TheBOSman

I would take off the belt (I rarely wear one but do take it off even in Precheck lane), but taking shoes off will lead to admonishment to leave them on, saw it happen a lot when they expanded access to the Precheck lane and it had a lot of people who weren't used to the drill.

I find that the non-random WTMD trigger (i.e. actual metal) is resolved with a "do you have anything metal?" "(passenger answers)" "Ok put it on the belt and try again" most of the time the second try is through the WTMD.

I just don't see a reason to specifically avoid Precheck, since when it works, it works, and when it doesn't (random WTMD alarm) it seems to just become like the non-Precheck process of going through the MMW and opting out if desired, except you already don't have to take your laptop and Kippie bag out of your carryon items. I freely admit that I'm not as up on these issues as several are here, but I haven't personally seen an actual "random" patdown occur, in the same sense as the "random" WTMD alarm. I've seen the MMW alert over even the slightest thing causing an area patdown, and perhaps MMW alerts over enough of the body that procedure calls for a full patdown, but not a purely random one. Again, I'm probably wrong on this, but I've just also never personally seen a randomly required patdown.

Exleftseat

Let me chime in quickly. Yes, this new pat down is outrageous. But most of you experience this only infrequently at best. I have to go through this each and every time. I am the bionic man, two knee replacements, two shoulder replacements, one hip. Everything Titanium. Can't lift my arms high enough to go through the scanner, the walk through beeps. I can honestly say that I hate, no, despise flying. I have GE, Pre check and am over 75, so it all should be a breeze. But I don't get any breaks, it will never end, only get worse. Think about that

TheBOSman

Just wanted to note quickly, we've brought this up:

It is truly disgusting that you Exleftseat are/will be so consistently subject to this disgusting and humiliating process, all in the name of "security" that is not actually provided.

gsoltso

I can tell you, the "patdown" described in the article, is incorrect based upon every class I have taken and or taught for TSA. I can give no details, but this is either hokum, or the TSO was well outside the normal screening process.

hotsauce

This isn't about pat downs (and doesn't deserve it's own thread), but has anyone else noticed TSA's metal detectors are extra sensitive lately? The past 4 weeks of flights (SLC, DEN, EWR) have resulted in my triggering the detectors every single time. The items I'm wearing are similar to what I wear every week (for years). This morning my belt and Apple Watch needed to be removed because I kept tripping the dector.

Similar to other travelers - people were grumpy. What gives? Is the TSA turning up the sensitivity?

chollie

TSA announced to the world that they are implementing a uniform very invasive groin grope - as well as allowing TSOs to demand that pax 'rearrange' their clothing if they so choose. They expect the public reaction to be negative, hence the notification to the local police department.

Since TSA declines to tell the public what this new grope actually is, and tells us only that it will be standard everywhere and that it will be more offensive than in the past, the public has no way of telling the difference between an 'official' grope and a grope modified at the discretion of the screener.

At any other airport in the world, I know what to expect, so I know if someone has gone overboard. In the US, by design, the opposite is true.

Because of this, pax have no choice but to find out about the new procedures via sharing personal experiences. It comes down to a pax's word vs. TSA's word.

I notice that no one from TSA has said that it couldn't have happened. Just that it shouldn't have happened.

Boggie Dog

I take on face value your assessment. Where does that leave the traveler?

Since TSA has decided to hide behind SSI at every turn, especially with things we travelers have to comply with, how do we know the process is out of bounds? And that is the Catch 22 of having secret policies and procedures. It is frankly, un-American, the way TSA expects passengers to willingly submit to things when we have no way of knowing exactly what that process consists of.

TSA will lose the PR battle every day on this point.

If a security procedure is effective then knowing how it is done will not decrease the effectiveness.

Dieuwer

The US will lose the PR battle.
What tourist from abroad wants to start his or her vacation with a grope. Are you kidding me??

Boggie Dog

What American tourist going to some local vacation spot wants to start out with a TSA Sex Assault?

I would suggest the number is very limited.

Dieuwer

Exactly.
I guess the tourism industry will implode in 3, ...2, ...1,

Boggie Dog

No, the really sad part in all of this is how people keep lining up to let TSA Sexually Assault them.

Just a short period of people not flying would correct this situation.

petaluma1

From comments made @TSA and @AkTSA, something seems to be going on. Items that travelers have carried for months are being confiscated, foodstuffs are being confiscated - including candy at GSO - various other things that give one the idea that TSA is cracking down for some reason.

petaluma1

Do screeners volunteer to be <deleted> or is everyone required to participate in the practice?

ctbarron

Probably trying to justify their existence in the face of overall government cuts.

WillCAD

And this illustrates the abject stupidity of the TSA and its entire premise of SSI:

Tens or hundreds of thousands of people undergo these procedures every day. Millions of people undergo them every year. They experience the procedure, they witness the procedure, they are told what each step of the procedure is as it happens ("Now I'm going to run my hands along your arms..." etc).

And yet you are prohibited from discussing the procedure in public because this procedure that is experienced by, witnessed by, and told to millions of non-covered persons per year - including foreign nationals, including those on terrorist watch lists - is SSI.

That's like making the street address of the White House SSI. Every school child in this country, and most of the adults, know that the White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC. But if we made this common knowledge SSI, that would prevent The Terrorists from finding it, and the building would be safe forever!

But it's already public knowledge, and the building is in the same place now that it's been for over two hundred years. I can walk right up to the fence and see where it is and what it looks like, any time. I can even take a tour of it. But let's protect it by making the street address SSI.

Likewise, several million people per year see exactly what a TSA patdown looks like, experience it, and are verbally told exactly what will happen at the time by the TSO (a covered person). Yet making this publicly known procedure which is experienced by, witnessed by, and even recorded by millions of people per year SSI will help keep The Terr'ists from finding exploitable loopholes in the system.

Logic. It's not what's for dinner at TSA. I doubt anyone in the organization has ever had a single logical thought in their entire careers.