WTMD being removed in "favor" of MMW?
Jul 19, 2014, 11:03 am
#16
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At PHX T2 (among others), TSOs and supervisors will pointedly tell you that if you are physically incapable of using the NoS, you are an 'opt out' and you will be groped and given a thorough bag search.
Jul 19, 2014, 3:32 pm
#18
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Well, you're no longer being radiated as with backscatter, but you've got a 50/50 chance of having some screener's hands on some part of your body due to the MMW false alarm rate. Maybe the screeners rebelled at doing full pat downs of anyone who alarmed the WTMD so the TSA in its infinite wisdom decided to send those alarms through MMW. Maybe TSA realized that the ETD swabs are essentially useless. (I can dream, can't I?)
Strange though. WTMD alarms so the victim gets sent through MMW, which may not alarm thus allowing someone with some disallowed item onto a plane.
Wouldn't it be easier and faster to just bring back hand-held metal detectors to deal with WTMD alarms? Of course it would, but that's too easy for the TSA.
Strange though. WTMD alarms so the victim gets sent through MMW, which may not alarm thus allowing someone with some disallowed item onto a plane.
Wouldn't it be easier and faster to just bring back hand-held metal detectors to deal with WTMD alarms? Of course it would, but that's too easy for the TSA.
In this case WTMD did not alarm. I cleared it and after i was 7 feet away the "randometer" alarm beeped. I do forsee the Pre Precheck screening method will be used in the Pre lanes and some new enhanced more invasive screening method will be introduced for non pre qualified.
The body scanner of course alerted on me since i had things in my pocket that are allowed in Precheck. No resolution patdown from that though.
Jul 20, 2014, 1:49 pm
#19
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Sep 16, 2014, 11:57 pm
#20
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Today, at ABQ, the long beep (random) sound went off on the WTMD at pre-check. I was told to go through the body scanner but opted out.
During the pat-down, I told the TSO that I thought the procedure for the random beep was having hands swabbed. I asked him when this changed and he told me recently (I think he said within the past few weeks). I asked him whether it was this way at all airports and he told me that he thought that this was the case everywhere now. This gave the implication that this is the new procedure but that it is gradually being rolled out to different airports.
During the pat-down, I told the TSO that I thought the procedure for the random beep was having hands swabbed. I asked him when this changed and he told me recently (I think he said within the past few weeks). I asked him whether it was this way at all airports and he told me that he thought that this was the case everywhere now. This gave the implication that this is the new procedure but that it is gradually being rolled out to different airports.
Sep 17, 2014, 6:33 am
#21
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Today, at ABQ, the long beep (random) sound went off on the WTMD at pre-check. I was told to go through the body scanner but opted out.
During the pat-down, I told the TSO that I thought the procedure for the random beep was having hands swabbed. I asked him when this changed and he told me recently (I think he said within the past few weeks). I asked him whether it was this way at all airports and he told me that he thought that this was the case everywhere now. This gave the implication that this is the new procedure but that it is gradually being rolled out to different airports.
During the pat-down, I told the TSO that I thought the procedure for the random beep was having hands swabbed. I asked him when this changed and he told me recently (I think he said within the past few weeks). I asked him whether it was this way at all airports and he told me that he thought that this was the case everywhere now. This gave the implication that this is the new procedure but that it is gradually being rolled out to different airports.
The following post is where the confirmation was
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23395140-post195.html
Sep 17, 2014, 8:01 am
#22
Join Date: Aug 2011
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This isn't a shock unfortunately. Its definitely a bait and switch type of deal where TSA tries to get everyone to sign up for Pre-Check saying go through a metal detector, keep shoes/belt/etc on then changes it and says MMW will be used on random people. Of course that's how the introduction of the body scanners were advertised in the first place (as secondary to WTMD) and look what happened.
What happens when one opts out in this situation? Do they let you keep your belt and shoes on? Is the opt out any different than a standard one in the regular line?
What happens when one opts out in this situation? Do they let you keep your belt and shoes on? Is the opt out any different than a standard one in the regular line?
Sep 17, 2014, 1:27 pm
#25
Join Date: Nov 2010
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To answer the question about opting out in this situation, I think they had me take my shoes and belt off. I actually offered to take my belt off first thinking that it had alarmed the WTMD and that this was the reason that they wanted me to go through the body scanner. They then told me to empty everything out of my pockets (they had not been emptied as usually you only need to avoid having metal when going through a precheck WTMD).
This felt like a regular opt-out experience. However, they did ask one of the TSOs to perform the "pat-down" really quickly instead of making me wait a few minutes. It may have been because it was precheck, or it may have been because an official wearing a tie (perhaps a three striper) was standing nearby and seemed to be watching this. They also seemed surprised that I was opting out, asking whether I knew that it would result in a pat-down. It was also far from the worst pat-down that I have had, but they seemed to be following all of the regular procedures.
Also to note--they still did not make me remover either my laptop or liquids from my carry-on bag.
