patom

This morning at CVG the frisk was much more vigorous than any in the past year.

DeafBlonde

What if the TSA (grop-er) is a female? Would it be best to say, "F U - pervertette"? Or, "F U pervertess"?

Wally Bird

No hostile intent. Stick around this forum and you'll see real hostility; just search for posts by <redacted> .

I was pointing out that your observation of few opt-outs is by no means unusual.

CDKing

Alas all great things come to an end. At least there's the A/B/C side for now.

Bungnoid

"History will not look back kindly on you and what you're doing here."

Neutron Star

Opted out at JFK T8 last week. Backscatter machines were being used with all WTMDs roped off despite lines being 8 or 9 people deep waiting for the scanner. A man in front of me opted out and was taken around the WTMD (not through it) for his pat down.

When I told the TSO I was opting out he told me to wait in front of the WTMD. I replied that I couldn't see my things on the x-ray belt, to which he said "there's nothing I can do." When I stated that TSA policy says I need to see my belongings, he called over the TSO running the backscatter machine saying "we have a problem." Just as I'm ready to ask for someone with stripes on their shoulders, my groper arrived and I was taken around the WTMD (not through it).

The pat down was brief. No karate chops, crotch touching, or fingers in the hair. Not even a ETD swab. When I asked for new gloves, the TSO responded "of course, I keep a whole bunch in my pocket." I then explain how cross contamination works and ask if there are a lot of false positives on ETD swabs. The response "yeah, almost all of them and the rest of them are heart medication or have been gardening." Total time from the TDC to clearing the checkpoint was maybe 10 minutes.

I'll be writing to all my elected officials.

InkUnderNails

Today, BUF, early in the morning, about 5:30. There are about a gazillion kids in the airport with matching bag tags generally standing around in non-moving groups waiting for something but going nowhere. This made for a good start.

Used the premium line, got past the TDC quickly using NEXUS (it was BUF) and was directed to the Backscatter machines. Oops, not today. "I opt out." Then it got strange.

Oh, they let me watch my stuff. Until they moved some of it away and left some of it. I said that that, and also that over there is mine, can we do this where I can watch all of it? Sure, and we did.

I had three friskers and a bag swabber. I get my money's worth.

There was a non-uniform guy that was the traffic director. He got everything started and then left. I was frisked by a guy in a white shirt with no markings. He was supervised by a person of one stripe.

I stopped them both and told them that I was hearing impaired. Whatever they said may be misunderstood. So I gave them their speech for them and asked the to nod if it was correct. Both did. Then white shirt started by going through the speech. I looked at one stripe, "Are we training today?" He nodded.

The frisk was the oddest ever. The guy had been through the training but was clumsy and did some things twice like he maybe forgot. He was nice, and was not rough. It was like he really did not need the extra complication, me not hearing and telling him how to do his job, but he was not angry, just baffled. It was over quick enough. No privates touched. Not even close.

All the while, the original non-uniform was watching intently, but at a distance. I guess the trainer was being trained doing training.

White shirt held out his gloved hands and the trainer swabbed them hard and thoroughly. I still say that the primary purpose of the all over rub is ETD samples and not lumps under the clothes.

All said and done, I asked for the training discount as I left and they both chuckled.

Yeah, real funny.

Pretty darn serious work to leave to two trainees with only perfunctory supervision. At least to hear them tell it.

Xyzzy

I opted-out at EWR-A3 the other day. As I got to the WTMD, they were opening up the MMW. A woman dodged in front of me to get to the WTMD first so I was sent to the MMW. I told them I refused to be scanned by the MMW machine. They made me remove my belt saying it had to be x-rayed. Then they insisted that I not walk through the WTMD, and instead opened a pass-through gate. I then had a rather normal (not particularly intrusive) patdown. I've opted out quite a few times. I have never had them insist that I remove my belt or that I not walk thrugh the WTMD before.

Fredd

I assume your belt doesn't contain metal. I always remove mine because it does. What about drawstrings on sweat pants? What about a cummerbund or a toupee? I'm sure the answers are all in the fine print somewhere.

It's also odd that you can't take a shortcut through the WTMD. It is it because your not setting it off would be embarrassing?

Agreed that it's all strange.

InkUnderNails

I have always been asked to take off the belt. So I confound them. I take it off an put it in my carry on. No belt on me, no belt in the bin, fat guy that needs a belt. About half the time I am asked where my belt is.

Also, I have a wad-up-able jacket. Wallet, watch, cellphone all go in the jacket. Jacket is rolled up and stuffed in the big pocket of my backpack. Belt goes on top of jacket. Cable ties on double zipper. All done long before I get to the TDC. While I get the inevitable swab of the carry on, I put on my belt, pull out the jacket and put it on transferring my stuff out of the jacket to their proper locations. It is a system that works for me.

Critic

When I opted out at PHL B last month, I had left my belt on as I had planned to opt out if I couldn't SDOO. As I was getting my pat down, the TSO asked me to remove my belt - he then proceeded to run the length of it between two of his fingers and drop it in the bin - meaning it was more for the sake of ETD than for anything else.

52pickup

Flew through Seattle the other day. Rude SOB at the front, "Do you actually understand how these machines work?" as if I was an idiot. Asked if I consented to a search. I replied as long as it didn't touch my genitals. He read from a card that included "We will not purposefully touch your genital area." Note the word purposefully. Had a little ollllllllddddd Asian do the pat down. Very thorough and conscientious. Talked me up more than felt me up. Noticed that most of the gropers were now small and old - I suppose that's less threatening (certainly better than the previous demographic that was at SEA). Very encouraged to see that the pat-down lines were FULL and being used consistently. Maybe people ARE waking up.

We'll use LaGuardia instead of JFK or Long Island from now on. No naked scanners. Instead, there are the usual metal detectors, a LOT of TSA personnel, and random checks. As soon as a booth is open, someone is randomly selected. They're inside the booth for about 4 minutes; I noticed at least three agents studying me while in there. Then those randomly selected are selected again for either swab, wand, or full patdown. What I observed was that elderly were wanded, women were swabbed, and men were selected for the full monty. It was very fast, and I thought very secure. LGA has apparently joined the ranks of those airports deciding that well-trained agents are a much better shield than numbskulls who can't get a job anywhere else, but who rely on technology that can be skirted.

Xyzzy

My belt has a small amount of metal, but it doesn't set off the WTMD. They were emphatic that I nt walk through the WTMD. I have no idea why.

RatherBeOnATrain

The proper answer to that is "No, I do not, since your employer refuses to allow any independent reviews of these machines and their hazards... so that is why I am opting-out."

AUS2008

To the bold point:
Pat down lanes are full because people are opting out? Or people not clearing AIT and getting a resolution patdown? I pass through SEA a lot and my limited observation is that a lot of people get both the AIT and patdown.