No longer allowed to hold onto wallet during opt out pat down?
Aug 19, 2014, 3:52 pm
#1
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 817
No longer allowed to hold onto wallet during opt out pat down?
Has anyone else been told they can no longer hold onto their wallet during a pat down?
I used to always keep my wallet with me, and the TSO would hand search it, then place it with my other belongings (within my eyesight.)
Last week I was flying SFO -> LAS, and the TSO insisted my wallet had to be x-rayed. I asked if I could at least hold onto my cash (I had a decent amount of cash on me because VEGAS BABYYY) After himming and hawwing he agreed I could after rifling through to make sure there were no weapons hidden in it
It all seemed very formal. Multiple times he remarked about supervisors watching (I suspect due to the incident earlier this summer with the fake TSO "searching" pretty ladies), and he seemed much more polite than the TSOs I usually encounter.
Is this SFO specific or nationwide? I really don't like sending my wallet through the xray even if I can hold onto my cash. I usually have very little cash and use CCs for points. Since it has my ID, credit cards, etc it would be pretty bad if it was stolen.
I recently purchased a small travel safe, but while it can fit a passport + a few CCs, it can't fit my entire wallet + passport + car keys.
I used to always keep my wallet with me, and the TSO would hand search it, then place it with my other belongings (within my eyesight.)
Last week I was flying SFO -> LAS, and the TSO insisted my wallet had to be x-rayed. I asked if I could at least hold onto my cash (I had a decent amount of cash on me because VEGAS BABYYY) After himming and hawwing he agreed I could after rifling through to make sure there were no weapons hidden in it
It all seemed very formal. Multiple times he remarked about supervisors watching (I suspect due to the incident earlier this summer with the fake TSO "searching" pretty ladies), and he seemed much more polite than the TSOs I usually encounter.
Is this SFO specific or nationwide? I really don't like sending my wallet through the xray even if I can hold onto my cash. I usually have very little cash and use CCs for points. Since it has my ID, credit cards, etc it would be pretty bad if it was stolen.
I recently purchased a small travel safe, but while it can fit a passport + a few CCs, it can't fit my entire wallet + passport + car keys.
Aug 19, 2014, 5:51 pm
#2
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
1. The wallet should go through the x-ray. If you've escaped this in the past, it was likely an error.
2. Just toss your wallet in your carry-on, along with anything else which you take off for the checkpoint, and all will be well. You can see your bag go into the machine, see it come out and the Officer will either let you keep an eye on it as it comes out or bring it over to the pat down area where you can see it.
2. Just toss your wallet in your carry-on, along with anything else which you take off for the checkpoint, and all will be well. You can see your bag go into the machine, see it come out and the Officer will either let you keep an eye on it as it comes out or bring it over to the pat down area where you can see it.
Aug 19, 2014, 6:17 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,526
1. The wallet should go through the x-ray. If you've escaped this in the past, it was likely an error.
2. Just toss your wallet in your carry-on, along with anything else which you take off for the checkpoint, and all will be well. You can see your bag go into the machine, see it come out and the Officer will either let you keep an eye on it as it comes out or bring it over to the pat down area where you can see it.
2. Just toss your wallet in your carry-on, along with anything else which you take off for the checkpoint, and all will be well. You can see your bag go into the machine, see it come out and the Officer will either let you keep an eye on it as it comes out or bring it over to the pat down area where you can see it.
Aug 19, 2014, 9:26 pm
#6
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 817
1. The wallet should go through the x-ray. If you've escaped this in the past, it was likely an error.
2. Just toss your wallet in your carry-on, along with anything else which you take off for the checkpoint, and all will be well. You can see your bag go into the machine, see it come out and the Officer will either let you keep an eye on it as it comes out or bring it over to the pat down area where you can see it.
2. Just toss your wallet in your carry-on, along with anything else which you take off for the checkpoint, and all will be well. You can see your bag go into the machine, see it come out and the Officer will either let you keep an eye on it as it comes out or bring it over to the pat down area where you can see it.
2. On the other hand, I have had multiple occasions where they send my bag through the Xray, and directed me to stand somwhere I couldn't see it, then got angry when I refused and told them to get a supervisor if they had an issue with me watching my items, then I was subjected me to a retaliatory wait time for "backtalk".
I can't prove the second, obviously. But I noticed that on occasions where I had such interactions, the wait for a pat down was much longer.
Last edited by TWA884; Jul 31, 2018 at 6:39 pm Reason: Term not used in this forum