Boggie Dog

I'm ok with that. I was just trying to give some of the Fry-O-Lator operators a chance to get it right.

sunnyjl

So I had the first of what I'm sure will be many opt-out pat downs at my home airport. I must say I was surprised. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The TSO that I opted out with was nice to me...he didn't seem annoyed at all. The woman who did my pat down was very professional, quick, even grabbed all my belongings and placed them in front of me where I could see them. She only used the back of her hands, and the only thing different from the usual patdown is that she went over my backside and under my breasts. I didn't feel violated in any way, or embarrassed. Let's see what happens at other airports this week...

Wimpie

http://blog.tsa.gov/2010/08/enhanced...?commentPage=2

Sadly, she is correct.

mozgytog

I opted out at PIT again today and got the retaliation grope, although this time it was the normal, non-enhanced grope. I got the extra-super-duper bag check though, since I had the audacity to opt out.

Everybody who complied with the PornoScan was getting patted down as well, it seemed, but I didn't see anyone else get the hand search of the bags. It's clearly retaliation for not just meekly accepting the nude photos and radiation dosage, as if making it inconvenient and delaying me by a five minutes is going to make me accept a strip search.

It's blatant manipulation, especially when they get mad at me because my bags were still sitting on the belt after being X-rayed. They're the ones preventing me from getting my things, and they're angry with me for clogging up the belt, so they decide that they need to do an ETD test on my underwear.

FriendlySkies

Great, something to look forward to when I fly out of PIT

what time of day were you there, and are there any other checkpoints that will still get me to the UA gates and let me avoid the perv scope?

mozgytog

It was just after 6 am. Both the main checkpoint and the upstairs, alternate checkpoint have the PornoScan.

They're in the lines, right beside the metal detectors at both of the checkpoints. Since at PIT, all four concourses are in the same terminal building you generally only have one checkpoint to choose from. You might be able to figure out a lane and a timing that avoids the WBI, but it's unlikely from my observations over the past month.

The alternate checkpoint is only open during 'busy' times, and it also has WBI. They're all Rapiscan machines, too, so that makes them backscatter X-ray. The guys upstairs swarmed me last time I opted out and told me not to say to other passengers that they could opt out and that radiation exposure causes cumulative damage to tissue. The ones downstairs just groped and insisted on doing extra special bag checks.

FriendlySkies

Hmm. To mileage run or not to mileage run, that is the question I guess I'll be getting my first grope next month at PIT.

As far as the idiot that said to stay away from pax, I would have given him a few special words

mozgytog

I did. I informed him in a clearly audible voice that I was merely exercising my constitutional right to free speech with respect to the harms of ionizing radiation and encouraging people to exercise their right to opt out.

When he threatened to get 'law enforcement up here', I refused to acknowledge the threat. It was an obvious bluff in attempt to silence me. It didn't work.

I've also been known to remark 'Private screening area? The last thing I want is to be alone with any of you.'

SNA_Flyer

I've been connecting quite regularly through ORD the past couple of months. As I wander by the H/K screening points on the way to my next flight (AA terminal) and observe the stupidity in action, I usually see plenty of people in the corral after getting their X-Ray exposure awaiting an additional patdown. Guess the technology works so well that it requires additional screening. What a bunch of jackholes.

ktakahashi

I searched far and wide to see Canada's official stance as it pertains to opting out of WBI. If it is already posted on FT, apologies as I could not locate it.

I eventually called CATSA which was really easy to do (phone number on the website). Spoke to a really knowledgeable and friendly agent on the phone. 2 take-aways from the chat:

1) The only place there is language about opting out is buried within their site as a pdf file. Here is the link - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/newre...e=1&p=14665643. Page 2 Principle 3 states:
Travellers selected for secondary security screening will be offered a choice between mm Wave screening and a physical search. The mm Wave screening is voluntary, and consent is obtained directly from the travellers.

2) The agent stated they are still only being used for secondary purposes and all WBIs are the Millimeter Wave variety. Can anyone support/dispute that?

doober

I totally missed this comment. Thank you for calling it to our attention.

So, TSA is, in fact, now doing actual strip searches. Why was this woman required to remove her shirt?

Make me nauseous to read things like this.

mozgytog

I'm not a big fan of inviting the police into my life, but in that case I believe I would be demanding their immediate presence.

Insisting that I take off my clothes because they felt underwear of some type would possibly lead me into making the kind of scene that would result in news coverage.

doober

I would have refused to go with the screeners until the police arrived.

Seems to me like TSA is pushing the opt-out punishment envelope. How far away can it be that people wearing incontinence products/sanitary napkins are taken into a private room and forced to disrobe?

But that's a good thing, because the more they push, the sooner will come the big lawsuit/criminal charges.

mozgytog

I didn't mean to imply that I would've gone with them, because that is most certainly not the case. Dozens of independent witnesses can't possibly hurt me in the event that the TSA tries to do an actual strip search of me.

doober

I know you wouldn't have gone with them and neither would I, but I would immediately ask for a police officer if any screener asked me to step into a private room. And I'd ask in a very loud voice.