I agree that this feels like it is "bait and switch." The reason that I signed up for precheck was specifically to avoid the body scanner. Now, I feel like precheck is not as much of an advantage anymore for this.
This felt like a regular opt-out experience. However, they did ask one of the TSOs to perform the "pat-down" really quickly instead of making me wait a few minutes. It may have been because it was precheck, or it may have been because an official wearing a tie (perhaps a three striper) was standing nearby and seemed to be watching this. They also seemed surprised that I was opting out, asking whether I knew that it would result in a pat-down. It was also far from the worst pat-down that I have had, but they seemed to be following all of the regular procedures.
Also to note--they still did not make me remover either my laptop or liquids from my carry-on bag.
I agree that this feels like it is "bait and switch." The reason that I signed up for precheck was specifically to avoid the body scanner. Now, I feel like precheck is not as much of an advantage anymore for this.
Sep 17, 2014, 1:43 pm
#26
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Today, at ABQ, the long beep (random) sound went off on the WTMD at pre-check. I was told to go through the body scanner but opted out.
During the pat-down, I told the TSO that I thought the procedure for the random beep was having hands swabbed. I asked him when this changed and he told me recently (I think he said within the past few weeks). I asked him whether it was this way at all airports and he told me that he thought that this was the case everywhere now. This gave the implication that this is the new procedure but that it is gradually being rolled out to different airports.
During the pat-down, I told the TSO that I thought the procedure for the random beep was having hands swabbed. I asked him when this changed and he told me recently (I think he said within the past few weeks). I asked him whether it was this way at all airports and he told me that he thought that this was the case everywhere now. This gave the implication that this is the new procedure but that it is gradually being rolled out to different airports.
Sep 17, 2014, 2:16 pm
#27
Join Date: Nov 2010
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The TSA collected my stuff for me so they were within my sight. Initially, they kept wanting me to step inside of the body scanner, but then someone told the clerk that kept saying this that I had already opted out.
Another interesting thing--another person two before me in line went through the body scanner. I was not sure whether he was selected randomly as well, had chosen to use the body scanner, or had set off the metal detector.
Does anyone have any idea how likely one is to set off the random alarm on the metal detector?
Another interesting thing--another person two before me in line went through the body scanner. I was not sure whether he was selected randomly as well, had chosen to use the body scanner, or had set off the metal detector.
Does anyone have any idea how likely one is to set off the random alarm on the metal detector?
Sep 17, 2014, 4:00 pm
#28
Join Date: Aug 2011
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I signed up for GE primarily for the pre-check benefits, and flew recently out of PDX with precheck for the first time (didn't get randomly selected for scanner). It was great. I did see them fire up the body scanner for one individual in the pre-check line, but I also saw that person continually beep the WTMD three or four times, so I'm not sure what the issue was.
Then on the way back, TSA staff insisted I take my netbook out even though I'm supposedly able to keep it in my bag (whether I have precheck or not, but I did have it on this leg too). The inconsistency is maddening. Last time I kept it in my bag going through normal screening, they said it 'looked like a laptop', and thus had to be taken out and re-screened. Sigh. But I can deal with that a lot better than the uncertainty of whether or not I'm going to get a full body patdown everytime I fly.
Then on the way back, TSA staff insisted I take my netbook out even though I'm supposedly able to keep it in my bag (whether I have precheck or not, but I did have it on this leg too). The inconsistency is maddening. Last time I kept it in my bag going through normal screening, they said it 'looked like a laptop', and thus had to be taken out and re-screened. Sigh. But I can deal with that a lot better than the uncertainty of whether or not I'm going to get a full body patdown everytime I fly.
Sep 18, 2014, 8:33 pm
#29
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Today, at ABQ, the long beep (random) sound went off on the WTMD at pre-check. I was told to go through the body scanner but opted out.
During the pat-down, I told the TSO that I thought the procedure for the random beep was having hands swabbed. I asked him when this changed and he told me recently (I think he said within the past few weeks). I asked him whether it was this way at all airports and he told me that he thought that this was the case everywhere now. This gave the implication that this is the new procedure but that it is gradually being rolled out to different airports.
During the pat-down, I told the TSO that I thought the procedure for the random beep was having hands swabbed. I asked him when this changed and he told me recently (I think he said within the past few weeks). I asked him whether it was this way at all airports and he told me that he thought that this was the case everywhere now. This gave the implication that this is the new procedure but that it is gradually being rolled out to different airports.
I got the long beep at LGA yesterday (Terminal B, Concourse D), and they did a hand-swab, which surprised me because recently I've been seeing other long beep victims pushed toward the MMW scanner.
Sep 18, 2014, 11:18 pm
#30
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Some of the persons granted PreCheck LLL outcomes have the potential to be so embarrassing to the government that it, in light of the supposed non-metal suicide bomber vest threat, seems to have factored that in to further displace WTMD with strip search machines.