot raise his arm very high. I don't think he can go through a full-body scanner at Security.

We are flying out of LAX this weekend and am not sure how to proceed through Security. Does he make a request for a different inspection at the point we are putting our things on the conveyor? or earlier, like when his travel documents are inspected? Should he expect to remove the sling? We will be using the elite line, or whichever line is shorter.

Should I anticipate any issues with UA GA? I would think not. We are seated in First, and do not have emergency exit row seating.

This thread will probably be moved to the Travel Safety/Security forum. That said, TSA policy -- which is about as easy to nail down as Jell-o to a wall -- is to direct travelers to the metal detector if they are ineligible for the scanner. However, do not be surprised if a TS"O" insists on performing a pat-down. If so, and you have the time, you should escalate on the spot. Don't be afraid to politely but firmly push back.

How old is your son? If he's 11-, he goes through the mag w. no pat down anyway.

If not, simply let the Officer know at the ID checkpoint and they will deal with the issue. Happens thousands of times/day and you should not worry. Allow yourself a few extra minutes, just in case the mag isn't in use and has to be opened and staffed for your son.

Depending on the checkpoint, there may be a line marked especially for "families & medical."

He's 20 so not a little kid. And we don't have a dr note - did not even think to get one even though we talked with the dr about air travel. Hence my late-night panicking.

A doctors note doesn't mean anything.
They deal with this stuff thousands of time a day, so relax and just get out there a little early as others have said.
I have a card from my doctor indicating that I have a knee replacement. Showed it once about 7 years ago for the first flight after my surgery. Waste of time, as it didn't mean squat, so now I get the x-ray treatment & sometimes even the pat down. They reroute pace maker folks, so the same will happen to your son.
RELAX!!!
NO BIG DEAL!!!

Last year I made a number of trips wearing a shoulder immobilizer. TSA was not an issue; I went through the scanner with my right arm raised and then the agent wanded my left. No pat down or hassle. In flight, when upgraded, FA's were quite solicitious, even offering extra blankets to prop my arm. In the back nobody noticed.

Based on my experience: no worries.

I was in a sling/space for shoulder surgery for a while last year...and I had to fly a decent amount.

I never had any trouble at all with TSA or the airlines. The TSA was more than willing to accomodate me being unable to raise my arm (I could take the sling/spacer off) -- they just sent me through the WTMD and were very nice about it (helping me lift/move things even though I didn't need the help).

The airlines always let me board early (with first class) so I could get settled without the risk of other passengers bumping me.

All in all -- good experience.

Last year I made a number of trips wearing a shoulder immobilizer. TSA was not an issue; I went through the scanner with my right arm raised and then the agent wanded my left. No pat down or hassle. In flight, when upgraded, FA's were quite solicitious, even offering extra blankets to prop my arm. In the back nobody noticed.

Based on my experience: no worries.

Where did you get wanded? IIRC, our former resident TSOs said the wands went away in late 2010 with the introduction of the NoS machines. Wands were replaced with the 'hands-on' gropes.

I'm an 'involuntary medical opt-out' - I can't assume and hold the position in the NoS and I always get a grope, and in the recent months, the grope is followed by an ETD test.

Unless it is something that absolutely will need some kind of accommodation, I wouldn't present a doctor's note or look for any special exceptions. It's the people who appear to be vulnerable who are most susceptible to bullying. If he can, just allot plenty of time and behave as is usual for him at the checkpoint.

Last year I made a number of trips wearing a shoulder immobilizer. TSA was not an issue; I went through the scanner with my right arm raised and then the agent wanded my left. No pat down or hassle. In flight, when upgraded, FA's were quite solicitious, even offering extra blankets to prop my arm. In the back nobody noticed.

Based on my experience: no worries.

I'm now 4 for 4 in getting the WTMD when I tell the agent "I have a rotator-cuff injury and can't raise my hand above my head".

Try it.

Unless it is something that absolutely will need some kind of accommodation, I wouldn't present a doctor's note or look for any special exceptions. It's the people who appear to be vulnerable who are most susceptible to bullying. If he can, just allot plenty of time and behave as is usual for him at the checkpoint.

This is incorrect.

If directed to the AIT/NOS machine, your son should state "I am unable to raise my arm over my head."

He will then be sent through the WTMD. They may check his sling but he will not be asked to remove it.

If any of the above happens differently, ask for a supervisor.

Follow this advice, and your experience will be a piece of cake.

I second those saying it's a piece of cake.

I broke my collarbone late last year and just went through the WTMD, never the NOS. Occasionally, a TSO would delicately check and swab my sling. That was it.

Then tell your son to use the "unable to assume the position" excuse well into his rehab to avoid the NOS in the near future. :D

do not remove the sling.

most likely if he does not set off the metal detector most likely they will just perform some kind of less invasive screening.

I'm an 'involuntary medical opt-out' - I can't assume and hold the position in the NoS and I always get a grope, and in the recent months, the grope is followed by an ETD test.

shame

Although people here are correctly describing what should happen, and indeed what does happen thousands of times each day, it is important to be aware that there have been many reports where the proper procedures haven't been followed. It's always good to be prepared.

Then tell your son to use the "unable to assume the position" excuse well into his rehab to avoid the NOS in the near future. forever :D

I fixed it for you.;)

they are not following their correct procedures on you if you can not hold the position.

This is what a TSO who used to post on this board told me. I even printed out a copy of his PM. On the one occasion when I asked for a supervisor, the supervisor ended up taking a copy of my ID/BP and the PM (for their records), lectured me about trusting anyone or anything posted on the internet, and sent me off for my grope and swab.

I've seen people post about what is supposed to happen, but this has not been my experience thus far.

