<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by bikostl:
My 75 year old mother, on the other hand, is ALWAYS chosen for both security line screening (has to take off her shoes, no matter what she is wearing) Any reason why they would always pick my dear little mother for a second check?</font>
It is not supposed to have anything to do with status, group number, or class of service (though I often have seen--especially in Latin America and Caribbean--that they will let all F/J pax go with no search, and then search every single Y pax).
When you check in, the computer runs your name(s) through a database maintained by the FBI of "watch" people. If your name is tagged for whatever reason, you will get a code printed on your bp and you will be searched at every possible interval before you board the aircraft. If your name does not come up in the database, your bp will read *CLR*, and you will be at the mercy of the "random" searches.
To summarize (paraphrasing what I believe Brit777 said a few months ago):
1) If you have *CLR*, you MIGHT be searched.
2) If you have anything other than *CLR*, you WILL be searched.
With regard to your mother, I can assure you that you're not alone. A few years ago when my grandmother was alive, she was searched multiple times on every trip, both domestically and internationally. Articles have come out recently alluding to how ludicrous it is that the TSA is checking the shoes and hand luggage of toddlers and elderly people when it really should be concentrating its resources on keeping airports safer, such as by patrolling tarmacs, controlling access to secured loading/catering/cargo handling areas, etc.
Anybody else have any opinions on this?
[This message has been edited by ESpen36 (edited 09-10-2002).]