Originally Posted by
MaxFlyer
This is one of the reasons why you should never put your passport and boarding pass out of sight. The boarding pass can be replaced fairly quickly but your passport... At a number of US airports they instruct passengers to keep their passport and boarding pass in hand when going through security.
But then, at a number of European airports, I have been told to put them on the tray (although I always make sure they're in a bag or a coat pocket or something).
It's the inconsistency which is really confusing - and I would gladly follow the signs, but I have never seen a posted instruction regarding what to do with BPs and passports. It's always communicated directly by the security agent.