I'm now 4 for 4 in getting the WTMD when I tell the agent "I have a rotator-cuff injury and can't raise my hand above my head".

Try it.

7/7 using that excuse. No questions asked.

And I'm never wearing my employee badge either, so that's not it.

I've seen people post about what is supposed to happen, but this has not been my experience thus far.

I'm actually amazed at the reassuring tone of this thread. Yes, OP's son MAY have a decent experience and not have a painful encounter, but he MAY NOT have one.

Experiences vary greatly and in the many hundreds of times I passed through a TSA checkpoint they ranged from pleasant, neutral, to aggressive, to painful and once so painful that I almost passed out from the pain.

Just because most of the posters on this thread had neutral or decent experiences doesn't mean that OP's son will.

Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

There has been some discussion of this topic in the ongoing "Opt-out stories" thread (on page 191) which may be helpful, including an entertaining story from FriendlySkies about such a screening experience:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/checkpoints-borders-policy-debate/1116005-nude-o-scope-opt-out-stories-merged-191.html

This is from my trip through the SAN Commuter Terminal on Saturday.

For those of you that have not flown through the commuter terminal, it only has four gates, and one checkpoint with one WTMD, one bksx, and two bag x-rays. Naturally, the WTMD was r:rolleyes:ped off, and the BKSX was primary :td:

I was the only person going through security at the time, so the clerk seemed to dedicate most of his attention to me. I really didn't appreciate his attitude, which reminded me of

Here is our exchange:

Clerk: <points to BKSX>
Me: I have a shoulder injury, and can not raise my arms
Clerk: Alright, then you're opting out?
Me: No, this is a medical issue, and we are allowed to go through the WTMD
Clerk: I don't know where you are getting your info, but that is false
Me: Oh, really? I've had to do it four times in the past week.
Clerk: If you don't go through the BKSX, you will receive a full body pat down
Me: Go ahead and ask a three-striper if you don't believe me.

At this point, it seems that the clerk was getting annoyed because I wouldn't play along with his little game.

He kept arguing with me, which led to the TDC to step-in and say "If he's ineligible for the "AIT" :rolleyes:, then you open up the WTMD.

It got more interesting as the clerk began to argue with the TDC :rolleyes:

Clerk: He said that a supervisor allowed him to go through
TDC: Then let's ask the supervisor.

Clerk: He has a medical issue, and says that he is allowed to go through the WTMD?

Three Striper: That is correct. If he is ineligible, then let him through the WTMD. He'll only get a pat-down if he alarms.

Clerk: :rolleyes: :sigh:

After a couple minutes of back and forth, I made it through. It's just ridiculous to see how stupid some of these people are. If I were the three-striper, I would have pulled this clerk for his rude attitude, and for arguing with the passengers. When you have fellow employees telling you that you are wrong, it's time to admit defeat, not keep arguing. :td:

What I take away from these stories is that one should never use the words "opt out" when they have a medical issue. Make sure you explain that you are perfectly willing to go through the AIT scanner, but you are physically unable to hold your arms up.

There has been some discussion of this topic in the ongoing "Opt-out stories" thread (on page 191) which may be helpful, including an entertaining story from FriendlySkies about such a screening experience:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/checkpoints-borders-policy-debate/1116005-nude-o-scope-opt-out-stories-merged-191.html



What I take away from these stories is that one should never use the words "opt out" when they have a medical issue. Make sure you explain that you are perfectly willing to go through the AIT scanner, but you are physically unable to hold your arms up.

I always scrupulously avoid the words 'opt-out'. When I am directed to the scanner, I explain my physical limitations. Most recently, at PHX T2, the TSO directing pax told me to demonstrate my limitations. I did. Then she told me I was an 'opt-out', grope, touch everywhere, bla-bla. I said repeatedly that I was NOT opting out, I was unable (as demonstrated) to assume and hold the position. She continued to repeat that I was 'opting out'.

PHX was a slip on my part - I was distracted, tired and pre-occupied. I don't usually address the issue with the 'traffic director' any more because in the past I have always been told that if I don't use the AIT when directed to do so, I am an 'opt-out'. Instead, I enter the AIT as directed. When I'm coached to assume and hold the position, then I explain my limitations. At this point, I'm holding up the AIT and there's a TSO stationed right there, ready to do an 'anomaly resolution grope'. In my case, of course, that's always a full-body grope - but at least there's no wait for the 'special opt-out groper', I'm usually in a better position to keep an eye on my belongings and I've yet to get the swab or gratuitous bag check that frequently accompany an 'involuntary medical opt-out' grope.

As I've posted elsewhere, on one early occasion when I explained my limitations to the 'traffic director' and got told I was an 'opt-out', I asked for a supervisor. I presented a print-out of the PM from a TSO who posted here, explaining that folks with physical limitations are not opt-outs. That supervisor made copies of my ID/BP and the copy of the PM (which was not returned to me) for their 'reports'. He proceeded to remind me that just because someone self-identified as a TSA employee on the internet, that did not make it so. In fact, he could be one of the bad guys trying to 'test' the system through me and others equally gullible.

Considering that the TSO who gave the advice also subsequently publicly advised us here that baggie size no longer mattered (not true), I assumed the supervisor was correct - I was being set up, all right, but it was that TSO's bizarre idea of a joke at my expense.

I'd like to know what TSA's 'disability helpline' person would have to say on this subject, but it wouldn't carry any weight at the checkpoint anyway.

I was being set up, all right, but it was that TSO's bizarre idea of a joke at my expense.

Probably the only way they're able to get up and go to work every day - looking forward to that sort of "joke."

Anyone who plans to go through a TSA "checkpoint" these days should be prepared for and expect the worst. That way, if things don't go badly, you're at least pleasantly surprised.